Character assassination is old style of fascists
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
April 19, 2009
For past few days, a section of hired writers and sycophants of the ruling party are continuing continuous propaganda in Bangladesh and abroad through some newspapers and blogs against me, which I finally thought to be now addressed, as the matter may have generate certain degree of confusions in the minds of the people.
First of all, I would like to refer to a front page commentary in vernacular daily Amader Shomoy by a person, who feels comfortable keeping the title ´ambassador´ at the beginning of his name. Other than this title, this man has quite colorful past track records. In this commentary, this man tried in his own way to say that, I was continuing to write in several newspapers, mostly web based, abroad, under the mask of a pseudonym ´Sunita Paul´.
This was just a part of the entire propaganda conspiracy against me. On April 19, 2009, Daily Amader Shomoy [a vernacular] published a lengthy front page commentary by one Mohammad A Arafat. In this commentary, this man made several nasty and illogical comments on me, with the criminal intention of character assassination.
In the early morning, after seeing this commentary, I phoned the editor of the newspaper, Mr. Nayeemul Islam Khan, who has always been a very good friend of mine. Amader Shomoy is one of the very few newspapers in Bangladesh, which had the guts to join my voice in support of lifting travel ban on Israel as well as raising voice against radical Islam.
On getting my call, the editor, requested me to send my own rejoinder to that nasty commentary and later told me that the editorial staff, who let this commentary be published was sacked. This is the first ever case of sacking of any journalist in Amader Shomoy.
Then I tried to know, who this Mohammad A Arafat is and what is his profession. The only information I could get from another senior editor of a newspaper in Dhaka that this man is the latest husband of a former TV actress. This former actress, although hailing from a respectable family, entered into several dirty controversies for her rowdy personal life. Because of her bad reputation and controversies related to her private life, Bangladesh media gradually abandoned her from the cultural arena. This Arafat is the latest inclusion in her life as a ´husband´. I read many things on the net about something, which cannot be published in any family newspaper, for obvious reason.
Anyway, so, after getting the identity of this man, I quickly understood the agenda behind publishing the earlier commentary by the ´ambassador´ and now by the latest husband of the ex-actress. Both of them are blind supporters of Bangladesh Awami League. In fact the ambassador´s case is even unique. This man was one of the strongest advocates of the military controlled interim regime since January 11, 2007 and even publicly confessed in television talk shows, of meeting the Chief executive of the interim government in New York and Dhaka, a number of times to find out ways and means of aborting both Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia from Bangladesh politics, under the ´minus two´ formula indoctrinated by none but the controversial Barrister Moinul Hussain and adopted by the interim government. Lately, when Awami League came in power, this ambassador over-night turned into one of the most vocal supporters of the ruling government.
Anyway, this is the typical character of any sycophant.
The latest husband of the ex-actress in his commentary claimed, I am continuing to write in various newspapers under the cover of a Pseudonym ´Sunita Paul´. He also said, I work as "American lobbyist for a political party and defend Zionism". Then he said I am the patron behind militancy.
At this point, I would like to give an open challenge to everyone reading this to prove that I have ever worked as ´lobbyist´ for any political party in Bangladesh. As to his allegation of me being a defender of Zionism, it should be made very clear and loud that, I am proud to be a Muslim Zionist and shall continue to uphold my ideology, ignoring any such barking of mere lapdogs like the ambassador or Arafat, who work for fascist rulers in this country.
Responding to his allegation terming me as the "patron behind militancy", it is important to say that, I am the only journalist in Bangladesh and possibly in the entire Muslim world in present days, who is continuing to face sedition, treason and blasphemy, I repeat blasphemy charges for confronting militant Islam and religious hatred, for advocating global peace through inter-faith understanding and for demanding relations between Israel and Bangladesh. If this man thinks, criticizing Awami League stands for favoring religious militancy then let me remind him, in December 23, 2006, his favorite Awami League signed a treaty with Islamist party named Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish for establishing Sharia rule in the country, once Awami League is in power. On April 18, 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held meeting with notorious Al Qaida pal Mufti Shahidul Islam and some other former Afghan Jihadists at her office. Was this meeting arranged with the intention of appeasing Islamists when several ministers in the government termed Madrassas as the breeding ground of Jihadists?
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina´s son and advisor Sajib Wajed Joy is for the first time included in the ´Umrah Diplomacy´, which certainly is aimed not only in getting favor from Saudi Arabia in continuing Bangladeshi workers in that country but also to give a signal to Saudis that the present government is not intending any offensives on radical Islam. I never heard, the anti-Madrassa Sajib Wajed Joy ever showing any interest in performing Umrah. But, this time, he truly is accompanying his mother to Saudi Arabia with the huge entourage. Such pilgrimages are not to please the God, but to please the Saudi monarchs or in other word, the Dynastic Monarchism.
Arafat and all those lapdogs of the ruling party should not take people as stupid. Everyone has their own judging capacity, and during this world of advanced technology and free flow of information, it is truly difficult to befool anyone with Hitler´s propaganda formula.
It is not important for me to say anything in defense of Sunita Paul, because, as a writer, rather it is her responsibility to give response to all controversies, or even remain silent. But, of course, she already turned into one of the focal figures in Bangladeshi media in recent days, because of her undeterred writings on BDR massacre issue. Let me remind my readers that a bloody massacre took place inside the Bangladesh Riffles [BDR], the border security guard´s headquarters in Dhaka on February 25 and 26 this year. During this massacre a large number of army officers were brutally murdered while many of the female members of their families were sexually abused. Bangladesh government promised quick investigation into this matter and trial of the culprits. There are three probe committees initiated so far, all of which are working in fact finding. Ruling party supporters are continuing to demand holding trial of the culprits in Civilian Courts instead of Court Martial.
New York based Human Rights Watch [HRW] also demanded holding trial of the killers and collaborators of the BDR massacre in civil court. It opposed holding the trial in Court Martial.
Earlier on January 29, 2009 HRW sent a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In a portion of this letter, HRW wrote, "Since the establishment of the Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] in mid-2004, RAB and the police have jointly executed well over a thousand people in what they often refer to as "crossfire killings." Many, and probably most, of those killed in "crossfire" have been killed not in crossfire but have been executed in custody after being subjected to torture.
"Torture generally appears to be a routine feature in criminal investigations, as well as a means for law enforcement officials to extort money. Legal provisions that give the authorities a broad mandate to arrest and detain people without a warrant have contributed to these problems.
"An agency of particular concern is the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence [DGFI], which has been used by successive governments to silence opposition politicians and other perceived government critics. The agency has over the years been responsible for numerous arbitrary arrests and acts of torture.
"Since the establishment of Bangladesh as an independent state, members of the security forces have committed violations of human rights without being prosecuted for their actions. This has resulted in almost total impunity for human rights abuses."
In the recommendation section in this letter, HRW wrote, "Disband RAB which has since the outset based its operating culture on practices such as extrajudicial killings. In the event RAB is retained we urge you to establish an independent commission to assess RAB's performance, to identify those believed to be responsible for serious violations such as extra judicial killings who should be excluded from a reformed RAB and prosecuted, and develop an action plan to transform RAB into an agency that operates within the law and with full respect for international human rights norms.
"Disband DGFI which has too long depended on illegal practices such as arbitrary detentions and torture. In the event that DGFI is retained we urge you to establish an independent commission to assess DGFI's performance, identify those believed to be responsible for serious violations such as torture who should be should be excluded from a reformed DGFI and prosecuted, and develop an action plan to transform DGFI into an agency that operates within the law and with full respect for international human rights norms. DGFI's operations should be strictly limited to lawful military intelligence activities and in no circumstances should it engage in surveillance of the political opposition and critics of the regime."
Why the ruling party activists are afraid of Court Martial if they believed that there was no hand of them behind the massacre? BDR massacre probe and punishment of the culprits has already turned into a national demand in Bangladesh. Only those, who had hands behind this brutality will continuing their attempts in killing the investigation as well the trial.
And, Sunita Paul is now a subject of attack of the perpetrators of BDR massacre, as she continues to unmask and disclose many of the names and facts behind this worst ever brutality in the history of Bangladesh. It is certainly a noble responsibility of Bangladeshi intelligence agencies to scrutinize the writings and statements of people like Arafat or that ambassador to find out the reason behind such enthusiasm as well their links with the perpetrators of the BDR massacre.
First of all, I would like to refer to a front page commentary in vernacular daily Amader Shomoy by a person, who feels comfortable keeping the title ´ambassador´ at the beginning of his name. Other than this title, this man has quite colorful past track records. In this commentary, this man tried in his own way to say that, I was continuing to write in several newspapers, mostly web based, abroad, under the mask of a pseudonym ´Sunita Paul´.
This was just a part of the entire propaganda conspiracy against me. On April 19, 2009, Daily Amader Shomoy [a vernacular] published a lengthy front page commentary by one Mohammad A Arafat. In this commentary, this man made several nasty and illogical comments on me, with the criminal intention of character assassination.
In the early morning, after seeing this commentary, I phoned the editor of the newspaper, Mr. Nayeemul Islam Khan, who has always been a very good friend of mine. Amader Shomoy is one of the very few newspapers in Bangladesh, which had the guts to join my voice in support of lifting travel ban on Israel as well as raising voice against radical Islam.
On getting my call, the editor, requested me to send my own rejoinder to that nasty commentary and later told me that the editorial staff, who let this commentary be published was sacked. This is the first ever case of sacking of any journalist in Amader Shomoy.
Then I tried to know, who this Mohammad A Arafat is and what is his profession. The only information I could get from another senior editor of a newspaper in Dhaka that this man is the latest husband of a former TV actress. This former actress, although hailing from a respectable family, entered into several dirty controversies for her rowdy personal life. Because of her bad reputation and controversies related to her private life, Bangladesh media gradually abandoned her from the cultural arena. This Arafat is the latest inclusion in her life as a ´husband´. I read many things on the net about something, which cannot be published in any family newspaper, for obvious reason.
Anyway, so, after getting the identity of this man, I quickly understood the agenda behind publishing the earlier commentary by the ´ambassador´ and now by the latest husband of the ex-actress. Both of them are blind supporters of Bangladesh Awami League. In fact the ambassador´s case is even unique. This man was one of the strongest advocates of the military controlled interim regime since January 11, 2007 and even publicly confessed in television talk shows, of meeting the Chief executive of the interim government in New York and Dhaka, a number of times to find out ways and means of aborting both Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia from Bangladesh politics, under the ´minus two´ formula indoctrinated by none but the controversial Barrister Moinul Hussain and adopted by the interim government. Lately, when Awami League came in power, this ambassador over-night turned into one of the most vocal supporters of the ruling government.
Anyway, this is the typical character of any sycophant.
The latest husband of the ex-actress in his commentary claimed, I am continuing to write in various newspapers under the cover of a Pseudonym ´Sunita Paul´. He also said, I work as "American lobbyist for a political party and defend Zionism". Then he said I am the patron behind militancy.
At this point, I would like to give an open challenge to everyone reading this to prove that I have ever worked as ´lobbyist´ for any political party in Bangladesh. As to his allegation of me being a defender of Zionism, it should be made very clear and loud that, I am proud to be a Muslim Zionist and shall continue to uphold my ideology, ignoring any such barking of mere lapdogs like the ambassador or Arafat, who work for fascist rulers in this country.
Responding to his allegation terming me as the "patron behind militancy", it is important to say that, I am the only journalist in Bangladesh and possibly in the entire Muslim world in present days, who is continuing to face sedition, treason and blasphemy, I repeat blasphemy charges for confronting militant Islam and religious hatred, for advocating global peace through inter-faith understanding and for demanding relations between Israel and Bangladesh. If this man thinks, criticizing Awami League stands for favoring religious militancy then let me remind him, in December 23, 2006, his favorite Awami League signed a treaty with Islamist party named Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish for establishing Sharia rule in the country, once Awami League is in power. On April 18, 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held meeting with notorious Al Qaida pal Mufti Shahidul Islam and some other former Afghan Jihadists at her office. Was this meeting arranged with the intention of appeasing Islamists when several ministers in the government termed Madrassas as the breeding ground of Jihadists?
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina´s son and advisor Sajib Wajed Joy is for the first time included in the ´Umrah Diplomacy´, which certainly is aimed not only in getting favor from Saudi Arabia in continuing Bangladeshi workers in that country but also to give a signal to Saudis that the present government is not intending any offensives on radical Islam. I never heard, the anti-Madrassa Sajib Wajed Joy ever showing any interest in performing Umrah. But, this time, he truly is accompanying his mother to Saudi Arabia with the huge entourage. Such pilgrimages are not to please the God, but to please the Saudi monarchs or in other word, the Dynastic Monarchism.
Arafat and all those lapdogs of the ruling party should not take people as stupid. Everyone has their own judging capacity, and during this world of advanced technology and free flow of information, it is truly difficult to befool anyone with Hitler´s propaganda formula.
It is not important for me to say anything in defense of Sunita Paul, because, as a writer, rather it is her responsibility to give response to all controversies, or even remain silent. But, of course, she already turned into one of the focal figures in Bangladeshi media in recent days, because of her undeterred writings on BDR massacre issue. Let me remind my readers that a bloody massacre took place inside the Bangladesh Riffles [BDR], the border security guard´s headquarters in Dhaka on February 25 and 26 this year. During this massacre a large number of army officers were brutally murdered while many of the female members of their families were sexually abused. Bangladesh government promised quick investigation into this matter and trial of the culprits. There are three probe committees initiated so far, all of which are working in fact finding. Ruling party supporters are continuing to demand holding trial of the culprits in Civilian Courts instead of Court Martial.
New York based Human Rights Watch [HRW] also demanded holding trial of the killers and collaborators of the BDR massacre in civil court. It opposed holding the trial in Court Martial.
Earlier on January 29, 2009 HRW sent a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In a portion of this letter, HRW wrote, "Since the establishment of the Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] in mid-2004, RAB and the police have jointly executed well over a thousand people in what they often refer to as "crossfire killings." Many, and probably most, of those killed in "crossfire" have been killed not in crossfire but have been executed in custody after being subjected to torture.
"Torture generally appears to be a routine feature in criminal investigations, as well as a means for law enforcement officials to extort money. Legal provisions that give the authorities a broad mandate to arrest and detain people without a warrant have contributed to these problems.
"An agency of particular concern is the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence [DGFI], which has been used by successive governments to silence opposition politicians and other perceived government critics. The agency has over the years been responsible for numerous arbitrary arrests and acts of torture.
"Since the establishment of Bangladesh as an independent state, members of the security forces have committed violations of human rights without being prosecuted for their actions. This has resulted in almost total impunity for human rights abuses."
In the recommendation section in this letter, HRW wrote, "Disband RAB which has since the outset based its operating culture on practices such as extrajudicial killings. In the event RAB is retained we urge you to establish an independent commission to assess RAB's performance, to identify those believed to be responsible for serious violations such as extra judicial killings who should be excluded from a reformed RAB and prosecuted, and develop an action plan to transform RAB into an agency that operates within the law and with full respect for international human rights norms.
"Disband DGFI which has too long depended on illegal practices such as arbitrary detentions and torture. In the event that DGFI is retained we urge you to establish an independent commission to assess DGFI's performance, identify those believed to be responsible for serious violations such as torture who should be should be excluded from a reformed DGFI and prosecuted, and develop an action plan to transform DGFI into an agency that operates within the law and with full respect for international human rights norms. DGFI's operations should be strictly limited to lawful military intelligence activities and in no circumstances should it engage in surveillance of the political opposition and critics of the regime."
Why the ruling party activists are afraid of Court Martial if they believed that there was no hand of them behind the massacre? BDR massacre probe and punishment of the culprits has already turned into a national demand in Bangladesh. Only those, who had hands behind this brutality will continuing their attempts in killing the investigation as well the trial.
And, Sunita Paul is now a subject of attack of the perpetrators of BDR massacre, as she continues to unmask and disclose many of the names and facts behind this worst ever brutality in the history of Bangladesh. It is certainly a noble responsibility of Bangladeshi intelligence agencies to scrutinize the writings and statements of people like Arafat or that ambassador to find out the reason behind such enthusiasm as well their links with the perpetrators of the BDR massacre.