Misreporting minority persecution cases

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
For those who work in defending rights of religious minorities, it is extremely important to cross check each and every information they share with local and international community while any case of minority persecution take place.

Advocate Rabindra Ghosh, president, Bangladesh Minority Watch [BDMW] circulated an email message titled ´A Hindu NGO Employee beaten to Death by unrully Student of Dhaka University´, wrote, "Swapan Mondal [40] a Hindu N.G.O. [Non Government Organization] employee was beaten to death at Suhrawardy Udyan [Ramna Kali Temple] by the students of Dhaka University after they branded him to be an extortionist. On last Saturday a group of students of Dhaka University caught him and beaten him mercilessly. On last Sunday morning Swapan Mondal died due to torture at the Dhaka Medical College during treatment. His dead body was sent to Dhaka Medical College morgue for post mortem.

It is learnt from police and hospital sources that Swapan Mondal was serving as an employee of an NGO namely "Free Christian Church of Bangladesh" [FCCB] situated at the capital of Indira Road. On last Saturday he along with his colleagues went to enjoy holidays at TSC [Teachers Students Center] Campus of Dhaka University.

At about 10 in the evening there was a hot altercation between a student of Mohasin Hall on a flimsy ground. On that ground the student of Mohasin Hall called some other 15-20 residential students of said Hall over phone and they jointly tortured Swapan Mondal and brought him before TSC Auditorium, branded him as extortionist, started beating mercilessly.


Police getting information rescued the victim with precarious condition and admitted him at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. But Sawpan expired in the next morning on 14th September, 2009 during medical treatment."

Now, here are something that was found on investigation conducted by people working for my newspaper [Weekly Blitz]. According to their findings, Swapan Mondal was not a Hindu but was a Christian [a converted Christian] working for the local missionary.

In the report, Advocate Rabindra Ghosh stated that Swapan Mondal went to TSC campus of Dhaka University "along with his colleagues went to enjoy holidays".

Here are two questions, where were those ´colleagues´ when Swadhan Mondal was beaten? Secondly, why they should have gone to university campus for ´enjoying holidays"?

While reporting any such important issues, everyone needs to remember one point very clearly that, no self-made stories or information should be incorporated with the original one. In such case of mixing, the entire case may ultimately get confused. It is important to remember that misreporting minority repression issue would put the reported matter into confusion. Honest and unbiased reporting here is expremely important and crusial as well.
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Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is an award winning anti Jihadist Muslim journalist in Bangladesh.

He is the editor of Weekly Blitz. This newspaper has both print and online edition reaching mostly policymakers, politicians, entrepreneurs, students, think tanks, civil and military officials, clergies and cross section of people in the world.

Weekly Blitz is the largest and most influential English language newspaper published in Bangladesh. Online edition of the only anti Jihadist newspaper in the Muslim world is available on www.weeklyblitz.net

Journalist, writer, poet, lyricist, author, film director, political analyst and peace activist, Choudhury, started his career in journalism in 1989 as the Correspondent of TASS, state news agency of Soviet Union. Later he was promoted as the Chief Correspodent of Itar-Tass in Bangladesh.

On November 29, 2003, he was arrested at Zia International Airport in Bangladesh on his way to Israel to attend a peace conference. Choudhury was tortured, imprisoned and denied medical treatment in prison. Government brought sedition, treason and blasphemy charges against him for confronting religious extremism, advocating inter-faith dialogue and demanding relations between Dhaka and Jerusalem. He was released on April 30, 2005 after imprisonment of seventeen months.

Although released on bail, Choudhury continues to face sedition, treason and blasphemy charges and the trial continues in a court in Dhaka. Sedition bears capital punishment [death penalty] according to law in Bangladesh.

Choudhury is the recipient of PEN USA Freedom to Write Award in 2005; American Jewish Committee's Moral Courage Award in 2006; Monaco Media Award in 2007 Key to Englewood City [NJ, USA] in 2007 and Key to Cherry Hill [NJ] in 2007 alongwith numerous local and international awards.

He has written a number of books on various issues. His book titled 'Injustice and Jihad' was published in October 2007. Italian publication house Neftasia Editore has published Choudhury's book titled 'Non Sono Colpevole' in May 2008.

Choudhury's latest book titled 'Inside Madrassa', which contains descriptive and elaborate information on condition of Madrassas in Bangladesh, Pakistan and other Muslim nations has been published in October 2009. This book is a result of comprehensive research by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury for several years. Interested people can buy a copy of this book by contacting Blitz Publications, ediblitz@yahoo.com

In today's world, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is perhaps the most quoted Bangladeshi journalist in the international media.

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Sun, The Washington Times, The Australian, The Berliner Zeitung, The Jewish State, The Jewish Week, The Guardian and many other leading international and regional dailies and periodicals have published numerous editorials on Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.

Office of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury's newspaper, Weekly Blitz was bombed by Islamist militants in Dhaka [Bangladesh] in July 2006. On October 5, 2006, armed terrorists attacked the his office and physically assaulted him. On 18th March 2008, members of Rapid Action Battalion [infamous of extra-judicial murders] abducted Mr. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury at gun point from his office. He was blind-folded and physically assaulted. Because of quick actions by US Peace Activist Dr. Richard L Benkin and Rep. Mark Steven Kirk and other esteemed members of United States Congress, Choudhury escaped RAB's deathtrap.

On February 22, 2009, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury's newspaper office was once again attacked by the armed thugs belonging to ruling party. He and his staffs were physically assaulted and the attackers looted his laptop along with two manuscripts of his un-published books.

US Congress, European Parliament, Australian Senate passed resolutions demanding dropping of the false case of Mr. Choudhury and to give him proper security and stop all forms of harassments. But, Bangladeshi authorities in Dhaka, instead of showing minimum respect to such calls, withdrew police protection from the residence of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury in May 2008.

He writes of several international newspapers and research sites.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is regularly invited by numerous prestigious institutions in the world for giving lecture on various topics of his work. He is considered to be one of the very few counter-terrorism experts working on Islamist militancy, Jihad, Sharia rule and Jihadist funding. His efforts have been recognized by the United States Congress, Australian Senate, Canadian Parliament, European Parliament and other governmental bodies in the world.

Yale University [New Haven, USA], Rutgers University [New Jersey, USA] and Hudson Institute [NYC] invited Choudhury to lectures. He also has given lectures at AIPAC, American Jewish Committee, and Synagogues in USA etc.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury has been interviewed in a recently released [2010] feature length documentary film named AMERICA AT RISK, which is produced by Citizens United Production, USA.

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