Patronizing Terror?
By Steve Johnson
25 March,
2008
Countercurrents.org
What’s going on in the
tiny island named Bangladesh in South Asia? It is for obvious reason
that this country does not come in global press very often because
it is neither a global player nor a moderate Muslim nation actively
participating in War on Terror. Whenever Bangladesh comes as a topic
in Western press is because of corruption, lawlessness, military intervention
or various problems. In recent months, Bangladesh is appearing in
global media as it is government by a military backed interim government,
which is continuing efforts in cleansing politics and politicians
in the name of combating corruption. Secondly Bangladesh is in news
story because of growing food crisis since last October. It is learnt
from a number of dependable press reports that a silent famine is
gradually spreading in the country. Initially rural population is
affected by this severe food crisis. Although the military backed
government is trying to tackle this situation, it is quite understood
that Dhaka has failed to convince many of the influential capitals
in providing rice for feeding the 150 million populations in Bangladesh.
According to latest information from Bangladesh, rice, which is the
main food for Bangladeshis, is becoming expensive almost every day.
Present price of rice is much beyond buying capacity of at least sixty-eight
per cent of the population. But, the military backed government is
trying its best in suppressing information on such acute food crisis,
silent famine and even death of people due to lack of food.
Undoubtedly, such situation is no joyous for any nation. Dhaka deserves
to get sympathetic attitude of the global community in salvaging lives
of poor people. But, at such critical and difficult situation, a section
of administration is behaving like devils, which certainly is dampening
sympathetic attitude of global community towards Bangladesh. Such
behaviors of certain government agencies are annoying people around
the world. Let us just take the case of award winning internationally
acclaimed Bangladeshi anti Jihadist journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib
Choudhury. Last Tuesday, members of Rapid Action Battalion [RAB],
the most notorious Para military forces in Bangladesh, which is known
for its atrocities through extra judicial killing, abduction, rape
and collecting ransom stormed the Weekly Blitz office [the tabloid
weekly newspaper run by Mr. Choudhury], they locked the editor including
other employees of the newspaper and its sister concerns inside a
room, seizing all cell phones and not allowing any communication,
friends or legal counsel. Almost after an hour and a half, members
of the armed men took Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and another senior
member of the newspaper, Mahboob Ar Rahman with them while they looted
cash and other valuables from the newspaper office. On arriving at
the ground floor of the building, where Weekly Blitz office is located,
RAB men blindfolded Mr. Choudhury.
Before leaving Weekly Blitz office with the editor and other journalist,
RAB’s officer reportedly known to be Shahidul Islam alias Major
Swapan, who is the Deputy Director of RAB-3 passed extremely offensive
remarks on journalists and newspapers. Captain Shafiq, who led the
armed notoriety also abused and humiliated Weekly Blitz editor and
other members of the newspaper.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and Mahboob Ar Rahman were taken to RAB-3
office and were detained there for hours. RAB men verbally abused
Choudhury during these hours, repeatedly calling him a “Zionist
spy and agent of the Jews”. They used expletives to refer to
journalists against whom RAB has a record of harassing, and the United
States Congress, which passed a resolution in Shoaib’s support.
The verbal assault, which included numerous threats, continued for
another three hours until someone RAB described as a “high government
official” telephoned and ordered them to release him.”
It is also learnt from the Weekly Blitz editor that RAB men demanded
heavy ransom from him while Captain Shafiq told him [the editor] that
he [Shafiq] is a notorious man, who has killed 29 people in the name
of ‘encounter’, a regular practice of RAB for killing
people. Shafiq and ‘Swapan’ asked Mr. Choudhury to work
as ‘source’ for RAB. When Weekly Blitz editor said, it
is not his job to work as any source or spy for any organization,
RAB men threatened that, they would do the same thing with him in
future. The matter was immediately notified with high ups of the Bangladesh
government.
After this incident, Shoaib’s supporters around the world are
already calling for boycotting Bangladeshi products. A Bangladeshi
mission in United States is already flooded with protest mails and
letters from supporters of this anti jihad Muslim journalist. Many
are terming Bangladesh ‘a patron of terror’, which might
not be delighting for the country at all. No doubt, Bangladeshi mission
in United States, its foreign ministry, the interim government and
the driving force [military] is failing to realize the impact of harassing
an internationally known journalist. Former professor and human rights
activist Dr. Richard L. Benkin, who is defending Salah Uddin Shoaib
Choudhury since 2003, in their website named interfaithstrength.com
has already called for boycotting Bangladeshi products. Dr. Benkin
is known to be one of the most influential Jewish lobbies in United
States. There are also indications of strong actions by Professor
Irwin Cotler, MP [former law minister of Canada], who is Shoaib Choudhury
international counsel, Australian Senate, European Parliament [which
passed a resolution in favor of Choudhury], US Congress [passed resolution
64 in favor of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury], US Senate and several
international human rights groups.
According to New York Times, Bangladesh is the most dangerous country
for journalists. Islamic terror groups are active secretly in many
part of the tiny country. In previous years, huge volume of arms and
explosives were recovered from possessions of notorious Islamist group
named JMB. Recently US State Department has black listed Harkatul
Jihad [HUJI] another Islamist terror group in Bangladesh. It is learnt
that some other extremist groups like Hizbut Tahrir are also within
close scrutiny of international community. Hizbut is banned in many
of the capitals in the world for its Al Qaeda and Hezbollah connections.
Under such extreme complex situation, administration in Dhaka may
face serious odds in the days to come for giving immunity to Rapid
Action Battalion in continuing various types of human rights abuse
and broad day crimes.
Steve Johnson is a free lance journalist presently working on a research
work in Thailand.
