Painful Fifteenth of August

 I'm sitting with all of me 

hoping for destruction.' 

Rabindranath Tagore 

On this significant 15th of August, National Mourning Day, I am reminded of a poem by the notable Bengali poet Rabindranath Thakur, popularly known as Kabi Guru written a century ago. The moving words of the poet resonate: "Seven crores of Bengalis, O Mother of Bengal, made them Bengalis, not human beings." The father of Bangladesh nation Bangabandhu referred to this line in his 1972 speech at a large public gathering in Racecourse Maidan after his release from a Pakistani prison. He proclaimed, "Kabi Guru's statement has been proven wrong today; my Bengalis have become human today." This day, marked by Bangabandhu's ultimate sacrifice, showed that Kabi Guru Rabindranath's assertion was valid. 

Today, I am grappling with a profound sense of shame, heartache, and disbelief. It pains me to acknowledge my connection to Bangladesh, as we appear to be repeating past mistakes without learning from them. Just as a great leader misjudged the true essence of our nation half a century ago, today, his daughter has made a similar error, leading the Bengali nation astray. We must learn from history to avoid such missteps in the future. 

I prefer not to delve into the affairs of the previous government. They will be held accountable for their actions, and if they are found to be wrong, they will face the consequences. What troubles me today is disparaging Bangabandhu, which reflects our utmost malice. The individual who once held a green Bangladeshi passport and later obtained a blue one in the United States may have overlooked that the existence of the green passport is indebted to Bangabandhu. The young man perched atop the Bangabandhu statue, displaying his courage, might have been a second-grade student in a school in Pakistan if it weren't for the influence of that remarkable individual. Rather than protesting quotas, he would advocate for them, specifically for the rights of East Pakistanis. It's important to note that Dhanmondi number 32 is not merely private property but a valuable national asset. Even the Pakistani beasts kept that house intact; we Bangladeshis destroyed it. Where is this shame? Bangabandhu is not the leader of a single party; he is the leader of the entire nation. 

Is it fair to hold Bangabandhu responsible for the shortcomings of Sheikh Hasina's current government? Would it be akin to blaming Prophet Mohammad for the actions of Muslims? Throughout Bangladesh's history, every change in leadership has ushered in a new era of oppression. When critics point fingers at Sheikh Hasina for violence, they tend to overlook the 21st of August grenade attack.

The former home affairs advisor of the current interim Bangladesh government Brigadier General (Retired) M. Sakhawat Hossain recently talked about the firearm used in the recent violent outburst in the cities in Bangladesh. Brigadier Hossain said, “Those arms used were not issued by any law enforcement agency in Bangladesh”. Following this disclosure, the advisor was rapidly transferred from the Home Ministry to the Jute and Textile Ministry. While the movement aimed to address discrimination and autocracy, there were rumors of dissent being suppressed. Why were individuals prevented from visiting 32 Dhanmondi on 15th August? Without any doubt this restriction appears to align with autocratic tendencies. 

Even the right-wing Hindu nationalist parties of India, such as the BJP or RSS, are careful not to show disrespect towards Mahatma Gandhi. They recognize Gandhi not only as the leader of Congress but also as a leader of all of India. I have spent several days in various Middle Eastern countries out of necessity. In each country, large portraits of the monarchs are prominently displayed outside government buildings and public areas. This careful display of respect shows that the religious sentiments of others are not disrespected as much as our own. 

However, a custody Hefazat-e-Islami leader involved in the women's scandal seized the opportunity and started giving venomous speeches against Qadiani after being released from jail—what a strange country and even more strange religious leaders! Not only this incident, I hear some Bangladeshi religious zealots began to say, " “Shia" or "Kharazi" are not Muslims.” They claim to declare them as non-Muslims and prevent them from reading the Holy Qur'an. On the other hand, Shias will say that Sunnis are not Muslims. It is said that Bangladesh is a country of 90% Muslims. The question may arise out of these 90%, are those Shias, Ahmadis, or Kharejis included? As long as there are Hindus, we are Muslims, irrespective of being Sunni, Wahhabi, Salafi, Hanafi, Qadiani, Ahle Hadith, Mazari, Qaumi, Fultali, Furfuri, Atarshi, Maizbhandari. Ironically in reality they all regard each other as infidels.

Remember Afghanistan? In the 1970s, the country was known as an emerging nation. From Syed Mujtaba Ali's travel book to Afghanistan, we know about secular Afghanistan from the information of various historians. Afghanistan is a real example of how a progressive nation can be destroyed in the name of religion, and a country called Pakistan has long been bankrupt. I can see Bangladesh is moving towards that path at the fastest time. A famous thinker has said, "It was said that religion will protect people; from the day people started protecting religion, chaos started." 

"If you want to destroy a country, make the people of the country fight in the name of religion; the country will be destroyed automatically." 
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Tarek Mahboob, Contributor