Where the buck stops

Nazimuddin Samad, a law student at Jagannath University who was active on social media in support of atheism, was hacked to death on April 6. Besides his anti-religion commentary, Nazim’s Facebook posts also showed that he was fairly vocal against the government’s inability to control crime, corruption, nepotism, and its continuous failure at protecting the lives of bloggers. After the murder, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said: “The write-ups of the slain secular activist need to be scrutinised to see whether he wrote anything objectionable about religion.” This was not the first example of a responsible person from a law-enforcing authority issuing an irresponsible statement. Last year, when four atheist bloggers were assassinated in a row, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque said: “According to laws, if anyone hurts one’s feelings, he will be punished by the law -- none should cross the limit.” And finally, on the eve of the Bengali New Year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: “We perform our religious rituals. But, if anyone writes filthy words against our religion, why should we tolerate that? Everyone should maintain decency. Otherwise, in case of any uncivilised attitude, the government wouldn’t take the responsibility.” As a practising Muslim, I like to differ with the first statement of our honourable PM. “Islam” is derived from “salaam,” a word that means “peace.” It also refers to a person submitting to the will of Allah in order to seek eternal peace and tranquillity. Teachings of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad incline Islam towards peace and tolerance. Yet, Islam has faced filthy and false criticisms since its beginning. The prophet faced much difficulty and opposition in his own birthplace, the city of Mecca. He was eventually forced to migrate to Medina. But, in spite of all the opposition and even physical torture that his followers suffered in Mecca, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) always approached the non-believers of Mecca with tolerance. Arabia has been under Muslim influence for 1,400 years. Yet, there are about 12 million Christians in that region. If the Muslims were intolerant and used the sword for the propagation of Islam, the situation would have been very different. This is the Qur’anic point of view, this is what Allah says: “Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.” (16:125) The Holy Qur’an warns that some people who have darkness in their souls will use the Holy Qur’an for their own monstrous gains. That is, no matter how much we teach them (or argue with them), their darkness and ignorance will not allow them to understand the Holy Qur’an. Just because we grew up in a Muslim family or in a Muslim country does not mean that we are Muslim, or that we understand the Holy Qur’an or Islam. Intolerant folk who harm others and hide behind the Holy Qur’an will be encouraged by the recent statement made by our prime minister. As a practicing Muslim, Sheikh Hasina might be hurt by the filthy words against Islam, but she cannot say, “why should we tolerate it?” Rather, she must keep patience and act with tolerance. That’s what Allah says in the Qur’an: “And if you punish them, punish them no worse than they punished you -- but if you show patience, that is indeed the best (course) for those who are patient.” (16:126) Our PM must remember that she is not the prime minister of Muslims or believers exclusively, she is the prime minister of all the people of Bangladesh, including atheists. The responsibility of improving our country’s deteriorating law and order situation falls on her shoulders. It is the government’s responsibility to seek out the killers and ensure exemplary punishment so that no one can get the courage to kill anybody in the name of anything, either religion or politics. The head of the state simply cannot afford to say: “The government will not take the responsibility.” It is the government’s responsibility, and it has to take it. It is our administration’s task to find the killers of all victims, including atheist bloggers, and ensure safety for all citizens, instead of pointing fingers at them.