It goes without saying that social media spawns new drama over trivial matters almost every day. The growing obsession of social media users with celebrity statements is also detrimental on many levels.
However, when a well-known or obscure individual makes straightforward commentaries on social and religious issues that were resolved decades ago, how should we perceive it?
Just a few days ago, India celebrated its first successful moon mission, led by a group of female robotics scientists. Even within our own country, women are accomplishing incredible things every day. Just the other day, I came across the news of a Bangladeshi girl joining Tesla as a global supply analyst. The success stories of women, especially non-Western women, in the last few decades are endless.
Yet, here we have a young Bangladeshi man who took to social media to preach about how women's employment can disrupt society.
When I read Rafsan Ahmed's article about the “mob trial” of Tanzim Hasan Sakib on Dhaka Tribune, I felt the need to loudly declare that I too stand with the crowd that held Tanzim accountable for his actions, and I make no apologies for it.
Yes, I took it personally when Tanzim Hasan Sakib wrote that women who attended university and had male acquaintances couldn't qualify to be ideal mothers because they had supposedly abandoned “shame” and “respect” by venturing outside their homes and socializing with men.
I attended university, met people of all genders, worked alongside them, and if this is what he believes disrupts society, I'd rather await an apocalypse than subscribe to such blatant misogynistic remarks. It's worth noting that he made these Facebook posts just a year ago, in 2022. He may not have been famous or in the spotlight at the time, but does that excuse his deep-rooted misogyny? Has he genuinely changed for the better since then? I have my doubts.
I also took offense when he dehumanized people from other religious communities, exacerbating the existing communal hatred, by sharing quotes out of context that threaten the annihilation of non-Muslims thereby inciting violence against non-believers. I'm not sure why his fundamentalist posts received less criticism, even though they are just as infuriating as the misogynistic ones in the context of advancing a progressive society, if not more so. If a young man harbours such disdain for other religions in his heart, how can his non-Muslim acquaintances feel comfortable around him? How can someone like Soumya Sarkar or Liton Das welcome him with open hearts?
This cannot be taken lightly by any stretch of the imagination, and certainly not as merely practising one’s “freedom of speech,” -- as Tanzim Sakib's colleague Miraj suggested in support. Freedom of speech comes with responsibilities, as outlined in Section 39 of the constitution. It should not incite conflict, hurt others' sentiments, or promote any fundamentalist ideas.
Rafsan expressed in his column that men who weren't raised in elite environments tend to be intrinsically misogynistic, citing an old remark by Pakistani cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar. This, to me, only sounds more like an excuse or a justification for such reprehensible behaviour.
In his piece, he also wrote that a “young” sportsman with great talent does not deserve the social media mob trial. If the “woke section” of social media hadn't called out and condemned Tanzim's offensive remarks he would likely have escaped without ever realizing the impact of his words and the gravity of his misanthropic mindset.
One's background -- elite or not -- has nothing to do with it. The religious harmony embraced in villages is still heartwarming, and the hypocrisy of being raised by a working mother and sister and then belittling working women is simply alarming.
The International Cricket Council has clearly defined anti-discrimination rules for participants. Engaging in any behaviour that may offend or vilify individuals based on their race, religion, culture, gender, or other personal attributes, whether through language, gestures, or otherwise, is prohibited for all players. So, we cannot overlook Tanzim Sakib's inflammatory statements by any ethical standards.
Why do social media trials get berated so badly when the very same platform was used to belittle other people?
Tanzim Hasan Sakib apologized to the BCC for this “misunderstanding” and claimed he is not a misogynist because he has a mother at home too. If the information available online is believed to be true, both Tanzim's mother and elder sister are working individuals.
Considering his success journey, he cannot ignore their contributions and sacrifices. If Tanzim's mother, being a working mom, could raise such a successful and skilled son, where does he find the gall to criticize women who work for themselves, their families, and society? How hypocritical and ungrateful can he be? An apology alone does not redeem this fallacy.
I plead for Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s intensive counseling before he moves on to the next chapters of his career and life. BCC should take an initiative to re-educate Tanzim and smash the ingrained misogyny and radicalism he holds within. And let’s never get used to the systematic culture of dehumanizing women and minorities in our country, let’s raise our voice with strength, and not power.
As Carl Sandburg once wrote:
“When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the People, use the lessons of yesterday and no longer forget who robbed me last year, who played me for a fool -- then there will be no speaker in all the world say the name: ‘The People’ ... I am the people -- the mob -- the crowd -- the mass.”
Sharbani Datta works at Dhaka Tribune's Editorial and Op-Ed department.
