Let’s look into the difference between humans and animals, both species eat, sleep, fight, and live in tribes or colonies, humans have a distinct edge over animals that is that they can ask questions but if that distinction is taken away then not much is different. Sadly we are doing exactly that, we are not allowing people to think and ask questions, because we can’t answer them. After the murder of Rajib Haider, Professor Humayun Azad, Professor Lalon, Sagor Runi, another inquisitive voice was silenced in Dhaka the other day. A liberal blogger, Avijit Roy was brutally hacked to death while his wife was critically injured, all in the presence of police and dozens of onlookers who recorded the murder on their cell phones.
Avijit was the founder of a blog site, Mukto-Mono (means freethinker), he resided in the US and was visiting his native country to attend the launching of his books in the Boi Mela. Another voice of dissident, a voice which may stand for difference in thoughts and ideology as well as philosophy of life was muted forever. Whatever the extremists of Ansar Bangla (who have apparently claimed the responsibility) have done, contradicts the very values of the religion we are supposed to be practicing which promotes peace and tolerance. Instead the so called Muslims have resorted to the distorted interpretation of religious scriptures, to justify murder and silence ‘men of thought.’ This rise of religious extremism is not just limited to Bangladesh but all of Muslim world has become a hostage to these deviant ideologies.
MASOOD KHAN,
Saudi Arab, March 1.