Bangladesh in Bondage : Tarique Rahman, SQC, LB, and Other Essays

This book brings together a collection of essays about the untenable political status quo in Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina. Since democratization in the 1990s, Bangladeshi political life has been characterized by fierce battles over the role of religion in society, corruption, and the obstacles to constructing a society with freedom of expression and rule of law, independent from the influence of powerful neighboring countries. Academic freedom and other human rights issues have hindered the study of Bangladesh heretofore, and corruption, police abuses, and election rigging are common as well as widely documented. In this passionate, sometimes personal exploration of the issues of social justice, rule of law, and the democratic process in Bangladesh, the book offers a valuable case study of how an Asian developmental state is otherwise regressing backwards morally, socially, and politically. The Bangladeshi struggle for sovereignty, prosperity and democracy documented in this book will be of interest to political scientists, scholars of South Asia, and those of Islam. Dr Q M Jalal Khan is author of Bangladesh: A Divided Country and Bangladesh Divided: A Corrupt Police and Prison State. His work, "Sheikh Hasina's Brutal BNP-Phobia and Her Scandalous 'Midnight' Power Grab Through Vampire Vote Dacoity and Villainous 'S/Election' Rigging with an All-Time High Record of Humongous White-Collar Corruption" has appeared in Bangladesh: A Suffering People Under State Terrorism. His co-edited Begum Khaleda Zia: People's Leader of Bangladesh and India's Hegemonic Design in Bangladesh are among his more recent volumes. Forthcoming is his co-edited Zia, the Legend of Bangladesh. American-educated Dr Khan's numerous other publications include his literary criticism in books and articles Foreword 9 Preface and Introduction 12 Contents 19 About the Author 21 Chapter 1 Islam, Politics, and Human Rights in Bangladesh: A Call for All Opposition Forces to Confront the Awami Dictatorship 22 Introduction 22 Awami Carnival of Both Bottomless and Topless Corruption and All-Out Fascist Control and Coercion Competing and Conspiring to Go Ahead of Each Other, Not Just Together 28 Fake, Corruption-Ridden Cosmetic Development, Gluttonously Glittering at Only a Few Selected Places, Hardly Golden Anywhere 35 Grave and Gross Human Rights Abuses 40 Like Trump, Like Hasina: An Analogy 44 Media Clipped, Controlled, Curtailed 48 Suppression of Islam and Muslims 52 Pro-Hindu and Anti-Muslim Awami Secularism (ধর্ম নিরপেক্ষতা/ধর্মহীনতা) Sucks! Indian Cultural Aggression Sucks! 56 Conclusion 66 Chapter 2 Obscenity of Awami Personality Cult 82 Chapter 3 Bangladesh’s War Dead: Controversy Over the Casualty Numbers 95 Chapter 4 Clemency and Compassion, Or Cruel Otherization?—Who Said What in Reaction to Captain Mazed’s Execution 105 Chapter 5 Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury: Remembering a Fascinating Political Personality Five Years After His Execution 120 Chapter 6 Comments On the Much Maligned Lutfozzaman Babar 133 Chapter 7 Context Bangladesh: Democratic, or Nationalist, or Both? 137 Chapter 8 On the BNP and Its Urgent Need to Confront the Ongoing Awami Brutalities 145 Chapter 9 In Response to One’s Utopian Daydream About Bangladesh 151 Chapter 10 On Certain Betrayals to the BNP 155 Chapter 11 Tarique Rahman: A Man Still to Be Cast and Carved in His Own Symmetry to Lead—Both a Critique and a Guarded Praise of Him and His Party 167 Chapter 12 Conclusion 192 Index 199