The recent incident of desecration of the under-construction statue of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is not merely an act of vandalism but an attempt to target the very ideals of secularism and tolerance that he stood for.
The year 2020 marks the birth-centenary of Bangabandhu and the despicable act reflects a mindset that is against the spirit of Bangladesh and its Constitution. Secularism has been one of the important features of the Constitution of Bangladesh after it was restored by the country’s Supreme Court in 2011.
The provision was initially introduced in the Constitution by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but later removed by pro-Pak head of state Ziaur Rehman. In one of his speeches Mujib had said, "There are Hindus, Muslims, Bengalis, non-Bengalis in this Bengal. They are our brothers. It is our responsibility to protect them so that we are not discredited."
Mujib had united the people to establish a state where cultural identity (language and traditions mostly) of the people will rule over their religious identity. The word 'Bangalee' which had been used by Bangabandhu frequently, was adopted in the Constitution to offer a 'non-religious' understanding of nationalism. In other words 'Bangalee' had been coined by him to mean anti-communalism.
His secularism was inclusive of all religious practices to ensure unity of the religious communities. The primary function of secularism as described in the 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh was to restore communal harmony between religious communities and to keep the national unity intact in the war-ravaged country. There was propaganda against the principle of secularism to undermine Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s government.
After the Liberation War of 1971, Bangladesh tried to walk this secular-democratic path, but his aspirations could not succeed. The assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, was followed by 15 years of military rule that halted the progress of the secular nation-building process.
The military rulers eliminated secularism from the constitution and from the socio-political order in all practical sense to establish their hegemony. In 2011, the 15th amendment of the constitution brought back secularism.
Mujib’s assertion of a secular Bengali cultural and linguistic identity over a theocratic identity for a Muslim majority independent Bangladesh can be linked back to his politically active student life spent in Kolkata (Calcutta) between 1942 and 1947. Bangabandhu’s vision for a secular Republic of Bangladesh was vindicated unequivocally in his 1972 Constitution that championed, apart from ‘Democracy’ and ‘Socialism’, ‘Bengali Nationalism’ and ‘Secularism’ as Fundamental Principles of State Policy.
Mujib was a man of conviction throughout his political career. The renowned British journalist David Frost had taken a long interview of Bangabandhu in Dhaka in January 1972. At one stage, Frost asked, “In the early hours of 26 March 1971 As you left your home at 32, Dhanmondi, did you think you would ever see it again?” In reply, Bangabandhu had said, “I didn’t, I thought this was the last, but if I die as a leader with my head up, at least they will not be ashamed; but if I surrender to them, my nation, the people of my country could not show their face to the world. It is better that I die keeping the prestige of my people.” In reply to another question by David Frost, Bangabandhu had said, “A man who is ready to die, nobody can kill him. You can kill a man physically, but can you kill a man’s soul? You can’t. It’s my faith.”
Mujib’s assertion of a secular Bengali cultural and linguistic identity over a theocratic identity for a Muslim majority independent Bangladesh need to reemphasised as forces close to Pakistan and anti-liberation movement make relentless attempt to derail character of Bangladesh.
[Written by Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, Editor, The Economic Times]
Source: The Economic Times
BDST: 1910 HRS, DEC 09, 2020
AP
