Niloy Neel's murderers must know ideas don't die
Niloy Neel became the latest victim in dreaming of a Bangladesh without bigotry, hatred, and majoritarianism tinged with religious fascism. Three other bloggers with similar dreams have met the same fate in the last six months alone: Ananta Bijoy Das, Washiqur Rahman and Avijit Roy. And let us not forget the murder of Rajib Haider, another blogger and one of the architects of Shahbaug movement, who wrote against the rising tide of religious fundamentalism in his country. All of them were hacked in a similar fashion because they dared to challenge the might of Islamic fundamentalism led by groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and their affiliates like the Ansar al-Islam, which proclaims to be the al-Qaeda chapter of South Asia. These killings, almost serialised like the chilling ones committed by the ISIS, are a reminder of the brutal tactic adopted by these Islamic groups to silence dissent. And what better way than public killings like Avijit Roy's murder that send signals to others to remain silent or else meet a similar fate.
Bangladesh, like other countries in South Asia, is an unfinished story. There were thousands who gathered at the Shahbaug square in 2013 to demand justice for the mass murderers of Bangladeshis during the liberation war of the 1970s, particularly those related to the Jamaat-e-Islami. This is not to suggest that I endorse capital punishment, but just to underline that the popular sentiment at Shahbaug went beyond just baying for the blood of Abdul Qader Mollah. This popular sentiment was to make a democratic and pluralistic Bangladesh where religious minorities are not persecuted and where freedom of thought is not proscribed.
For a country which won independence from Pakistan on the question of language and culture, it is indeed a sad commentary that there are still people who long for those days when they were part of Pakistan. In just over 30 years after independence, they have forgotten the atrocities committed by Pakistanis. It is indeed a wretched state of affairs when the Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed the creation of Bangladesh and collaborated with Pakistan-sponsored Razakars in various pogroms across East Bengal, today becomes a hero for some Bangladeshis. And not just that, but the Jamaat in Bangladesh today is one of the most popular and strongest organisations in the country. How does one understand this? I have no clear answers but one thing is clear: if the Jamaat succeeds in convincing the people of Bangladesh that its version of Islam can provide the glue for a national identity, then that would sound the death knell for the idea of Bangladesh - which, despite having a Muslim majority, is still struggling to remain a secular society and state.
Much of this depends on the nature of the state and the political dispensation in question. There is no question that on certain occasions even the so called mainstream political parties have pandered to the extremist demands of the Islamists. How else does one understand the support that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party gave to Jamaat-e-Islami?
How else does one understand the hounding out of Taslima Nasreen from that country even without a whimper of protest from any political party? So the mere slogan of the Bangladesh state that “we won’t allow this (killing of bloggers) in our country” sounds pusillanimous. Perhaps the rot runs deeper. If they really want to do something about this phenomenon of brutality and violence unleashed by the Islamists, then they need to ask some very basic questions. And one of those questions would be what should be the place and role of Islam in an ostensibly secular democratic country. More importantly, this question needs to be become part of the wider debate within the society at large. From all that we know, that is a very difficult question to ask. Thus, even though the Indian Jamaat-e-Islami has moved away from the ideas of Maududi (the ideological fountainhead of Jamaat-e-Islami), there is very little discussion within their circles about the irrelevance of Maududi’s ideas. For all we know, he continues to be revered by the Indian Jamaat. Let’s also not forget their huge rally in Kolkata in support of their Bangladeshi counterparts. Bangladesh is at crossroads today. But there comes a moment in every country’s history when difficult questions should be asked. Perhaps, post Shahbaug and in times of revulsion against the killers, this is the best time to ask some difficult questions about the nature and role of religion in public life.
The very likely and timid response from the state police, asking its citizens not to "cross limits" and "hurt the religious feelings" of others only helps in serving the cause of the Islamists. This community of hurt sentiments seems to be growing by the day and it’s time to call their bluff. Religion makes tall claims about itself, the fate of mankind, the history and post history of the not just the world but the entire universe. There are bound to be questions about the sure shot and clear cut answers that most religions provide with absolute certainty. And there are bound to be more questions about the answers that they do not provide.
One meaning of Niloy Neel is abode of peace. True to his given name, he blogged for a peaceful world. Perhaps, he is amused at the reaction of Islamist fools, thinking that ideas do not die. They live on. Ideas have wings.