Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom & no such thing as publick liberty without freedom of speech, Benjamin Franklin, 1722. For TMT collection on Free Speech, click here
Washiqur Rahman: Another secular blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh
(CNN) When American writer Avijit Roy was hacked to death on a Dhaka, Bangladesh, street in full view of horrified onlookers, blogger Washiqur Rahman doubled down.
Fundamentalists were choking free thought in his secular nation, he wrote. But they couldn’t silence it.
His friends warned him to be careful, to watch what he posted online. But Rahman dismissed those concerns, saying his Facebook profile page didn’t even bear his picture. They don’t even know what I look like, he told them.
On Monday, the 27-year-old Rahman fell victim to the same brazen act that killed Roy, hacked to death by two men with knives and meat cleavers just outside his house as he headed to work at a travel agency.
He was so maimed — with wounds to his head, face and neck — that police identified him through the voter identification card he was carrying.
American blogger Avijit Roy was hacked to death in late February.
His death was the second time in five weeks that someone was killed in Dhaka for online posts critical of Islam — but they are hardly the only two who’ve paid a steep price.
In the last two years, several bloggers have died, either murdered or under mysterious circumstances.
“The despicable murder of Avijit Roy last month should have led authorities to step up protection measures for bloggers and others at risk. The killing of Washiqur Rahman today is another clear example of the Bangladeshi government’s utter failure to ensure the safety of those at risk,” said Abbas Faiz of Amnesty International.
“How many more bloggers will have to be attacked before action is taken?”
Additional Reading
The Muslim Times collection on Blasphemy Laws
Categories: Asia, Blasphemy, Free speach, Free Speech, Freedom
Violence is a clear sign that you have lost the argument. So the Muslims of Bangladesh have lost the argument. In fact Muslims all around the world have lost the argument. They resort to violence on different pretexts. Sometimes it is the honor of the Prophet (saw) and some times it is Allah’s honor is at stake. And ignorant Muslims kill each other and anyone else who is a transgressor in their mind.
How long we can say that it is only few among us who do these crimes. Fact is that a very large majority of Muslims is a silent participant in these crimes. This is a time when the leaders of Islam should stop blaming others and look to their own people. Educate them about the good teachings of Islam; tolerance, compassion, honesty, truthfulness, justice, equality, sacrifice etc.
Muslim leaders and Mullah have lost the argument. My concern is that if they continue on this path we all will lose our children to those who we are so fond of condemning.
Very true
Why do we label as secularist on some one – while we do not make it clear what secularism is all about? And while some people take secularism as something too free and too anti religious! We add insult to injury in that case.
Also – on one hand you put your name as Muslimtimes and put a Quranic verse to start with and the you raise slogan that you are promoting Secularism! Is it a new faith or the the faith of Quran? Why this duality and Why not SeclarTimes instead?
My real father born in 1928,4th January got Influenza and bronchitis. I had to fly in emergency. The treatment that a Muslim women wearing gets is disgusted and humiliating. We are weak but God is powerful. As you sow,sow shall you reap.There is disgusted., distinctive ,humiliation of ladies .In my case it was a stupid Indian security with a tall hefty
African American. The creator owns the world. The Bangladesh blogger killing shows that we are not in new era.To God we belong and to him shall we return.