The assassination of a 27-year-old Bangladeshi blogger -
Washiqur Rahman Babu in broad day light, curbs the independence of bloggers. His
only fault was writing secular views about Islam.
Before I proceed further, I would like to quote the exact
words that instigated the perpetrators to execute this heinous crime.
(English translation
of the comment)
Today is Independence
Day in Bangladesh.
Today Mullah’s are
independent. Fundamentalists are independent. Corrupted people are independent.
Political leaders are independent. Rapists are independent. Military is
independent. Shafi hujur (a radical Islamic leader) is independent. Blind
partisans are independent. Textile factory owners are independent…
But our
farmers-labors-workers are not independent. Our minorities-indigenous-hindus
are not independent, our free thinkers are not independent.
There are no specific terms and conditions on any social
networking website which states that “You are prohibited from posting any
religious comments.” If you read the last two lines of the paragraph given
above (But our farmers-labors-workers…………),
you will realize that Rahman has thrown light on some of the pragmatic issues
faced by the society. If speaking for the lower strata of the society or
showing sympathy for a particular set of community is a crime, then we are very
unfortunate that we live in a world where there is no value for humanity.
Everyone has the right to express his or her opinion irrespective
of his or her religion. At the end of the day, it is the lawmakers who take the
final decision of passing a particular law depending on how grim the situation
is. We as bloggers or even as social networking fiends bring forward the
problems faced by the society. Not only this, in some cases we also propel the
administration to take a proactive measure in safeguarding the rights of the
common people. Even in the Nirbhaya case, it was social media that had gathered
the mass support not only from India but also from other parts of the world.
Freedom of speech is
the fundamental right of an individual. Nobody has the right or the power to
harm him or her. It’s time that the administration of a country takes a stand against
these criminals and set a law with the harshest punishment.
Washiqur Rahman. May your soul Rest in Peace
Pic source: The Hindu
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