“LGBT is perversion” – “transgenders are Kafir”. Such notoriety targeting LGBT community has been gradually spreading like wildfire in Bangladesh, which may ultimately result in fresher jihadist attacks on members of this community.
Back on April 25, 2016, members of Ansar Al Islam – an Islamist terrorist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) murdered Zulhaz Mannan along with his friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy by accusing them as LGBT. According to a media report, seven jihadists took part in this gruesome murder. Zulhaz Mannan was editor of LGBT magazine ‘Roopban’ and was a Political Process Analyst at USAID in Bangladesh.
Ansar Al Islam or Bangladesh branch of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) claimed responsibility for the murder of LGBT magazine editor and his friend, according to US-based monitoring agency SITE Intelligence Group.
The outfit had earlier “claimed credit” for the murders of secularist bloggers and online activists Niladri Neel, Ananta Bijoy Das and Nazim Uddin Samad and publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan.
Latest madness centering members of LGBT community sparked centering a story about third gender in school textbooks for students of Standard VII after the dismissal of a BRAC University teacher for tearing up pages containing the content. The inclusion of the lesson, ‘The Story of Sharifa’, in the chapter on similarities and differences between people in the history and social science book of the class stirred debate among parents after the distribution of the books earlier this year.
Following tearing of the book by BRAC University teacher Asif Mahtab Utsha, a section of the students as well as netizens and groups of radical Islamic and jihadist parties have started demonstrations along side campaign on social media arguing that homosexuality and transsexuality are being promoted under the veil of the textbook story. Confronting such madness, the other side says those against the story in the textbook have failed to shun negative mentality and are obstructing steps to take forward a community left behind.
According to a media report, BRAC University teacher Asif Mahtab Utsha tore up the pages of the book in a discussion on the new curriculum. A video of the incident was widely shared on social media.
In the discussion, he advised people to buy the book at BDT 80, tear up the two pages, and then return it to the shop for reselling at half the price to “raise awareness”. “This will be our protest – we’ll buy the book and tear up the pages”, he said.
He said people lose their jobs for speaking up. “You don’t support us on many occasions. Will you protest if I lose my job? They are destroying the lives of our students. It may sound unreal to you, but this is the reality.
“The elite society had boyfriend-girlfriend relationships, and now your children have this kind of relationship. When the elite society changes, the rest changes automatically. If you can’t stop this now, the future will be dark.
“Laws will be passed in Bangladesh – the boys who identify them as girls will get jobs and those speaking against this will be fined and jailed for one year. This is the reality. If this law is passed, we are done for”.
Later, Asif spoke to BBC Bangla where he said, “I gave the speech for the protection of our youths from being brainwashed so that their lives are not destroyed”.
Asked if it was the right thing to tear up textbook pages at a formal program, he told BBC Bangla, “I’ve talked to my lawyer. The members of the lawyers’ team said no law was broken. There are precedents of such protests around the world.
Amid the debate, BRAC University said it no longer has a contract with Asif.
Asif then wrote on Facebook that he was asked not to visit the university for classes in a phone call. “I don’t know why they have taken such a decision. They haven’t given me a reason for this”. A group of students launched a demonstration in support of Asif, saying BRAC University was backing homosexuality by sacking him. Some of them carried placards that read: “Say ‘No’ to LGBTQ”, and “We don’t promote LGBTQ”.
Abul Momen, who was in charge of writing and editing the Class VII textbook on history and social science, said they considered the inclusion of all communities in the book so that children do not have hatred towards a particular community.
“We describe those outside the society-recognized genders as the third gender people. They are widely known as Hijra. There are debates over issues like transgender, third gender. They [children] will know about these at universities”, he said.
“We just did the job of letting them know as much as they can understand. I don’t think there’s something debatable here.
“Our main goal was inclusion of the minorities and the marginalized people.”
Md Mashiuzzaman, a member of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, said the book did not say anything about transgenders, but included different communities to give students an idea about similarities and differences between people.
“The entire chapter is on respecting people of other communities as human beings. The chapter does not only have third gender people as a topic, but it also talks about the Bedey community who live in boats”.
Professor Tarique Ahsan of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research told reporters, “The Story of Sharifa” was included in the book to help the society think positively, but a section of the society cannot get out of their old mentality.
“As the third gender is constitutionally recognized, they have the rights as other citizens and they are part of a diverse human race”, he said.
It may be mentioned here that pro-Caliphate militancy outfit Hizb Ut Tahrir has a heavy presence within educational institutes in Bangladesh, including BRAC University and North South University (NSU). The recent act of BRAC University teacher and subsequent joining of his anti-LGBT actions by Islamist and jihadist forces in Bangladesh is a matter of serious concern as such acts can push members of LGBT community in Bangladesh into threats of their lives.
