Mukto-Mona
Mukto-Mona (Bengali: muktmnaa ) is the first online platform for Bengali speaking freethinkers, atheists, and secular bloggers and writers, started by Avijit Roy. The meaning of Mukto-Mona is "free mind". The website supports free expression and criticizes religious fundamentalism, especially Islamic religious fundamentalism.
The Council for Secular Humanism called Mukto-Mona "the largest and the fastest-growing collection of contemporary freethinkers in Bangladesh and within South Asia". The group worked with international NGOs like the Center for Inquiry and the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
The website was moderated by Avijit Roy. Roy was killed on February 26, 2015. Ananta Bijoy Das also wrote for the blog. Das was killed on May 12, 2015. The group al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent said they were responsible for Roy's death. Ananta Bijoy Das was on a list of targets by the same group of Islamists who were behind the murder of Avijit Roy.
History
In May 2001, Avijit Roy started a Yahoo group called Mukto-Mona, meaning "free mind". In 2002 Mukto-Mona moved to a blog. Mukto-Mona was the first Bengali group to celebrate Darwin Day and International Women's Day on the internet. The group worked for freedom for religious minorities and secular writers. They worked with international secularist groups to protest killings and arrests. They also discussed religious questions and LGBT issues, that were taboo subjects in Bangladesh. In 2005 the website was banned in the United Arab Emirates.
Awards
In 2015, Mukta-Mona received "The Bobs - Best of Online Activism" award from German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle. Blogger Rafida Bonya Ahmed, the wife of murdered blogger Avijit Roy, received the award.
Other websites
Mukto-Mona
References
Human rights organizations in Asia
Organisations based in Bangladesh