Bangladesh Confronts Radical Islam | The Weekly Standard Scroll down for next story Bangladesh Confronts Radical Islam The South Asian country is one of many Muslim states where the battle between radicalism and moderation has yet to be decided. 1:39 PM, Jul 05, 2016 | By Raheel Raza The Weekly Standard Sorry, you've reached the limit on the articles you can view. Bangladesh, with 170 million people, 99 percent of them Muslim, is the world's fourth-largest Muslim polity. It became the latest nation where radical Islamist violence has drawn world attention on July 1. A band of terrorists seized control of a popular café, the Holey Artisan Bakery, killing 20 hostages and two policemen. The business is located in the upscale Gulshan district of Dhaka, the capital, and is favored by expatriates. The victims included nine Italians, seven Japanese, an Indian, and a U.S. citizen. After a long standoff, six extremists were killed in a military charge.

Led by a female prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, daughter of the first president of independent Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country is considered a region of tolerance and modernity within the Islamic world, as well as a fountainhead of Sufi mysticism. Yet radical Islam has challenged the Bangladeshi order long before the recent atrocity. Sheikh Hasina heads the leftist National Awami Party; its main opponent, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, cooperates with totalitarian movements such as Jamaat-e Islami Bangladesh, the local branch of the Pakistan-based Jamaat-e Islami (JI or Community of Islam), which demands an "Islamic state" with exclusive sharia law. A widespread campaign of extremist bloodshed, targeting secular bloggers and civil society activists as well as foreigners and religious minorities, began in Bangladesh in 2013. In June of this year, a fatwa by more than 100,000 Islamic scholars and clerics was issued, condemning homicidal attacks on free speech. Sheikh Hasina's government has been criticized for answering the violence with appeals for curbing speech about religion, but her administration has stiffened its anti-radical measures.

Terror experts detected the hand of the so-called Islamic State in the Holey Artisan attack, but local authorities discounted the possibility, linking the marauders, who were all Bangladeshi, with local fanatics. The Quartz online news service blamed the assault on the Ansarullah [Volunteers of God] Bangla Team. The group is believed to be headed by a radical Bangladeshi Army officer, Major Syed Ziaul Haq, who was accused of planning a coup against Sheikh Hasina in 2012 but was not arrested. Bangladeshi army officers assassinated Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, her father, in 1975. Bangladesh is troubled by a legacy of Islamist brutality during the 1971 independence war in which newborn Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, broke away from West Pakistan. Massacres and mass rapes were prominent features of the Pakistani military response to the Bangladesh insurrection. The rest of the Muslim lands supported West Pakistan, causing a serious humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh. Aside from the policing efforts of Sheikh Hasina's regime, a grassroots movement of "Radical-Free and Terrorism-Free Villages" has appeared in rural Bangladesh.

Because the peasant population is often illiterate, the initiative has been based on distribution of inexpensively-made documentary films explaining the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism, and produced by a Bangladeshi living in Canada, Hasan Mahmud. The endeavor has been supported by a Canada-based moderate group, Muslims Facing Tomorrow (MFT). The films are presented in the local Bengali language, and have gained the support of numerous imams and Islamic scholars. They concentrate on describing how the tyranny of sharia as public law, the goal of the radicals, has harmed Islam. Mahmud says that with a core team of 26 activists in-country, 25 villages are now "Radical-Free and Terrorism-Free" with 80 more listed as ready for action. Bangladesh is one of many Muslim states where the battle between radicalism and moderation has yet to be decided. The hideous tragedy inflicted on Dhaka should not obscure the possibility that Bangladesh, as a significant Islamic power, may defeat the radicals altogether, in urban and rural communities alike. Raheel Raza is President of the Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow, based in Canada.

Web Link: Mujibur Rahman | president of Bangladesh | Britannica.com president of Bangladesh Alternative Titles: Sheikh Mujib, Sheikh Mujib Mujibur Rahman Benjamin Franklin Mujibur Rahman, also called Sheikh Mujib (born March 17, 1920, Tungipara, India [now in Bangladesh]—died Aug. 15, 1975, Dhaka , Bangl.), Bengali leader who became the first prime minister (1972–75) and later the president (1975) of Bangladesh . Mujib, the son of a middle-class landowner, studied law and political science at the Universities of Calcutta and Dacca (now Dhaka). Although jailed briefly as a teenager for agitating for Indian independence, he began his formal political career in 1949 as a cofounder of the Awami League . The league advocated political autonomy for East Pakistan, the detached eastern part of Pakistan . Mujib’s arrest in the late 1960s incited mob violence that eroded the Pakistani president’s authority in East Pakistan.

In the elections of December 1970, Mujib’s Awami League secured a majority of the seats in the National Assembly , and Mujib demanded independence for East Pakistan. Troops from West Pakistan were sent to regain control of the eastern province but were defeated with the help of India. East Pakistan, renamed Bangladesh, was proclaimed an independent republic in 1971, and in January 1972 Mujib, recently released from prison, became the country’s first prime minister. Faced with increasing problems, Mujib took tighter control and assumed the presidency in January 1975. He, along with most of his family, was killed in a coup d’état just seven months later. His daughter, Sheikh Hasina Wazed , who was out of the country at the time of the overthrow, served as prime minister of Bangladesh (1996–2001; 2009– ).

Learn More in these related articles: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - Wikiquote Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Jump to: navigation , search Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975 ), also popularly known in Bangladesh and West Bengal as Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal) and Sheikh Mujib, was a Bengali politician and the founding leader of Bangladesh. He is widely revered in the country as the Father of the Nation. Mujib served twice as the President of Bangladesh , including the first presidency of the country and later during one party rule. He was assassinated by junior army officers in a military coup on 15 August, 1975. Contents Public Address at the Ramna Race Course Maidan in Dhaka (7 March 1971) We gave blood in 1952, we won a mandate in 1954. But we were not allowed to take up the reins of this country. In 1958, Ayub Khan clamped Martial Law on our people and enslaved us for the next 10 years.

In 1966, our people fought for the Six points but the lives of our our young men and women were stilled by government bullets. I had said, Mr. Yahya Khan, you are the President of this country. Come to Dhaka, come and see how our poor Bengali people have been mown down by your bullets, how the laps of our mothers and sisters have been robbed and left empty and bereft, how my helpless people have been slaughtered. Come, I said, come and see for yourself and then be the judge and decide. That is what I told him. Nor did they succeed in hanging me on the gallows, for you rescued me with your blood from the infamous conspiracy case. That day, right here on this racecourse, I had pledged to you that I would pay this debt with my own blood. Do you remember? I am ready today to fulfill that promise! There shall be no transaction between East and West Pakistan. All communications, telegraph and telephone, will be confined within Bangladesh. The people of this land are facing elimination.If need be, we will bring everything to a total standstill. Collect your salaries on time.

If the salaries are held up, if a single bullet is fired upon us henceforth, if the murder of my people does not cease, I call upon you to turn every home into a fortress against their onslaught. Use whatever you can put your hands on to confront this enemy. Every last road must be blocked. As we have already learned how to sacrifice our own lives, now no one can stop us! As we have already shed blood, we are ready to shed more blood! This time the struggle is for our freedom, this time the struggle is for our independence! Other[ edit ] I have given you independence, now go and preserve it. Sir, you will see that they want to place the word ‘East Pakistan’ instead of ‘East Bengal’. We have demanded so many times that you should use Bengal instead of Pakistan. The world Bengal has a history, has a tradition of its own. You can change it only after the people have been consulted. If you want to change it, then we have to go back to Bengal and see whether Bengalis will accept it.

Speaking to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in Karachi in 1955 during a debate on whether to adopt the One Unit scheme in Pakistan and divide the country into two provinces- East and West Pakistan. [1] You know, they can't keep me here for more than six months. While speaking with a western journalist during proceedings of the Agartala conspiracy trial . Mujib was released within in seven months of his arrest as a result of mass agitation and wide scale civil disobedience in East Pakistan. [2] Anyone who wishes to stay in Bangladesh will have to talk to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Shouting out aloud during proceedings of the Agartala conspiracy trial. It was in response to a journalist, to whom he was whispering, who told him that it was inappropriate to talk under the watch of undercover officers. [3] The people of East Pakistan will owe it to the million who have died in the cyclone to make the supreme sacrifice of another million lives, if need be, so that we can live as a free people. Addressing a rally before the 1970 general elections in Pakistan. [4] I have given you independence, now go and preserve it.

While speaking to Awami League leaders a few hours before his arrest on the night of 25th March, 1971. Mujib:Triumph and Tragedy by S A Karim This may be my last message. From today Bangladesh is independent. I call upon the people of Bangladesh wherever you are and with whatever you have, to resist the occupation army. Our fight will go on till the last soldier of the Pakistan Occupation Army is expelled from the soil of independent Bangladesh. Final victory is ours. Joy Bangla! The Declaration of Independence on the night of 26th March, 1971. The declaration was made minutes before his arrest by the Pakistan Army. [5] [6] [7] My greatest strength is the love for my people, my greatest weakness is that I love them too much. Interview with Sir David Frost on the BBC, 1972. If we had remained in Pakistan, it would be a strong country. Again, if India had not been divided in 1947, it would be an even stronger country. But, then, Mr. President, in life do we always get what we desire?

Speaking about the break up of Pakistan with Nigerian leader Yakubu Gowon. [8] I am happy with my Bangladesh. Replying to a question on whether he contemplated the Indian state of West Bengal joining his country and creating a "Greater Bangladesh". He was speaking to reporters at a press conference in London in January, 1972 after his release from prision in Pakistan. [9] Yes, but there is a difference. You see, I am a very poor sheikh. While being cheered with UAE ruler Sheikh Zayed Al Nahiyan as both men had the name Sheikh. [10] Quotes about Mujib[ edit ] Bangladesh - Countries - Office of the Historian Bangladesh - Countries A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Bangladesh Summary The United States had limited contact with Bangladesh when it was a British colony, but established consular relations there after the formation of Pakistan. On April 4, 1972, the United States recognized Bangladesh. Modern Flag of Bangladesh Recognition U.S. Recognition of Bangladeshi Independence, 1972.

The United States recognized Bangladesh on April 4, 1972, in a press statement from Secretary of State William Rogers . In addition, Herbert Spivack , the principal U.S. officer in Dhaka, delivered a message from President Richard Nixon to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman informing him that the United States government wished to establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level. Mujibur Rahman sent a letter to Nixon on April 9 in which he acknowledged the recognition accorded his country. The territory that became the state of Bangladesh previously was the eastern part of Pakistan. Consular Relations Establishment of Consular Relations, 1949. The United States established a consulate in Dhaka (then referred to as “Dacca”) on August 29, 1949, when what is now called “Bangladesh” was the eastern part of Pakistan. History of Diplomatic Relations Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and the American Embassy at Dhaka, 1972. Diplomatic relations and the American Embassy at Dhaka were established on May 18, 1972, with Herbert D. Spivack as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.

The first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary was Davis Eugene Boster , who presented his credentials on April 13, 1974. Resources Sheikh Mujibur Rahman | ঢাকা মহানগর দক্ষিন আওয়ামী লীগ ঢাকা মহানগর দক্ষিন আওয়ামী লীগ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Early Life: Born on March 17, 1920 at Tungipara in Gopalgonj district, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the third child of Sheikh Lutfur Rahman and Saira Begum. He studied at the Islamia College and graduated from Dhaka University. At 18, Mujib married Fazilatunnesa. They became happy parents of two daughters and three sons. Beginning of an Epic Journey: Mujib joined All India Muslim Students Federation in 1940 and in 1943, switched to Bengal Muslim League where he came close to Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.

While at Dhaka University, he founded the East Pakistan Muslim Students’ League. Language Movement Mujib led students’ strikes and protests when the language discourse of Pakistan first emerged in 1948 and remained active to organize the movements which culminated on February 21, 1952. Climbing Steps of Politics He left Muslim League to join Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhashani to form the Awami Muslim League . He became the first Joint Secretary of the party and then the General Secretary in 1953. In the elections of 1954, Mujib was elected at the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly and became the Agricultural Minister. In 1956, he joined a second coalition government as the Commerce and Industries Minister. Six Point Demand: In 1963, Sheikh Mujib became the President of Awami Muslim League after the death of Suhrawardy. He strongly opposed Ayub Khan’s basic democracy. He proclaimed a 6-point demand seeking autonomy of East Pakistan at the national conference of opposition political parties in Lahore in 1966.

Agartala Conspiracy Case Afraid of public support for Mujib’s 6-point demand, the then Pakistani government arrested him in the Agartala conspiracy case but was forced to release him amidst massive public unrest. On December 5, 1969, he declared that East Pakistan would henceforth be called Bangladesh. Elections of 1970 In the general elections of Pakistan in 1970, Awami League won a massive majority under Mujib’s Leadership. His party swooped in all but two of East Pakistan’s quota of seats in the National Assembly. The West Pakistani rulers however were completely against Mujib’s demand for greater autonomy. March 07 Speech The then Pak President Yahya Khan delayed the national assembly to bar Awami League from forming the provincial government. In a historic speech at the Racecourse Ground in Dhaka on March 7, 1971, Mujib called for the independence of Bangladesh. Yahya Khan declared martial law, banned Awami League and ordered arrest of Sheikh Mujib. Genocide and Independence of Bangladesh On the night of March 25, 1971, Pak army launched operation searchlight and started large scale genocide of the innocent Bengalis.

Sheikh Mujib was arrested and taken to Pakistan. Before that, Mujib declared the independence of Bangladesh and asked the people to create resistance against the occupying Pak army. New Country Gets First Govt. On March 17, 1971, the first government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was formed and Mujib was made the President of the country in his absence. Soon after that, Muktibahini, the freedom fighters’ force was formed and it started putting up strong resistance against the Pak army. Victory at Last After nine months of bloody war which killed over 3 millions of Bengalis, the Pak army surrendered to the allied forces of Muktibahini and Indian army. A new nation is born- Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned home on January 10, 1972 and took the charge of reconstructing the war-torn country. Reconstruction Begins Mujib focused on humanitarian and development assistance from the international community to reconstruct the country. In a bid to bring political stability which was prerequisite to its economic improvement, he introduced one-party rule. All political parties came under one umbrella of identity known as BAKSAL.

Assassination: On the night of August 15, 1975, a group of wayward army officers assassinated Mujib and all of his family members except the two daughters. This brutal assassination not only put an indelible smudge in the newborn nation’s history, but led the country into a political vacuum. Democracy started fading away and the reconstruction process suffered a major setback. News Things you should know about Shekh Mujibur Rahman Biography - YouTube Things you should know about Shekh Mujibur Rahman Biography Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jul 29, 2016 Things you should know about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Biography Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bengali: শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; Bengali pronunciation: [Sheikh Mujibur Rôhman]) (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975) was the founding leader of Bangladesh.

He served twice as the country's President and was its strongman premier between 1972 and 1975. Rahman was the leader of the Awami League. He is popularly known as the Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal). He is credited as the central figure in Bangladesh's liberation movement and has been compared with many populist founding fathers of the 20th century. His daughter Sheikh Hasina Wajed is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Things you should know about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Biography: An advocate of socialism, Rahman rose with the ranks of the Awami League and East Pakistani politics as a charismatic and forceful orator. He became popular for his opposition to the ethnic and institutional discrimination of Bengalis in Pakistan, who compromised the majority of the state's population. At the heightening of sectional tensions, he outlined a 6-point autonomy plan and was jailed by the regime of Field Marshal Ayub Khan for treason. Rahman led the Awami League to win the first democratic election of Pakistan in 1970. Despite gaining a majority, the League was not invited by the ruling military junta to form a government.

As civil disobedience erupted across East Pakistan, Rahman announced the Bangladeshi struggle for independence during a landmark speech on 7 March 1971. On 26 March 1971, the Pakistan Army responded to the mass protests with Operation Searchlight, in which Prime Minister-elect Rahman was arrested and flown to solitary confinement in West Pakistan,[1] while Bengali civilians, students, intellectuals, politicians and military defectors were murdered as part of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. After Bangladesh's liberation, Rahman was released from Pakistani custody and returned to Dhaka in January 1972. Rahman became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh under a parliamentary system adopted by the new country. His government enacted a constitution proclaiming socialism and secular democracy. The Awami League won a huge mandate in the country's first general election in 1973. However, Rahman faced challenges of rampant unemployment, poverty and corruption. A famine took place in 1974. The government was criticized for denying constitutional recognition to indigenous minorities and human rights violations by its security forces, notably the National Defense Force paramilitia. Amid rising political agitation, Rahman initiated one party socialist rule in January 1975.

Six months later, he and most of his family were assassinated by renegade army officers during a coup. A martial law government was subsequently established. Things you should know about Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Biography Category Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – The First President of Bangladesh - Bangladesh Blog | By Bangladesh Channel Features Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – The First President of Bangladesh Born on 17 March 1920 in the Gopalganj District of Bengal, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has long been noted as being the founder of Bangladesh. He is also often called ‘Bangabandhu’ which means ‘Friend of Bengal’ – a rather fitting nickname for this noteworthy political leader. Mujib started his political career as a student political leader in the Awami League of East Pakistan. Even at this early stage in his career, he was known for being a charismatic and moving public speaker. He quickly gained popularity by spouting socialist ideas wherein Bengalis would be treated as equals instead of being discriminated against. Mujib demanded that Bengal be given increased provincial autonomy and he also vehemently opposed the rule of Ayub Khan. In 1968 he was arrested and tried for allegedly conspiring with the Indian government against West Pakistan, but he was not found guilty.

He went on to win the 1970 elections by a landslide, clearly gaining popularity with the people but at the same time incurring disfavor with Pakistani politicians. Sometime later Mujib was arrested after talks with President Yahya Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto broke down. A guerrilla war ensued, which eventually lead to a full-scale conflict between the Pakistan Army and the Bangladesh-India Joint forces. During the course of this war, it was eventually determined that East Bengal should be made into a country of its own and thus Bangladesh was finally established. Mujib was released from prison and able to assume office as the first president of Bangladesh. Later he served as prime minister but despite his best efforts, he was unable to solve the problems of poverty and unemployment that plagued his people. Still, he was able to help the country adopt a new constitution that echoed the ideals of socialism and secular democracy which was a big step for the country. Despite his best efforts to better the lives of the people of Bangladesh, his time in office was fraught by political upheavals and conflicts. Unfortunately, Mujib was assassinated with his family by a group of army officers in 1975 in Dhaka .

Despite the controversy surrounding his last few years in office, Mujib will always be remembered fondly as the founding father of Bangladesh. User Comments & Reviews: 4 Comment(s) To leave a comment, please sign in using the login box on the right or click here , or sign up here . Page 1 of 1 Inzamam ul huda - 2010-06-15 12:52:16 Sadin jatir jonok jonab syed mohammed bangobhundhu shiekh mujibur rahman was a true leader..We salute him. He was our frist prisedent. He has been given the title "bangobhundhu" means the frnd of bengoli nation..We should know about him. He was born in 1920 27 march in tongipara...His nick name was khoka..He paased s.s.c exam when he was 20 years old...We are proud of him... Joy bangla joy bongobhundhu...

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib - Bangladesh Awami League Official Site Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Published on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 18:25 Hits: 85194 Early Life: Born on March 17, 1920 at Tungipara in Gopalgonj district, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the third child of Sheikh Lutfur Rahman and Saira Begum. He studied at the Islamia College and graduated from Dhaka University. At 18, Mujib married Fazilatunnesa. They became happy parents of two daughters and three sons. Beginning of an Epic Journey: Mujib joined All India Muslim Students Federation in 1940 and in 1943, switched to Bengal Muslim League where he came close to Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. While at Dhaka University, he founded the East Pakistan Muslim Students’ League. Language Movement Mujib led students’ strikes and protests when the language discourse of Pakistan first emerged in 1948 and remained active to organize the movements which culminated on February 21, 1952.

Climbing Steps of Politics He left Muslim League to join Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhashani to form the Awami Muslim League . He became the first Joint Secretary of the party and then the General Secretary in 1953. In the elections of 1954, Mujib was elected at the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly and became the Agricultural Minister. In 1956, he joined a second coalition government as the Commerce and Industries Minister. Six Point Demand: In 1963, Sheikh Mujib became the President of Awami Muslim League after the death of Suhrawardy. He strongly opposed Ayub Khan’s basic democracy. He proclaimed a 6-point demand seeking autonomy of East Pakistan at the national conference of opposition political parties in Lahore in 1966. Agartala Conspiracy Case Afraid of public support for Mujib’s 6-point demand, the then Pakistani government arrested him in the Agartala conspiracy case but was forced to release him amidst massive public unrest. On December 5, 1969, he declared that East Pakistan would henceforth be called Bangladesh.

Elections of 1970 In the general elections of Pakistan in 1970, Awami League won a massive majority under Mujib’s Leadership. His party swooped in all but two of East Pakistan's quota of seats in the National Assembly. The West Pakistani rulers however were completely against Mujib’s demand for greater autonomy. March 07 Speech The then Pak President Yahya Khan delayed the national assembly to bar Awami League from forming the provincial government. In a historic speech at the Racecourse Ground in Dhaka on March 7, 1971, Mujib called for the independence of Bangladesh. Yahya Khan declared martial law, banned Awami League and ordered arrest of Sheikh Mujib. Genocide and Independence of Bangladesh On the night of March 25, 1971, Pak army launched operation searchlight and started large scale genocide of the innocent Bengalis. Sheikh Mujib was arrested and taken to Pakistan. Before that, Mujib declared the independence of Bangladesh and asked the people to create resistance against the occupying Pak army. New Country Gets First Govt.

On March 17, 1971, the first government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was formed and Mujib was made the President of the country in his absence. Soon after that, Muktibahini, the freedom fighters’ force was formed and it started putting up strong resistance against the Pak army. Victory at Last After nine months of bloody war which killed over 3 millions of Bengalis, the Pak army surrendered to the allied forces of Muktibahini and Indian army. A new nation is born- Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned home on January 10, 1972 and took the charge of reconstructing the war-torn country. Reconstruction Begins Mujib focused on humanitarian and development assistance from the international community to reconstruct the country. In a bid to bring political stability which was prerequisite to its economic improvement, he introduced one-party rule. All political parties came under one umbrella of identity known as BAKSAL. Assassination: On the night of August 15, 1975, a group of wayward army officers assassinated Mujib and all of his family members except the two daughters.

This brutal assassination not only put an indelible smudge in the newborn nation’s history, but led the country into a political vacuum. Democracy started fading away and the reconstruction process suffered a major setback. Share this Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman- the Father of the Nation | Welcome to MOFA Website Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman- the Father of the Nation Early Life: Born on March 17, 1920 at Tungipara in Gopalgonj district, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the third child of Sheikh Lutfur Rahman and Saira Begum. He studied at the Islamia College and graduated from Dhaka University. At 18, Mujib married Fazilatunnesa. They became happy parents of two daughters and three sons. Beginning of an Epic Journey: Mujib joined All India Muslim Students Federation in 1940 and in 1943, switched to Bengal Muslim League where he came close to Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. While at Dhaka University, he founded the East Pakistan Muslim Students’ League.

Language Movement Mujib led students’ strikes and protests when the language discourse of Pakistan first emerged in 1948 and remained active to organize the movements which culminated on February 21, 1952. Climbing Steps of Politics He left Muslim League to join Suhrawardy and Maulana Bhashani to form the Awami Muslim League . He became the first Joint Secretary of the party and then the General Secretary in 1953. In the elections of 1954, Mujib was elected at the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly and became the Agricultural Minister. In 1956, he joined a second coalition government as the Commerce and Industries Minister. Six Point Demand: In 1963, Sheikh Mujib became the President of Awami Muslim League after the death of Suhrawardy. He strongly opposed Ayub Khan’s basic democracy. He proclaimed a 6-point demand seeking autonomy of East Pakistan at the national conference of opposition political parties in Lahore in 1966. Agartala Conspiracy Case Afraid of public support for Mujib’s 6-point demand, the then Pakistani government arrested him in the Agartala conspiracy case but was forced to release him amidst massive public unrest.

On December 5, 1969, he declared that East Pakistan would henceforth be called Bangladesh. Elections of 1970 In the general elections of Pakistan in 1970, Awami League won a massive majority under Mujib’s Leadership. His party swooped in all but two of East Pakistan's quota of seats in the National Assembly. The West Pakistani rulers however were completely against Mujib’s demand for greater autonomy. March 07 Speech The then Pak President Yahya Khan delayed the national assembly to bar Awami League from forming the provincial government. In a historic speech at the Racecourse Ground in Dhaka on March 7, 1971, Mujib called for the independence of Bangladesh. Yahya Khan declared martial law, banned Awami League and ordered arrest of Sheikh Mujib. Genocide and Independence of Bangladesh On the night of March 25, 1971, Pak army launched operation searchlight and started large scale genocide of the innocent Bengalis. Sheikh Mujib was arrested and taken to Pakistan. Before that, Mujib declared the independence of Bangladesh and asked the people to create resistance against the occupying Pak army. New Country Gets First Govt.

On March 17, 1971, the first government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was formed and Mujib was made the President of the country in his absence. Soon after that, Muktibahini, the freedom fighters’ force was formed and it started putting up strong resistance against the Pak army. Victory at Last After nine months of bloody war which killed over 3 millions of Bengalis, the Pak army surrendered to the allied forces of Muktibahini and Indian army. A new nation is born- Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned home on January 10, 1972 and took the charge of reconstructing the war-torn country. Reconstruction Begins Mujib focused on humanitarian and development assistance from the international community to reconstruct the country. In a bid to bring political stability which was prerequisite to its economic improvement, he introduced one-party rule. All political parties came under one umbrella of identity known as BAKSAL. Assassination: On the night of August 15, 1975, a group of wayward army officers assassinated Mujib and all of his family members except the two daughters.

This brutal assassination not only put an indelible smudge in the newborn nation’s history, but led the country into a political vacuum. Democracy started fading away and the reconstruction process suffered a major setback. History is the new battleground Front Page > Opinion > Story HISTORY IS THE NEW BATTLEGROUND A furious war of words continues between the BNP and the Awami League, with each contesting the otherï¿½s version of history, writes Subir Bhaumik Ziaur Rahman was the first president of Bangladesh, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman an ï¿½illegal prime ministerï¿½ ï¿½ with an Awami League government in power since January 2009, such claims sound like blasphemy. But this is exactly what the senior vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Tarique Rahman, wants all to believe. He is the eldest son of the late General Ziaur Rahman, the countryï¿½s first military dictator, and his widow, Begum Khaleda Zia, now the BNP chairperson.

He emerged as the real centre of power during his motherï¿½s last term as prime minister between 2001-2006, although controversies over his reported excesses continue to be a talking point. For the last six years, however, Tarique has been living in London since he was booked in money-laundering cases by the military-backed caretaker government, which took charge after the BNPï¿½s term ended in 2006. The Awami League government that came to power in January 2009 pursued these cases, although Tarique was absolved of charges in one of them for insufficient evidence. Officially, Tarique is in London for medical treatment, but he has been belatedly very active in raising issues through meetings and party events, betraying no signs of sickness. In one such event on the eve of Bangladeshï¿½s Independence Day this year, Tarique claimed that his father was the first president of Bangladesh.

The basis for that claim was strange ï¿½ as a young major of the Pakistan army, Ziaur Rahman had taken over for a while the radio station at Chittagong and read out the proclamation of Independence soon after the Pakistani military crackdown on March 26, 1971. But the founder of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, Belal Mohammed, had reiterated on several occasions that Zia had read out the proclamation of Independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the undisputed leader of the Bengali struggle in East Pakistan. Tarique shocked the nation by claiming that the Bangladeshis had fought the Liberation War ï¿½only responding to Ziaï¿½s call to armsï¿½. The debate about who first proclaimed Bangladeshï¿½s independence is as old as Ziaï¿½s assumption of power as the countryï¿½s first military dictator president. Immediately after he set up the BNP in the late 1970s, there were efforts to project him on a par with Mujib because he was the ï¿½swadhinatar ghoshakï¿½ (one who declared the nationï¿½s independence).

Veteran Awami Leaguers who spearheaded the Liberation Wars insist that it was M.A. Hannan, a senior Awami League leader from Chittagong, who had first read out the proclamation of Independence on the morning of March 27, a day after Pakistanï¿½s army unleashed ï¿½Operation Searchlightï¿½ on the Bengalis, starting one of the worst bouts of genocide in postcolonial Asia. ï¿½We heard Zia reading out the same proclamation that same evening but several hours after Hannan had done it , so he was not the first to read out our proclamation of Independence. And it was all done in the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the undisputed leader of our movement,ï¿½ said Tofail Ahmed, now commerce minister and one of Mujibï¿½s close associates in 1971. Another Awami League veteran, Amir Hossain Amu, says that Tarique has done what his father dared not ï¿½ he has claimed that Zia was the countryï¿½s first president because he proclaimed independence and people fought against Pakistan by responding to his appeal.

If one were to go by the historical records, Syed Nazrul Islam was the first president of Bangladesh as he was sworn in as president of the ï¿½Provisional Government of Bangladeshï¿½ with Tajuddin Ahmed as prime minister at Mujibnagar. Mujib was in Pakistanï¿½s jail during the entire tenure of the Liberation War. Abu Sayeed Choudhury was sworn in as the first president of Bangladesh on January 12, 1972, after it emerged as a free nation in December 1971. It is well known that Ziaur Rahman was a young major in Pakistanï¿½s army who, like scores of other Bengali officers, joined the fight for independence and was given charge of a sector during the eight months of Liberation War. He also headed the Z force, which he raised. He was one of many sector commanders, who fought under command of M.A. Osmani.

But with BNP leaders ï¿½ including his mother, Khaleda Zia ï¿½ supporting Tariqueï¿½s contention that Zia was Bangladeshï¿½s first president, the London-based leader went for a second salvo, when at another BNP event, he claimed that Sheikh Mujib was an ï¿½illegal prime ministerï¿½. He argued that Mujib, on his return from a prison in Pakistan after the liberation of Bangladesh, had taken charge as prime minister before the country adopted its Constitution and the provisional government had ceased to exist. This time, it was Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, very much her fatherï¿½s daughter, who reacted furiously. She said that the BNP was an ï¿½illegal partyï¿½ because it was set up in the barracks by Zia, who had forcibly usurped power through a military takeover. Hasina argued that all decisions of Zia were illegal because his assumption of power had no basis in the Constitution and was achieved by the use of force.

Other Awami League leaders joined the tirade, one even suggesting that Khaleda Zia should be forced to the leave the country for ï¿½distorting historyï¿½ and pursuing the ï¿½politics of destructionï¿½ (referring to her partyï¿½s violent anti-poll agitation last year). The prime ministerï¿½s office went one step further, recommending to all schools, colleges and other public institutions that they must keep three books in their libraries, which give out the ï¿½correct history of the Liberation Warï¿½. Now scores of Awami League leaders never miss a chance to attack mother and son ï¿½ some alluding to their links with Pakistan, others referring to their fundamentalist links set to undermine the very spirit of the Liberation War. The Bangladesh high court, in a 2009 ruling, had sought to settle the issue of history when it pronounced that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the one who proclaimed Bangladeshï¿½s independence. But stung by Tariqueï¿½s and Khaledaï¿½s claims, some who were close to the party filed a case of sedition against Khaleda.

The court refused to accept it on procedural grounds, further upsetting the Awami League. The former minister, Suranjit Sengupta, has strongly pushed for a case of sedition against Tarique for ï¿½false claims aimed at deliberate distortion of national historyï¿½. Senior Awami Leaguers have now gone to the other extreme of questioning Ziaï¿½s role in 1971. Some say that he was all set to leave for Pakistan, but was forced to join the fight under pressure from his Bengali troops after the Pakistanis had started killing Bengali soldiers at random. They also believe that Zia was part of the 1975 coup ï¿½ surely he knew of it and did nothing to stop it, they argue, because he was disgruntled at being passed over for the top job in the army. These are claims that can never be established, but there is no doubt that Zia fought his way out of East Pakistan into Tripura in the early days of the war. His role in commanding a sector cannot be forgotten. The problem starts with Ziaï¿½s subsequent role as military ruler.

As the founder of the BNP and the countryï¿½s military ruler, Zia stands accused of rehabilitating religious fundamentalists who supported the Pakistani genocide, the men who were involved in the massacre of millions including some of Bangladeshï¿½s finest minds. Zia was also the architect of the first major amendment to its Constitution that began the process of undermining secularism in Bangladesh. In a way, to cement his position as a military ruler, Zia seems to have promoted forces opposed to the spirit of the Liberation War he was part off. So, the BNP, founded by a liberation war hero, is now aligned to Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladeshï¿½s independence ï¿½ but this was a process started by Zia himself. But the travesty is that in Bangladeshï¿½s intense political polarization, those who resent the Awami Leagueï¿½s continued stay in power and its attempted monopoly over the Liberation War narrative may be found inclined to believe as big a historical lie as Zia being the countryï¿½s president ï¿½ even if it were just an act of challenging the Awami League and provide some legitimacy to the Zia legacy.

There are grey areas in history that are open to fresh interpretation in many countries including India, but would we accept Aurangzeb as the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India instead of Babur ï¿½ or Hastings and not Clive as the man who won the Battle of Plassey? Copyright © 2017 The Telegraph. All rights reserved.

Question: Mujibur Rahman was the first president of which country?
Answer: Bangladesh