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June 4, 2006

Bangladesh: Islamist Killed Author For "Blasphemy"

The Bangladesh Daily Star reports that the leader of the Comilla branch of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the Islamist terror group whose main leaders were last week sentenced to death, has admitted that he killed one writer and seriously wounded another on account of "blasphemy" against Islam.

Shaon, aka Minhaz confessed to security officers today that he had killed a writer in Tangail district in 2000. The writer, Monir Hossain Sagar, lived in Deldaur in Tangail. Sagar had published a book entitled "Nari Tumi Manush Chhile Kobey". According to Shaon's confession, Abdur Rahman, the head of JMB who was sentenced to hang on May 29, decided that Sagar's book had contained indecent remarks about Allah and the so-called prophet. Rahman ordered Shaon to kill the author. How the author was murdered is not stated.

Shaon was arrested on April 26 in Pahartoli in Chittagong district, in the southeast of Bangladesh. News of Shaon's arrest was somewhat overshadowed by the arrest of Salahuddin, one of the 7 members of JMB's shura or leaders' council.

Under interrogation, Shaon had then said that Salahuddin was due to meet him at his house, and so members of the Rapid Action Battalion swooped and nabbed the shura member.

Abdur Rahman, chief of JMB, had earlier admitted to his interrogators that he had ordered the murder of an elderly economics professor at Rajshahi University, Mohammad Yunus. Yunus was stabbed to death on December 24 2004. The professor's assailants stabbed him in the chest, stomach, head and other parts of the body and also struck him with iron rods after gagging him.

Rahman also admitted ordering the murder of a prominent Bangladeshi author, Humayun Azad. Shaon confessed to interrogators that he had shown a copy of Azad's book "Pak Sar Zamin Sad Baad" to Rahman in January 2004.

Shaon told magistrate Shafique Anwar: "After reading the book, Rahman said Humayun Azad has no right to be alive as he makes indecent remarks about Allah and the prophet."

Shaon and three others mounted the attack, which happened about 9.30pm on February 27 2004. Azad was attending a book fair at the Bangla Academy in Dhaka, the capital. The attackers used butcher's knives against Azad, who was a supporter of women's rights and was a critic of human rights' violations. Azad had authored 50 books, and received the Bangla Academy Award in 1996.

Shaon said: "As Azad reached in front of the Atomic Energy Commission, Shamim and I started chopping him in the head and cheek and Azad collapsed on the ground."

Locals who heard the cries of the writer said that they heard what was thought to be a gunshot. Police sontradicted this, saying a bomb had been thrown to distract pursuers. Shaon told the Metropolitan Magistrate that one of his fellow attackers, named Shahid, had in fact set off a bomb to disperse people, and then they had merged with the crowd before making their escape.

Azad was severely injured (pictured) and was in a critical condition. He had received three wounds - one at the back of his head and two in the left side of his face. He was treated at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka and underwent extensive surgery, but he recovered.

He did not live long after this attack, however. On Thursday, August 14 2004, while in Munich to research the German author Heinrich Heine, Humayan Azad was found dead in an apartment. He was discovered by a member of the writer's group PEN. A post-mortem showed that the 57-year old writer had died of natural causes.

Shortly after the author's death, his son Anannyo Azad was kidnapped by 3 men from Dhaka University campus on July 25 2004. He managed to break free and escape from his abductors.

Shaon further confessed to having organised the setting off of bombs on AUgust 17 last year. The bombing campaign was conducted nationally by JMB operatives, with bombs exploding in 63 out of 64 districts of Bangladesh. Shaon said he had supervised the planting of bombs at the Judge Court in Comilla, as well as at a bus stand. He had been sent nine bombs via courier service by Ataur Rahman Sunny, the younger brother of Abdur Rahman who was also a member of the JMB shura.

Shaon had graduated with a BSc in 1999 and had then become a madrassa teacher in Joypurhat. He left the madrassa in 2001 after being lured by JMB to work for "jihad". He knew all seven members of the Majlish-e-Shura of JMB.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at June 4, 2006 11:15 PM

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