News:
According to a news piece published by the Dhaka Tribune on 19th April, Ekattor TV Senior Journalist Farzana Rupa alleged that she received a death threat from a self-proclaimed Islamic militant, minutes after her report on the Pohela Boishakh assault on women was telecast on the private television channel. On 14th April amid the Bengali New Year Festival at least 20 women were sexually assaulted in a barbaric manner at Dhaka University campus. Police didn’t come forward to rescue them though they were right beside the spot. Some of the perpetrators were caught red handed and handed over to police but the police released them immediately after knowing that they are activists of the student wing of ruling Awami League. Rupa, the special correspondent of the TV channel, told the Dhaka Tribune that a person identifying himself as the deputy chief of an Islamic militant group threatened to kill her and her family members if she doesn’t give up her job. She said that she received the threat after the news on the potential suspects of the assault and sexual harassment of women at the Bengali New Year celebration at TSC in the Dhaka University area was aired at 7pm on Saturday.
Comment:
After the occurrence of any heinous crime in Bangladesh, to hide the true face of the perpetrators and to gain hidden political objectives, it has become a popular trend amongst secular media and politicians to lay the blame on Islam or ‘so-called’ Islamists for these events. But, actually this is nothing but a nasty political game. When a group of women were sexually assaulted in an extremely shameful manner in the event of Bengali New Year Festival on 14th April, the true face of secular liberal democratic values and the ugly face of some vandals who are products of the corrupt secular ideology were clearly exposed to the people of Bangladesh. To save the backs of these despicable criminals the current secular regime of Bangladesh and anti-Islamic media are playing the same old game. After four days of this shameful incident without any evidence the current Law Minister claimed that it is an act of ‘Islamic’ terrorists. And, the anti-Islamic secular media is misguiding the mass people through their objective oriented false propaganda in line with the ruling class.
In fact, sexual harassment in university campuses is a very common phenomenon in Bangladesh and years after years the political cadres of the ruling class have been doing this heinous crime right under the nose of the authority. Numerous complaints have been filed to the university authorities on behalf of the harassed women and a number of reports have been published in newspapers with detailed evidence. But, the ruling class, university authority and law enforcement agencies never took any kind of action against these culprits. Rather, to meet their selfish political gain, the secular ruling class gave these culprits political backup, and hence turned these campuses into safe havens for these criminals and rapists. Only two month ago, in Ekushay Book Fair, three women were sexually harassed at the same campus. From CCTV footage two perpetrators were identified as the activist of Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL) – the student wing of the ruling Awami League. However, the university authority refused to take any action against them. This time again from CCTV footage some activists and general students of the University confirmed that some of the perpetrators are the cadre of BCL. But still the police are claiming that they couldn’t identify anyone and the secular media and the ruling class are busy blaming Islamists while turning a blind eye to the facts. And, also the police are barred from disclosing the footage of CCTV-16, which is extremely important for the investigation.
In fact, this secular cult consisting of the secular ruling class, the anti-Islamic media and the current law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh is the vicious cycle which is the prime barrier to protecting women’s dignity and honor. To get rid of this vicious cycle we have to throw this corrupt capitalist system which has given birth to this secular cult, into the dustbin of history. This is so that the people of this country not only get rid of sexual harassment of women but also get rid of the endless corruption, shameless nepotism and cronyism, power mongering destructive politics and above all get rid of the tyranny, oppression and treachery of this secular ruling class.
Under the Khilafah, for 1300 years women were treated as the honor and dignity of the state. There is not a single evidence of this kind of heinous crime against women in the history of the Khilafah. Unlike the secular corrupt ruler, the Khalifah used to be the shield of protecting women’s dignity and honor. Unlike the corrupt man made legal system, Shariah law used to break the hand of the perpetrator by executing exemplary punishment. Not only that, Khalifahs used to send large envoys to protect the honor of a single woman. Khalifah Mu’tasim Billah had sent a huge army to protect the honor of a single Muslim woman captured by the Romans. Young Muslim General Muhammad bin Qasim rescued a group of Muslim women and children who were being held under the captivity of Hindu tyrant King Dahir Sing. Furthermore, unlike the secular system, women under the Khilafah used to go to educational institutions without any fear of being harassed. This is because the Khilafah created an environment where women were safe within each and every corner of society. So, the women of Bangladesh who took to the street to protest against this heinous crime, demanding from this corrupt secular leadership – which has never kept its promises – to enact exemplary punishment against the perpetrators of this should instead work for the Khilafah, which will bring back the woman to her original position and that is the position of honor given by our Lord سبحانه وتعالى.
أَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللّهِ حُكْمًا لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
“Do they, then, seek the judgement of the Time of Ignorance? Who could be better at giving judgement than Allah for people with certainty?”
(Al-Ma’ida: 50)
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Fehmida binte Wadud
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir