Sheikh Hasina stands firmly by secular ideals
If the Begum Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its partner the Jamaat-e-Islami thought the Sheikh Hasina Government would buckle under their street-protests and dilute Bangladesh’s secular ethos, they have been proven wrong. During a nationwide address this Sunday, on the eve of the Bengali New Year, Ms Hasina lashed out at her Islamist Opposition and made clear that secularism will remain an integral component of the state policy of democratic Bangladesh. This is a bold move given the political unrest that has engulfed Bangladesh in recent months. Ever since protesters took to the streets in February, demanding the death sentence for Jamaat leaders convicted of committing war crimes during the 1971 liberation War, Islamist supporters have been hell-bent on communalising the issue. They have sought to present the protesters as anti-Islamic and portray the Shahbagh movement as a Government-sponsored campaign of repression. In fact, some bloggers were even recently arrested for supposedly posting material online that was considered to be anti-Islamic. Consequently, today the Shahbagh movement is no longer just about demanding deterrent punishment for war criminals but also about defining Bangladesh's national identity as being both Bengali and Muslim. This shows that Ms Hasina and her Awami league regime have their fingers on the pulse of the people. The Bangladeshi Prime Minister has also made it evident that she will not pander to the extremists that comprise the Jamaatis and some elements of the BNP, come what may.
In fact, Ms Hasina's Sunday speech comes only days after she stated in unambiguous terms that her Government will not introduce a new blasphemy law. Instead, she made it clear her Government will protect the religious sentiments of one and all, and for that the existing laws are more than adequate. This announcement came as a major blow and a shock to the Islamists who had come to conclude that Ms Hasina would capitulate in the face of their threats. In fact, the Hefajat-e-Islam — a newly formed Islamist coalition — has even threatened to blockade the capital if the Government does not meet its demands which, apart from wanting a blasphemy law, include the introduction of compulsory Islamic education in primary and secondary schools, the declaration of Ahmediyas as non-Muslims and the restoration of the pledge in the name of Allah in the Constitution. The last has been done away with by the Sheikh Hasina Government in its welcome bid to secularise national environment — and more so mainstream politics. Although the Prime Minister has assured, in a bid to reach out to the saner elements among the protesters, that each of these demands will be reviewed, there is no reason to believe that she will seriously consider the outlandish conditions. Having come this far in her commendable campaign for the sake of a strong and secular Bangladesh, Ms Hasina mustn’t retract.