Sheikh Hasina doing her best, but appeasing fundamentalists can ruin her project
The Sheikh Hasina Government of Bangladesh has been rightly pursuing the 1971 war criminals — the so-called Razakars etc — despite stiff opposition within the country and from busybodies abroad, including sundry public figures and human rights activists. A few criminals have been hanged and others sentenced to long terms in prison. In the process, Prime Minister Hasina has combated accusations of being dictatorial, undemocratic and steeped in political vendetta. That she has not wavered from the path of justice does enormous credit to her. However, there have been rising instances of extremism which she must tackle with greater determination, and these are outside the realm of the 1971 war crimes. It's here that secular-minded observers have questioned her action — though not her intent because there is no doubting her secular outlook. Fundamentalist elements within Bangladesh have been pressuring the Government on a range of matters, and it does appear that in some instances, Dhaka conceded, even if tangentially. A few weeks ago, an extremist group of religious schools which goes by the name of Hefazat-e-Islam, protested against the installation of a statue in the Supreme Court premises — a blindfolded lady holding the scales of justice — claiming that it promoted idol worship and went against Islam's tenets. This was of course ridiculous since the statue is a universal representation of a judicial system's fairness. But the Government quickly capitulated to appease the fundamental forces. It was only when another group of people protested against the climb-down, did the regime go ahead — but installed the stature in a remote corner of the Supreme Court grounds. Unfortunately, this was not the only instance of the Hasina Government acceding to unreasonable demands from outfits such as the Hefazat-e-Islam. On an earlier occasion, again as a result of a virulent campaign the Hefazat launched, the regime pulled out certain chapters from the school syllabus, which the extremist outfit considered ‘atheist' and anti-Islam in nature.
The above two examples, among others, threaten to dilute the secular credentials of Prime Minister Hasina and her nation. It must be recalled that only seven years ago, the Bangladesh Supreme Court had condemned the omission of the word ‘secular' in the country's Constitution, saying its absence had “destroyed one of the basis of our struggle for freedom”. It must be said to Sheikh Hasina's credit that she pursued the issue relentlessly; and in 2015, through a constitutional amendment, Bangladesh was declared a secular nation. However, a strange caveat was added: Bangladesh became secular with Islam as the state religion! For Sheikh Hasina, this may have been a way forward, albeit with a compromise — and her supporters will explain that the Prime Minister accepted the solution because it was the only way for the moment to push the larger project of secularism through. Unfortunately, such half-way secularism can undermine the very laudable intent and purpose. Worse, it emboldens extremists to pressure the Government with one fundamentalist demand after the other.