The "moderate" Islamic governments are eliminating their moderate muslims

Bangladesh: A moderate voice in Islam is in danger

Islamic governments invest substantially in public relation campaigns in the West to bleach islam and convince us of their efforts to combat radical islam. But they're eliminating systematically any moderate muslim voices for daring to criticize the spreading radicalization of islam in every muslims dominated country. This is the proof that moderate muslims, when they exist, won't save us from the real islam which is promoted and supported by all means by, none other, than the islamic governments themselves.   

Amitabh Tripathi, from Weekly Blitz

Yesterday I received an email from my friend in Bangladesh named Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. He has been known to western world in last few years but still unfamiliar with Indian subcontinent, particularly in India. I first came to know about him in January this year when correspondence with one American Jew and human right activist and now my good friend Dr. Richard L Benkin started in January 2008. Not several people are aware of the strong bond of relation between Shoaib Choudhury and Dr Richard Benkin but both loves to be call each other brother.

Since January 2008, I started taking some interest in this issue and tried to go in the detail of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. It is not much of importance who is Shoaib Choudhury but thing of paramount importance is his fight against Islamism and radical Islam. He is a man with courage who is paying price for opposing radical Islam and exposing the threat of Islamist terrorism to Muslim world as well as the whole world.

On 11th of June I received his email that appellate division has dismissed his special leave petition it means he has to face the trial of treason charge which according to him and others who know Shoaib Choudhury well are false as an instrument to crush the dissent voice among Islamic world. Shoaib Choudhury is also an editor of a weekly newspaper published from Dhaka www.weeklyblitz.net. He is the first Muslim in history of Bangladesh who openly advocated for the diplomatic relationship between Dhaka and Tel Aviv and opposed Islamist terrorism exposing nexus between radical Islamist political parties and terrorist groups Al-Qaida and HUJI. His advocacy for Israel put him before danger and he was branded as an agent of Israel as Dr Richard Benkin his link between Israel and Bangladesh. He has been tortured by government agencies of Bangladesh on various occasions and two years back he was able to come out of jail only because of efforts of Dr Richard Benkin and some congress men in America. But sword is still hanging on his head which was visible when notorious armed force of Bangladesh RAB abducted him on gun point on March 18 2008 and insulted him in abusive language. It was again efforts of Dr Richard Benkin and some congress men in American congress which insured his safe release but his police protection has also been withdrawn in March. Government of Bangladesh has charged him with treason and sedition and if those charges proved he would be given death penalty. On 11th June when I received email form Salah Uddin I got my eyes wet imaging the horrific anti climax of his struggle. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is not fighting for himself only his fight belong to all of us who are worried for the safe and free world as well as safe future for our next generation.

We have bitter experience of our neighbor countries with lack of democracy and respect for dissent voice. We have Pakistan and now Bangladesh which have fallen in the hands of Islamist forces and radical Islamist political parties in the grab of pseudo democracy not only protecting these forces but also nourishing them. In this critical phase if one moderate voice within Islamism has emerged we should protect and preserve it. Salah Uddin is a victim of Islamism as we have earlier Salman Rushdie, Taslima Nasrin, Ayaan Hirshi Ali, Wafa Sultan, and Ali Sina in this category. Salah Uddin is a man who is ray of hope in this fight against Islamist terrorism and world can not afford to loose these kinds of warriors who are challenging the hegemony of Islamism within Islam.

From last four issues of his weekly magazine weeklyblitz.net he is writing a series of articles on Islamist terrorism with wide and deep information's of base of Al-Qaida and other terrorist networks in several parts of the world. For last few years Islamist terrorism has taken a new shift and south Asia has emerged as new hub of terrorism with Pakistan and Bangladesh as new gravity centre. Since 911 every major terrorist incident which happened across the world whether it is Europe or other parts of the world has role of Pakistan based terrorist groups as well as Bangladesh. Terrorism has grown to such proportion as it has gone out of hand and new strategy needed to tackle it properly. This new strategy is based on alliance against terrorism. This alliance could become reality once all terror affected civilizations and moderate voice among Islamic world come close together. In this new era of information it has become very easy to search our allies and be in touch with them. Dr Richard Benkin and Salah Uddin are discovery of this new technology for me. Need of the hour is to rally behind Salah Uddin in his critical phase to boost his morale. Salah Uddin is not fighting only for his survival his success or defeat is going to decide our fate also as whether we would be able to preserve a moderate voice among Islam and pave the way for democratization of Islamic society in south Asia or not. We can defend him by our will power and academic efforts also. We should flood the embassy of Bangladesh in our country with petitions registering protest against immoral and autocratic stand of that country with predetermined trial of an innocent fighter against Islamism only to appease Islamist lobby.

What a paradox with South Asia on the one hand a terrorist who was responsible for attack on Indian parliament and who been executed to death penalty from lower court to Supreme court of India is pleading for clemency and due to Muslim appeasement Indian Government headed by Congress and Left are trying hard to delay the execution of Mohammad Afzal and on the other hand government of Bangladesh is trying hard to execute a moderate voice in Islam to appease Islamists in their own country. This contrast with similarity reflects the moral bankruptcy of South Asian countries and their submission to Islamist terrorism and Muslim appeasement.

Amitabh Tripathi is the editor of Daily Lokmanch - India