Communal Forces Try to Create Anarchy

The communal and religious fundamentalist forces have taken to the streets and precipitated an anarchic situation in the country. Starting from early March they have raised hue and cry over a framed up allegation that the recently declared National Womens Development Policy is anti-Islamic. They have opposed equal rights of women and men' and said that women should be given `justified' rights and not `equal' rights, and have demanded that all provisions in the policy be amended accordingly. They have however failed to answer the question that since the Constitution of Bangladesh guaranties `equal’ rights for women, which is unequivocally stated in the preamble, the basic principles and other provisions, the demand to deny `equal’ rights for women is against the constitution. They falsely accuse that the declared policy goes against the Koranic tenets of inheritance. Actually nowhere in the stated policy document is the issue of inherited property taken up or discussed. But the communal conspirators have taken course to falsehood and deceit in order to instigate the religious minded common people. They have even gone so far as to oppose the provisions in the policy document for prohibition of child marriage, revered seats for women in parliament and local self govt. bodies employment of women in police and other law enforcing forces including international UN peace forces, affirmative action for women in education and other social-cultural fields, the use of mother’s name along with father’s name for identification of an individual etc.

The evil forces of communalism and fundamentalism continued their agitation all through the month of march and carried it to a peak in mid April when on the 18th  they occupied the national mosque and the adjoining streets, attacked the police, seized firearms from them and took them inside the mosque, burned the prayer carpets of the mosque and occupied it for long hours. They were actually conducting a well orchestrated master plan of agitation with the aim of creating a `situation’ by misusing the religious sentiments of the people though false accusations. The steps taken by the govt. in tackling the evil forces has alo generated many questions. The gross violations of Emergency Rules by the communal conspirators were allowed to continue over the weeks and mosofues were allowed to be used as centers of fiery speeches and agitational preparations. Whereas secular forces were prevented from ever organizing peaceful human chains, the govt. allowed the `mullahs’ to parade and barricade the streets. Moreover, at one stage, instead of organizing widespread propaganda and media campaign to acquaint the people with the real text and content of the policy document and thereby expose the false accusations raised against it, the CG announced the formation of a Review Committee consisting of the leaders of the agitating communal conspirators to suggest amendments to the declared policy document.

Why did the communal and religious fundamentalist forces embark on the desperate agitational campaign using such false accusations? This was due to the fact that they were in a very difficult and desperately precarious situation politically. They have been almost totally cornered and isolated through the recently invigorated struggle for the trial of war criminals of 1971. Political forces from almost all spectrum, the sector commanders of liberation war, all professional groups, civil society, social-cultural organizations,- in fact the whole nation had loudly expressed their demand for the trial of war criminals. Being cornered and isolated, and smelling the danger of being prosecuted, they desperately sought a way out by raising a diversionary issue which on the one hand will enable them to distractg the attention of the masses and on the other allow them to consolidate their demoralized forces.

All progressive, secular, democratic forces have expressed their resolve to defeat the forces of reaction and communalism. They have demanded that the govt. should not surrender to the conspirators, should implement the National Women’s Development Policy and should immediately start the trial of war criminals.

Tags: Communal Forces , Anarchy , Bangladesh