37 prominent Bangladeshis warn of rising religious extremism
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At least 37 prominent Bangladeshi citizens have warned that incidents involving a Dhaka University teacher and the defacement of a Rabindranath Tagore mural could fuel religious extremism and deepen communal tensions.
In a statement on Tuesday, the signatories called for impartial investigations into both incidents and punishment for those responsible.
The first incident involved a dispute between a master's student and English department teacher Tasneem Siraj Mahbub over remarks about students' attire and financial circumstances, The Daily Star reported.
In a social media post, the student alleged that Mahbub told a classmate wearing a niqab that she could leave her face, hands and feet uncovered instead of observing purdah so strictly. The student and two others subsequently walked out of the classroom. She later filed a written complaint with the university administration on behalf of a student organisation.
Mahbub denied the allegations, saying she had neither asked the student to change her clothes or remove her niqab nor instructed her to leave the classroom.
The signatories said freedom of dress was a matter of personal liberty and that misunderstandings should be resolved through dialogue rather than politicised.
They also condemned the defacement of Tagore's mural at the Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka's Segunbagicha area on October 9. Several people damaged the mural under the banner of the Rashtra Sanglap Forum.
Videos circulating on social media showed a woman smearing black ink across the mural. Police intervened following a commotion and detained the woman and her associates, Dhaka Tribune reported.
The signatories said both incidents reflected attempts to exploit religious sentiments. They also recalled how Pakistani rulers had portrayed Tagore as anti-Muslim during the 1960s.
"Language, literature, art and culture are indivisible common heritage of humanity," the statement said, adding that religious, geographical or ideological differences should not be used to divide cultural traditions.