Showing posts with label Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Bangladesh Hero inspires US artiste
Dr. Richard L. Benkin
Sharon Sayegh is a painter living in a community of artists in New Jersey, USA. Like other artists, when something inspires her, she can best express that inspiration through her art. Right now, she is drawing that inspiration from Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. She first became aware of him when she read an article about his efforts in The Jewish Voice and Opinion, a newspaper that has been extremely supportive of Shoaib Choudhury. In 2007, its editor Susan Rosenbluth, informed two New Jersey mayors that Shoaib would be visiting the area. Mayor Michael Wildes of Engelwood and Mayor Eli Katz of Teaneck were so excited about the visit that they arranged to present Shoaib with special commendations from their city while he was in northern New Jersey.
Shoaib fascinated Sayegh, and so she made an effort to learn more about him.
Sayegh wrote that she “was very moved by the fact that he risks his life to stand up for what he believes in [an] effort to make peace and fight propaganda against Americans, Christians and Jews and Israel.” She was so inspired that she has begun a series of paintings entitled Brave Hearts; Warriors for Peace. The first piece in the series, shown here, is of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Sayegh said she was especially interested in “moderate Muslim voices.” Quite often, those Muslims who are touted as moderate in the United States turn out to be quite the opposite. Thus, she wanted to make Americans aware that there are real, moderate Muslims.
Sayegh also noted that this series is quite different from her other work and that there is some challenge in developing it artistically. But she added that Shoaib’s courage “keeps me working on this series with an urgency to complete it and show it.” Her second subject in the series is Ayan Hrsi Ali, with whom Shoaib shared the American Jewish Committee’s “Moral Courage Award” in 2006.
Sharon Sayegh recently co-founded a New Jersey art collective where she intends to first exhibit Brave Hearts; Warriors for Peace. She is also involved in a New York artists’ organization, the Contemporary Artist Network in NYC, and hopes that affiliation will enable her “to bring the work of these incredible people to as many peoples’ attention as possible through my paintings.” Sayegh has exhibited extensively in New Jersey. Her web site—part of the Highland Park, New Jersey artist community—is: http://www.highlandparkartists.org/sharon_sayegh.htm.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The man Islamists cannot silence
By: Dr. Richard L BenkinHe fired the first salvo in 2003 and has been sticking his thumb in Islamist eyes ever since. Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury describes himself as a "Muslim Zionist." He is unabashedly pro-US, pro-Israel, and anti-Islamist. More importantly, he remains all of that from within the Muslim world, which he refuses to leave. I have fielded any number of asylum requests for him, and he declined them all. "Retreat is not in my vocabulary," he says, for he believes that if he were to leave his country, his credibility would be gone, and Islamists would claim victory; a satisfaction he refuses to give them. "Bangladesh is my country," he says. "Let the radicals leave!"
Since 2003, we have fought not only a battle of ideas but also a battle of wills with our adversaries; and the skirmishes never end. Shoaib has been imprisoned and tortured. He has been beaten, and Islamists bombed his newspaper before they and their cronies in the ruling party seized the premises. All of this happened after Shoaib published articles that exposed the rising strength of Islamist radicals in Bangladesh, urged relations with Israel, and advocated genuine interfaith dialogue based on religious equality.In November of that year, he was about to board a plane for Bangkok and then Israel (there are no direct flights between Dhaka and Tel Aviv), agents grabbed him. Eventually, they charged him with sedition, treason, and blasphemy, which are capital offenses and could send Shoaib to the gallows. In 2005, however, after an intense seventeen month campaign for his freedom, Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) took on his case. He summoned then Bangladeshi Ambassador Shamsher M. Chowdhury to his Washington office, and the three of us had a sometimes acrimonious, always difficult, hours-long meeting. As Kirk (a member of the House Appropriations Committee) describes it, we had a "full and frank discussion," after which Dhaka agreed to free Shoaib Choudhury.Our elation was short-lived, however, when Shamsher Chowdhury clarified that Shoaib would be freed on bail even though the ambassador had just admitted that there was no substance to the charges. To be sure, we had won the most important point: Shoaib would be free. Still, I looked up and said, "Not good enough. It's an old and tired ruse used by tyrants," I continued. "Free the dissident but keep the charges pending in order to silence him." And so we argued some more until Chowdhury relented and agreed that Dhaka would drop the charges not long after Shoaib's release.
That was three years ago. The charges remain, even though numerous Bangladeshi officials have made the same admission as the ambassador; that the charges are baseless and are maintained only to placate the country's radical Islamists. Bangladesh's population is about 88 percent Muslim, a figure that is growing constantly, especially as Hindus are being ethnically cleansed from that country, falling from 18 to nine percent of the population. Although radical Islamists affiliated with Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations represent only a small proportion of the population, they have infiltrated and taken charge of almost every major institution in Bangladesh from education and banking to police and the judiciary.
For months, both sides had settled into a sort of stasis until this past fall when the Bangladeshis tried illegally to revoke Shoaib's bail and send him back to prison. The fact that we continued to frustrate these attempts could have had something to do with what happened next. On the evening of March 18, as Shoaib sat at his desk working on another edition of his newspaper, Weekly Blitz, a large contingent of armed goons from the government's paramilitary squad -- the hated and feared Rapid Action Battalion or RAB -- burst into his office. They ordered all employees out, seized Shoaib's means of contacting the outside, and began "interrogating" him. Fortunately, his driver quickly alerted Shoaib's brother, Sohail, who telephoned me in the United States. Shoaib's life was in very real danger, so we determined on an immediate course of action. Sohail called Luke Zahner, Second Secretary at the US Embassy in Dhaka, and a long time supporter of Shoaib's. Zahner, who had previously helped set up USAID's elections support program in Iraq, notified U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Geeta Pasi.
I telephoned Kirk's office and described the events unfolding in Dhaka and their life-and-death nature to Andria Hoffman, who is Kirk's point person on the Choudhury case. "These [RAB] are bad people. I know them, and you don't even want them as friends, let alone be on their bad side. They're the kind of group where people sometimes go into their custody and ‘disappear.'" Hoffman got to Kirk, and they set up an emergency command center in his Longworth Building office. I then called three other legislators who have been especially supportive of Shoaib: Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), and Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA). Their staffs -- who had frequently worked with me on Shoaib's case -- said they would take action and coordinate further with Kirk's office. That done, I telephoned Bangladesh's DC embassy and told them the following: "If I don't receive a telephone call confirming that Shoaib has been released unharmed and soon, you're going to have a s**t storm like you've never even imagined." Within a short time, the embassy received calls from all four members of Congress mentioned above, as well as several others who they got involved. Hoffman called the Embassy's political secretary, Sheikh Mohammed Belal on his personal cell phone, demanding action.
Cut to Bangladesh. After holding Shoaib for about an hour an a half, an RAB officer said (and I am paraphrasing here), ‘Oh look, it appears he has some illegal drugs in his desk drawer.' Now, I have known Shoaib as a brother for years, and we have spent a lot of time together. The man is simply not involved in any way with drugs. Moreover, he and I have spoken on many occasions of the paramount importance of his remaining "squeaky clean" in every way so as not to give his enemies an excuse to further persecute him. According to Sohail Choudhury, the evidence had to be planted, a tactic that RAB has been known to use rather liberally. No matter; they blindfolded Shoaib and took him to a "detention center" within RAB's office in the capital. According to Shoaib, the officers continued the verbal assault non-stop. They threatened him specifically and journalists in general for their criticism of the current military-backed government. They repeatedly called Shoaib a "Zionist spy and agent of the Jews."
At one point, Shoaib reminded them that they were violating a US Congressional Resolution that calls for an end to this sort of harassment, something with which the government said it would comply. House Resolution 64, authored by Kirk and co-sponsored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) calls on the Bangladeshis to drop all charges against Shoaib and end all harassment of him and his family. It passed last year by an overwhelmingly 409-1 margin. Their response was a string of expletives about the United States and the value of its resolutions. As they approached the three hour mark, things were turning even nastier. RAB officers told Shoaib that he could expect a steady diet of this, or even worse, unless he began working for them; something that he called "ridiculous." Then the phone rang. The officers told Shoaib that the call came from "a high government official" ordering them to let him go. He phoned Sohail and asked him to bring him home. Before they allowed them to go, however, Shoaib's captors forced the pair to sign an affidavit giving RAB the power to enter their home or business at any time and for any reason; although it should be added that it had no warrant or other sort of order when its men broke into his newspaper earlier. As such, Shoaib remains in danger, especially as his legal status remains equivocal at best.
Although Shoaib was released unharmed, the action represents a serious escalation of the government's and its Islamist cronies' attempt to silence this courageous journalist who now counts supporters on every continent. Equally important, we have learned over the years that they do these things periodically to probe us and test our resolve. They want to know if we are going to react or note. They want to know if we still are ready to defend Shoaib and other anti-Islamists or if we have lost interest. Unfortunately, they started this false persecution on the assumption that no one would care what happened to Shoaib, and many in the government still believe that we Americans have little resolve -- and actually have told me that. And so they go after us. Our enemies count on this and point to success when they hear proposals to make concessions in Israel or to pull up stakes in Iraq and elsewhere. If we don't respond, and respond with strength, they'll continue persecuting Shoaib and others like him.
Because, in fact, the stakes go beyond even the fate of this hero. Muslim editors from Pakistan to Indonesia (and even the United States) have told us that Muslims throughout Asia are watching this case. They want to know if it is possible to stand against the radicals and prevail -- without running to the safety of the West, as they put it. If Shoaib prevails, they will be emboldened to act similarly. If we let him go down -- and that is exactly how they will see it -- they will remain silent.
When Shoaib was in prison, his brother told me that people all over the world who need a champion to save them from oppression look only one place, the United States; not to Europe; not to tyrants like Mahmoud Ahmedinejad or Fidel Castro who claim to be freedom fighters; and not to terrorist like Osama Bin Laden. When we stand with Shoaib, we reinforce their belief in us.
In the meantime, Shoaib Choudhury refuses to be silent, especially he says given all the support he received. Two days after his abuse at RAB's hands, he published another edition of Weekly Blitz. Two of its headline articles were "RAB Cocoon of Terror" and "They want to Appease Islamists." He is our ally; he is my brother; he is the bravest man I know. He is the man whom Islamists cannot silence.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
RAB’s cocoon of terror
Rapid Action Battalion [RAB], the most notorious Para military forces in Bangladesh, which is known for its atrocities through extra judicial killing, abduction, rape and collecting ransom, has finally shown its nasty fang with Weekly Blitz editor, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.
Internationally known award winning [recipient of PEN USA Freedom to Write Award in 2005; AJC Moral Courage Award in 2006; Monaco Media Award in 2007 and Key to Engleewood City and Honorary Citizenship - USA in 2007] anti Jihadist journalist Shoaib Choudhury was kidnapped by a heavily armed gang of RAB led by Captain Shafiq on Tuesday evening.
When RAB stormed the Weekly Blitz office, they locked the editor including other employees of the newspaper and its sister concerns inside a room, seizing all cell phones and not allowing any communication, friends or legal counsel.
Almost after an hour and a half, members of the armed men took Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and another senior member of the newspaper, Mahboob Ar Rahman with them while they looted cash and other valuables from the newspaper office. On arriving at the ground floor of the building, where Weekly Blitz office is located, RAB men blindfolded Mr. Choudhury. Before leaving Weekly Blitz office with the editor and other journalist, RAB’s officer reportedly known to be Major Swapan, who is the Deputy Director of RAB-3 passed extremely offensive remarks on journalists and newspapers. Captain Shafiq also abused and humiliated Weekly Blitz editor and other members of the newspaper.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and Mahboob Ar Rahman were taken to RAB-3 office and were detained there for hours. RAB men verbally abused Choudhury during these hours, repeatedly calling him a “Zionist spy and agent of the Jews”. They used expletives to refer to journalists against whom RAB has a record of harassing, and the United States Congress, which passed a resolution in Shoaib’s support. The verbal assault, which included numerous threats, continued for another three hours until someone RAB described as a “high government official” telephoned and ordered them to release him.”
It is also learnt from the Weekly Blitz editor that RAB men demanded heavy ransom from him while Captain Shafiq told him [the editor] that he [Shafiq] is a notorious man, who has killed 29 people in the name of ‘encounter’, a regular practice of RAB for killing people. Shafiq and Shaidul Islam alias Swapan asked Mr. Choudhury to work as ‘source’ for RAB. When Weekly Blitz editor said, it is not his job to work as any source or spy for any organization, RAB men threatened that, they would do the same thing with him in future.
The matter was immediately notified with the Director General of Rapid Action Battalion and other senior officials of the government. But, there is no action yet taken against the RAB team till filling this report.
Meanwhile, Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury has sent letters to the Chief Advisor, Army Chief and other officials in Bangladesh seeking immediate investigation and necessary actions against the culprits of RAB-3 for such notoriety.
On condition of anonymity, a highly placed source within Rapid Action Battalion told Weekly Blitz that, many officials of the RAB-3 unit are greatly involved in series of criminal activities, including collecting ransom. They maintain close links with some criminal gangs as well in either making money or trapping innocent people and finally end up in extracting money. It is further learnt that, inside RAB-3 compound, most of the interrogation rooms [which are openly seen] are equipped with torturing apparatuses and many of the RAB-3 men are accused of rapid females during interrogation.
It may be further mentioned here that, since its creation, RAB has so far killed more than one thousand people in the name of encounter. More than eighty-six females had already been raped in RAB custody.
For more information on this incident and atrocities by Rapid Action Battalion [RAB], please contact Weekly Blitz US Correspondent Dr. Richard L. Benkin at drrbenkin@comcast.net or call +1-847-9226426. You may also contact Weekly Blitz Executive Editor Sohail Choudhury in Bangladesh by sending email at ediblitz@yahoo.com or call +880-1911133614
Internationally known award winning [recipient of PEN USA Freedom to Write Award in 2005; AJC Moral Courage Award in 2006; Monaco Media Award in 2007 and Key to Engleewood City and Honorary Citizenship - USA in 2007] anti Jihadist journalist Shoaib Choudhury was kidnapped by a heavily armed gang of RAB led by Captain Shafiq on Tuesday evening.
When RAB stormed the Weekly Blitz office, they locked the editor including other employees of the newspaper and its sister concerns inside a room, seizing all cell phones and not allowing any communication, friends or legal counsel.
Almost after an hour and a half, members of the armed men took Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and another senior member of the newspaper, Mahboob Ar Rahman with them while they looted cash and other valuables from the newspaper office. On arriving at the ground floor of the building, where Weekly Blitz office is located, RAB men blindfolded Mr. Choudhury. Before leaving Weekly Blitz office with the editor and other journalist, RAB’s officer reportedly known to be Major Swapan, who is the Deputy Director of RAB-3 passed extremely offensive remarks on journalists and newspapers. Captain Shafiq also abused and humiliated Weekly Blitz editor and other members of the newspaper.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and Mahboob Ar Rahman were taken to RAB-3 office and were detained there for hours. RAB men verbally abused Choudhury during these hours, repeatedly calling him a “Zionist spy and agent of the Jews”. They used expletives to refer to journalists against whom RAB has a record of harassing, and the United States Congress, which passed a resolution in Shoaib’s support. The verbal assault, which included numerous threats, continued for another three hours until someone RAB described as a “high government official” telephoned and ordered them to release him.”
It is also learnt from the Weekly Blitz editor that RAB men demanded heavy ransom from him while Captain Shafiq told him [the editor] that he [Shafiq] is a notorious man, who has killed 29 people in the name of ‘encounter’, a regular practice of RAB for killing people. Shafiq and Shaidul Islam alias Swapan asked Mr. Choudhury to work as ‘source’ for RAB. When Weekly Blitz editor said, it is not his job to work as any source or spy for any organization, RAB men threatened that, they would do the same thing with him in future.
The matter was immediately notified with the Director General of Rapid Action Battalion and other senior officials of the government. But, there is no action yet taken against the RAB team till filling this report.
Meanwhile, Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury has sent letters to the Chief Advisor, Army Chief and other officials in Bangladesh seeking immediate investigation and necessary actions against the culprits of RAB-3 for such notoriety.
On condition of anonymity, a highly placed source within Rapid Action Battalion told Weekly Blitz that, many officials of the RAB-3 unit are greatly involved in series of criminal activities, including collecting ransom. They maintain close links with some criminal gangs as well in either making money or trapping innocent people and finally end up in extracting money. It is further learnt that, inside RAB-3 compound, most of the interrogation rooms [which are openly seen] are equipped with torturing apparatuses and many of the RAB-3 men are accused of rapid females during interrogation.
It may be further mentioned here that, since its creation, RAB has so far killed more than one thousand people in the name of encounter. More than eighty-six females had already been raped in RAB custody.
For more information on this incident and atrocities by Rapid Action Battalion [RAB], please contact Weekly Blitz US Correspondent Dr. Richard L. Benkin at drrbenkin@comcast.net or call +1-847-9226426. You may also contact Weekly Blitz Executive Editor Sohail Choudhury in Bangladesh by sending email at ediblitz@yahoo.com or call +880-1911133614
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury gets MMF Award
Monaco Media Forum Prize 2007 was awarded to Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, the founder and editor of the “Weekly Blitz”, a Bangladeshi newspaper, which editorial line confronts religious hatred and openly urges Islam to embrace peaceful co-existence with other religions. Mr. Choudhury has been one of the utmost advocates of peaceful dialogue with the Christian and Jewish worlds, not hesitating to put his own life into jeopardy for the sake of the cause he chose to stand for.
After a full day of intense technology and business related debates, HSH Prince Albert II reminded the 300 media leaders, that the media could not be regarded as just any industry because “freedom of expression and its corollary freedom of the press is one of the most fundamental human rights”. Furthermore, H.S.H. Prince Albert II stressed the need for the media community to reward those who have succeeded in using the media for the greatest benefice of Mankind, such as Mr. Choudhury.
Mr. Choudhury’s nomination was the result of a one-year selection and reflection conducted by the Prize Jury headed by Peace Nobel prize winner Elie Wiesel and composed of some of the most commendable individuals in the field of journalism: Marvin Kalb, Lecturer in Public Policy and Senior Fellow, at the Shorenstein Center, Gwen Lister, South African-born Namibian journalist, editor of the “The Namibian”, and winner of International Women's Media Foundation “Courage in Journalism Award” in 2004, Joyce Barnathan, President & CEO of International Center for Journalists, Monique Atlan, a most prominent figure of French TV journalism, Franz-Olivier Giesbert, Editor Newsweekly Le Point and one of France most well know journalists, Roger-Pol Droit, author-researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research/philosopher and John Rossant, former editor BusinessWeek Europe, Vice President Communications & Public Affairs, Publicis Groupe.
Monaco Media Award is the highest honor of the Republic of Monaco, introduced this year to honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions in defending human rights.
In the award lecture, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco praised Shoaib Choudhury for his outstanding and courageous role in promoting interfaith understanding as well confronting religious hatred. Award Committee jury Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel said, first Monaco Media Award has gone to the hand of the most courageous journalist in South Asia for his extra-ordinary courage and commitment in ensuring global peace.
The award ceremony took place at Hotel De Paris with a large number of invited guests.
About The Monaco Media Forum:
Chaired by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Monaco Media Forum is co-chaired by Barry Diller, James Murdoch, Maurice Lévy, Emilio Azcárraga Jean, Jacques Attali, and Silvio Scaglia. This event is a unique, invitation-only platform spanning interlocking realms of media, finance and advertising through local, regional and global perspectives, with particular emphasis on Europe and the Middle East.
Monaco Media Forum organizes a grand carnival of media personnel in Monte Carlo each year, which is attended by hundreds of media moguls from different countries. The event is gradually becoming one of the most important events of the media people, where they get the chance of meeting colleagues while exchanging views with the objective of adding more dynamism in various media.Weekly Blitz editor earlier received Freedom to Write Award from PENUSA in 2005, Moral Courage Award from American Jewish Committee in 2006 along with a number of awards in Bangladesh.
After a full day of intense technology and business related debates, HSH Prince Albert II reminded the 300 media leaders, that the media could not be regarded as just any industry because “freedom of expression and its corollary freedom of the press is one of the most fundamental human rights”. Furthermore, H.S.H. Prince Albert II stressed the need for the media community to reward those who have succeeded in using the media for the greatest benefice of Mankind, such as Mr. Choudhury.
Mr. Choudhury’s nomination was the result of a one-year selection and reflection conducted by the Prize Jury headed by Peace Nobel prize winner Elie Wiesel and composed of some of the most commendable individuals in the field of journalism: Marvin Kalb, Lecturer in Public Policy and Senior Fellow, at the Shorenstein Center, Gwen Lister, South African-born Namibian journalist, editor of the “The Namibian”, and winner of International Women's Media Foundation “Courage in Journalism Award” in 2004, Joyce Barnathan, President & CEO of International Center for Journalists, Monique Atlan, a most prominent figure of French TV journalism, Franz-Olivier Giesbert, Editor Newsweekly Le Point and one of France most well know journalists, Roger-Pol Droit, author-researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research/philosopher and John Rossant, former editor BusinessWeek Europe, Vice President Communications & Public Affairs, Publicis Groupe.
Monaco Media Award is the highest honor of the Republic of Monaco, introduced this year to honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions in defending human rights.
In the award lecture, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco praised Shoaib Choudhury for his outstanding and courageous role in promoting interfaith understanding as well confronting religious hatred. Award Committee jury Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel said, first Monaco Media Award has gone to the hand of the most courageous journalist in South Asia for his extra-ordinary courage and commitment in ensuring global peace.
The award ceremony took place at Hotel De Paris with a large number of invited guests.
About The Monaco Media Forum:
Chaired by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Monaco Media Forum is co-chaired by Barry Diller, James Murdoch, Maurice Lévy, Emilio Azcárraga Jean, Jacques Attali, and Silvio Scaglia. This event is a unique, invitation-only platform spanning interlocking realms of media, finance and advertising through local, regional and global perspectives, with particular emphasis on Europe and the Middle East.
Monaco Media Forum organizes a grand carnival of media personnel in Monte Carlo each year, which is attended by hundreds of media moguls from different countries. The event is gradually becoming one of the most important events of the media people, where they get the chance of meeting colleagues while exchanging views with the objective of adding more dynamism in various media.Weekly Blitz editor earlier received Freedom to Write Award from PENUSA in 2005, Moral Courage Award from American Jewish Committee in 2006 along with a number of awards in Bangladesh.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Shoaib Choudhury's latest book published
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
who faces sedition, treason and blasphemy charges in his own country for confronting radical Islam and for advocating interfaith understanding between Muslims, Jews and Christians as well as demanding relations between Israel and other Muslim nations is a remarkable individual. Commenting on him, The Wall Street Journal said "Mr. Choudhury has identified himself, at huge personal risk, as one such Muslim. Now that he is on the run, somewhere in the darkness of Dhaka, will someone in the administration pick up the phone and explain to the Bangladeshis just what America expects of its "moderate and tolerant" friends?”
Washington Times in its editorial said "The United States must encourage people like Mr. Choudhury to speak out. But when they do, it must also do all it can to protect them. Freeing Mr. Choudhury will tell others like him that when you stand against Islamists, the United States will stand with you."
New York Sun said, "Mr. Choudhury is a man in the mold of such heroes of freedom as Václav Havel and Lech Walesa."
The Australian said, "This is why we ought to be taking notice of Choudhury. It's not just a question of saving one man's life. He is part of a threat that is facing all of us. And he is on the right side in a very long battle of ideas."
Jerusalem Post said, "Despite the dire circumstances in which he finds himself, Choudhury remains strong, upbeat and determined."The Jewish Week said, "In a world where radical Islam is on the march, threatening moderate Muslims and non-Muslims alike, outspoken and fearless individuals like Mr. Choudhury deserve our full support. It is they, after all, who are on the front lines."
The Berliner Zeitung wrote, “Would Choudhury consider it, if along with this acknowledgment the request also nevertheless came to give up his fight and to free the family from their state of siege? The family would have enough money to lead a calm life abroad, and they would have a good chance of leaving Bangladesh despite the current legal proceedings. But for Choudhury his struggle has long ago become his. "Who leaves the battleground, has lost", he says. "However, whoever struggles for the right cause always wins. “
Gabriel Oppenheim in The Daily Pennsylvanian wrote, "Now that we've found a man willing to advocate for peace and denounce extremism, we must seize the opportunity. No one else will speak out if we allow those who already have spoken to die."
Jeremy Jones wrote in The Australian, "Israel ReviewShoaib is an outspoken supporter of Muslim-Jewish and Muslim-Christian dialogue, opposes anti-Israel maximalism and has exposed the agents and activities of Islamists who have been gaining in strength and influence in his country."
Anthony Weiner in The Jewish Press wrote, "I am reminded of a Jewish proverb that teaches us to be wise not in words but in deeds. Choudhury’s deeds have brought wisdom and understanding to his country, paving the way for the peace we all desire. We could all learn from this example, and we can start by fighting Choudhury’s unfair persecution."
The Suburbun in its editorial wrote "They are neither. They work alone, with no support, forging ahead to bring the truth into the open. The International Press Freedom Awards that recognizes courage in journalism is an important event that brings the plight of these journalist to light. But it’s not enough. They deserve encouragement and support because in dangerous situations, they champion everything we hold dear, and often take for granted."
Kenneth Peskin, President, AJC's Metro New Jersey in an interview said, "He is a person who, because of his beliefs, is willing to go to jail and face persecution like Jews in other countries who have endured hardship, jailed because of their beliefs."
JT News wrote, "The Talmud says that to save one person is to save a whole world. Know this: For every Shoaib Choudhury willing to risk his life to save his people from tyranny and ignorance, there is a world of others who want to speak out but are afraid. Their future ability to add their voices to his depends on the Western world’s response to him, and they are eagerly watching."
Seth Mandel wrote in The Jewish State, "He was asked about the madrassas -- could they produce educated professionals, like doctors, lawyers, and businessmen and women? They can produce lots of educated terrorists, Choudhury responded, and then asked: can a winery produce iron?"
Rael Jean Isaac wrote in the Mideast Outpost "Forty-two years old, Choudhury is that rarest of breed, a faithful Moslem who, in the belly of the beast, publicly dissents from the stifling orthodoxy of hatred and extremism that characterizes the Islamic world. There are a handful of other outspoken Moslem-born men and women (mainly the latter), but while their heroism is unquestionable, most live in the West where, although their lives remain in danger, their right to speak is at least upheld by the government. Choudhury lives in Bangladesh where he is currently on trial on spurious charges of sedition, treason and blasphemy before an Islamist judge and faces the death penalty."
Now, a book in English by this courageous Muslim journalist named
Injustice & Jihad
has been published by Blitz Publications. This book contains 384 pages and is priced at US$30 [inclusive of postal charges]. Interested buyers may contact Dr. Richard L. Benkin in USA at drrbenking@comcast.net for retail copies while Amanur Rashid Aman, Circulation Manager, Blitz, Email: ediblitz@yahoo.com for bulk purchase. Copies of this book are already being exported to various buyers around the world. Book sellers in America, Europe, Asia, Australia and African continent are also requested to contact any of the mentioned email addresses. Publication houses interested in getting re-print right or translation right of this book may also contact at ediblitz@yahoo.com
***
SOME OF THE ARTICLES ON AND BY
SALAH UDDIN SHOAIB CHOUDHURY:
Title: Moderate Muslim editor beaten; faces death penalty for views
Author: Michelle Malkin
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: Darkness in Dhaka
Author: Bret Stephens, The Wall Street Journal
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: Pro Israeli editor beaten in Bangladesh
Author: Michael Freund, The Jerusalem Post
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: Abandonment of the brave
Author: Melanie Phillips
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: And they wish to shut our voice
Author: Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Link: http://www.countercurrents.org/choudhury270407.htm
Title: No tolerance for love and mercy in Bangladesh
Author: Janet, The Australian
Link: http://www.countercurrents.org/choudhury270407.htm
Title: Risking his life by speaking out
Author: Michael Freund, The Jerusalem Post
Link: http://www.countercurrents.org/choudhury270407.htm
Title: Moderate Muslim journalist to be tried for sedition
Author: The Asian Tribune
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Critics of Islam under fire … again
Author: Michelle Malkin
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Pro Israel ally speaks out from Bangladesh
Author: Seth Mandel
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Press should count blessings
Author: Michelle Malkin, The Washington Times
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Two faces of persecution
Author: Terry Glavin
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Moderate Muslim editor beaten; faces death penalty for views
Author: Michelle Malkin
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: Darkness in Dhaka
Author: Bret Stephens, The Wall Street Journal
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: Pro Israeli editor beaten in Bangladesh
Author: Michael Freund, The Jerusalem Post
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: Abandonment of the brave
Author: Melanie Phillips
Link: http://michellemalkin.com/2006/10/18/moderate-muslim-editor-beaten-faces-death-penalty-for-views/
Title: And they wish to shut our voice
Author: Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Link: http://www.countercurrents.org/choudhury270407.htm
Title: No tolerance for love and mercy in Bangladesh
Author: Janet, The Australian
Link: http://www.countercurrents.org/choudhury270407.htm
Title: Risking his life by speaking out
Author: Michael Freund, The Jerusalem Post
Link: http://www.countercurrents.org/choudhury270407.htm
Title: Moderate Muslim journalist to be tried for sedition
Author: The Asian Tribune
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Critics of Islam under fire … again
Author: Michelle Malkin
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Pro Israel ally speaks out from Bangladesh
Author: Seth Mandel
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Press should count blessings
Author: Michelle Malkin, The Washington Times
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Two faces of persecution
Author: Terry Glavin
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Deadly Profession
Author: The Jewish Week editorial
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Journalist’s Plight Needs Attention
Author: David A Harris, The Jewish Week
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: The last word
Author: Jeremy Jones
Author: The Jewish Week editorial
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: Journalist’s Plight Needs Attention
Author: David A Harris, The Jewish Week
Link: http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2040
Title: The last word
Author: Jeremy Jones
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Two Faces of persecution
Terry Glavin
Georgia Straight, Publish Date: October 26, 2006
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a Bangladeshi journalist. He’s the editor of the weekly newspaper the Blitz. You’ve probably never heard of him. Even in Dacca, the only journalism he’s really known for is a thin portfolio of essays that counsel peaceful coexistence between Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
Juliet O’Neill is a Canadian journalist. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. She’s a seasoned reporter with the Ottawa Citizen. She’s most famous for having had her home raided two years ago by RCMP officers who confiscated notes, files, and computer disks, hoping to discover the identity of certain high-level intelligence-agency sources she’d been relying on for some blockbuster front-page stories.
If Choudhury and O’Neill were ever to find themselves competing for a bravery-in-journalism prize, O’Neill would lose. Hands down……
More Details on Link: http://www.straight.com/article/two-faces-of-persecution
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Dr. Richard L. Benkin & Hanzalah
During Dhaka visit (8-18 January 2007), Dr. Richard L Benkin with Hanzlah (Shoaib's son)
American interests in Bangladesh
American interests in Bangladesh
Rabbi Sue Levy writes from USA
Rabbi Sue Levy writes from USA
The United States’ government is now engaged in several matters concerning Bangladesh, and they are all inter-related. In order to understand the positions being taken at this time, one must first look at the history of the last century. At the close of World War I, Germany had fought a war on its own soil and lost disastrously. Their agricultural fields were in ruins, as was much of their industry, and an entire generation of young men who could have moved the country forward had died. It was unthinkable to many Germans that they should not only suffer so terribly but also accept responsibility for what had happened. Within a decade a leader emerged, Adolf Hitler, a man who told them that all that happened had been the fault of the Jews. And, he promised them easy answers to terribly difficult questions. Never mind that the answers were lies. People were desperate for hope, and they needed someone else to blame. The result was a new war based on radical, fascist, nationalism and, more than anything else upon the hatred which Hitler nurtured.
We learn from our history. Today, Bangladesh is an impoverished country with people as desperate for answers and aid as the Germans were seventy years ago. When people have no jobs, fragile homes or no homes at all, and children they cannot afford to feed, it is tempting to believe those easy answers to difficult questions, and radical Islamists are willing to provide them. And, with those answers, which are no answers at all, comes a new generation of hatred and terrorism.
Here in the United States, we have seen enough of what hatred can do to know that it is in our interest to support moderate Islam and to help people out of the kind of desperate poverty that makes them easy targets of those who would give them someone to blame. In spite of our reputation as a wealthy country, we have many economic problems here at home. We have our own homeless and hungry people to care for and, like Bangladesh; we have our share of disastrous storms and other calamities that drain our resources. Still, we are mindful of the goodness we are so fortunate to have, and we understand that it is our responsibility to share it with others to the best of our ability.
The most noble and gracious way to help others is to make it possible for them to help themselves. To that end, there is legislation pending in our Congress that would give relief from tariffs to ten countries who deserve a helping hand. This would allow Bangladesh to become more competitive in the marketplace and create jobs in the textile and other industries. Virtually all Americans support this legislation and wish for it to become law. We also provide many millions of dollars in direct financial aid to the Government of Bangladesh for development purposes, health care and other Nevertheless, there are some conditions attached to the new legislation. First, there is separate legislation pending at the same time which would require that our government will assist only those countries that protect the human rights of its citizens. This means that all people should enjoy freedom of expression and freedom of religion as well as freedom for journalists to be able to write whatever they wish to say without censorship or coercion. And, there is additional legislation being considered by our government which would restrict financial benefits to any industry in which child-labor is used or in which workers are abused in any way. We believe strongly enough in the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect, that we will not reward people for denying those basic elements of humanity to its citizens.
Many of the readers of The Weekly Blitz are familiar with the false charges that have been brought against the publisher of this paper, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, as well as the fact that he is presently on trial for sedition for having written the truth in a place where truth is often unwelcome. Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution stating that it is the will of our Congress that these charges be dropped, and that the harassment against him must end (The European Parliament has made a similar statement of support for Mr. Choudhury). Therefore, an effort is being made now to add one more restriction to any financial benefits given to Bangladesh – that your government will be in compliance with this resolution and protect a man who does not deserve to be imprisoned or face a possible death penalty. Please understand that I am a Jew and that Shoaib Choudhury is a devout Muslim and my dear friend and spiritual brother. He understands that the word “Islam” means more than submission to the will of Allah. At the heart of the word “Islam,” is the word “peace.” Peace requires understanding. And, understanding requires that the truth be made plain for all to see and read. That is his calling and his lifelong commitment to you and to us all. And for this, I love him as a brother.Is it fair for us to attach so many conditions before we part with money which poor people need? I believe it is, because these same people deserve to have their other needs met as well – the need to be treated with dignity and to be allowed to speak their minds without fear. Bangladesh was founded as a democratic republic, one in which free and fair elections would be held and in which a government would operate not in the interests of the wealthy and privileged, but in the interests of all people. We would like to call the Government of Bangladesh to live up to the promise and principles of its founders, principles which we share. And, if that can happen, then we wish to do everything possible to help those who need us most. I am not an elected official, and I do not speak for my government. I am an American, and I’m expressing my best understanding of all that my country stands for, and my deep caring and affection for the people of Bangladesh who would do the will of Allah in peace and friendship with us.
Courtesy: Weekly Blitz www.weeklyblitz.net
Deadly Delays
Deadly Delays
By: Dr. Richard L. Benkin
I was one of the few Americans in Dhaka last January when elections were canceled and a State of Emergency declared with the backing of the military. Like almost everyone—both Bangladeshis and foreigners—I greeted the new government with hope. It seemed that this just might the way for Bangladeshis to make a clean break from their tragic history. I still harbor the same confidence in Bangladesh’s current leaders, but three months after their takeover, I wonder if they have not dissipated the large amount of political capital they were given in January. The United States imports about 70 percent of Bangladeshi garment exports, and there is a trade bill with a Senate committed that should be an easy pass; but it is not. The tariff relief it would have awarded Bangladesh—already a weak substitute for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) the Bangladeshis really want—is in severe jeopardy.
The new government has embarked on ambitious anti-corruption and anti-radical programs to their credit, but they continue to misread the importance Americans and others place on the false prosecution of Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Mr. Choudhury’s prosecution has attained a high profile in the West—the source of Bangladeshi aid and the market for Bangladeshi exports--where delays in dropping the admittedly baseless charges are seen as stopgaps for appeasing radical Islamists and undermining the War on Terror. Moreover, they seem to say that the new government is not so serious about human rights reform and the use of the Bangladeshi judiciary to silence dissidents, journalists, women, and minorities.
Prior to the State of Emergency, every one of the western democracies had come out publicly against holding the elections that were scheduled that month. This seemingly odd turn of events should have tipped off even the dimmest bulb that things had reached a point of no return. The impending elections were transparently rigged; and if the BNP should hang its head in shame for shedding all but the shell of Bangladeshi democracy, the Awami League also contributed its share of stupidity to the situation. For even after it had won over every serious nation to its side, the AL in the form of its leader Sheikh Hasina declared her intention to increase rioting in the streets and shut down the country. No wonder it was almost impossible to find a Bangladeshi who was not happy about the new regime (aside of course from those who expected to benefit from the corruption gravy train that had come to be a signature of Bangladeshi politics).
It is no surprise that the previous government completely mishandled the Choudhury case. It was beholden to its Islamist partners who were determined to make Mr. Choudhury an example for other Muslims who might decide to oppose them. It tried to fool the Americans with interminable and whispered plots to end the matter without taking a stand against the Islamists, while touting invisible credentials as allies in the War on Terror. Its Washington embassy was feeding Dhaka a regular diet of misinformation to ignore the growing outrage over the Choudhury case as little more than a temporary nuisance. Thus, when the US Embassy presented Dhaka with a Congressional resolution demanding they drop the charges “immediately,” it was incredulous.
And why shouldn’t the government have expected as much? After all, it had made persecuting journalists something routine, and there was never much outrage over it before. But Mr. Choudhury had somehow captured the West’s imagination. He began his efforts by extending a friendly Muslim hand to Jews and Christians; a friendly Bangladeshi hand to Israelis and Americans. His combination of Bangladeshi pride and resoluteness in opposing international Islamists encouraged us. And he was unabashed and public when so many other Muslims who oppose Islamists do so quietly.
Thus, Mr. Choudhury’s supporters looked to Dhaka’s new leaders with anticipation. Previous officials admitted that the charges remained only to appease Islamists, to whom the government was no longer beholden; and the esteemed international human rights attorney Irwin Cotler had identified eight violations of Bangladesh’s own law in the prosecution. Dr. Cotler’s clients have included Nelson Mandela and Andrei Sakharov. Surely, Bangladesh’s leaders do not want to see their country placed along side of Apartheid South Africa and Soviet Russia.
When Congress passed the Shoaib resolution, I passed Dhaka a cue about its potential consequences. An article published in several Bangladeshi papers noted that the Republican floor leader for the debate and someone who supported the resolution “wholeheartedly” represents the district with largest importer of Bangladeshi goods in America. It was ignored. While the previous government responded to US concerns with damning duplicity and dissembling; this government has responded with delays. But movement on trade is not waiting; and what should have been a smooth trip through Congress for Bangladesh now appears to be in jeopardy.
Senator Gordon Smith, Oregon Republican, proposed a bill that would give tariff relief to several countries, Bangladesh among them. This sort of thing normally sails through Congress easily, but because Bangladesh remains defiant of a House Resolution passed by an overwhelming 409-1, the measure faces some difficulty. Already several organizations have been lobbying Senators for specific language requiring Bangladeshi action. Some Senators are getting angry telephone calls from their constituents. If Bangladesh wants to reap the rewards that the US is offering, it is time for it to put this false prosecution to rest.
Today’s leaders in Bangladesh seem to have a keen sense of what will benefit the country and its people, but have not acted. There are several ways to drop the charges via the courts or the administration. And the world knows it. If despite resolutions by the US, the EU, Australia, and others the government maintains these false charges, their only conclusion will be that the leaders in Dhaka lack the will to make it happen.
The new government has embarked on ambitious anti-corruption and anti-radical programs to their credit, but they continue to misread the importance Americans and others place on the false prosecution of Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Mr. Choudhury’s prosecution has attained a high profile in the West—the source of Bangladeshi aid and the market for Bangladeshi exports--where delays in dropping the admittedly baseless charges are seen as stopgaps for appeasing radical Islamists and undermining the War on Terror. Moreover, they seem to say that the new government is not so serious about human rights reform and the use of the Bangladeshi judiciary to silence dissidents, journalists, women, and minorities.
Prior to the State of Emergency, every one of the western democracies had come out publicly against holding the elections that were scheduled that month. This seemingly odd turn of events should have tipped off even the dimmest bulb that things had reached a point of no return. The impending elections were transparently rigged; and if the BNP should hang its head in shame for shedding all but the shell of Bangladeshi democracy, the Awami League also contributed its share of stupidity to the situation. For even after it had won over every serious nation to its side, the AL in the form of its leader Sheikh Hasina declared her intention to increase rioting in the streets and shut down the country. No wonder it was almost impossible to find a Bangladeshi who was not happy about the new regime (aside of course from those who expected to benefit from the corruption gravy train that had come to be a signature of Bangladeshi politics).
It is no surprise that the previous government completely mishandled the Choudhury case. It was beholden to its Islamist partners who were determined to make Mr. Choudhury an example for other Muslims who might decide to oppose them. It tried to fool the Americans with interminable and whispered plots to end the matter without taking a stand against the Islamists, while touting invisible credentials as allies in the War on Terror. Its Washington embassy was feeding Dhaka a regular diet of misinformation to ignore the growing outrage over the Choudhury case as little more than a temporary nuisance. Thus, when the US Embassy presented Dhaka with a Congressional resolution demanding they drop the charges “immediately,” it was incredulous.
And why shouldn’t the government have expected as much? After all, it had made persecuting journalists something routine, and there was never much outrage over it before. But Mr. Choudhury had somehow captured the West’s imagination. He began his efforts by extending a friendly Muslim hand to Jews and Christians; a friendly Bangladeshi hand to Israelis and Americans. His combination of Bangladeshi pride and resoluteness in opposing international Islamists encouraged us. And he was unabashed and public when so many other Muslims who oppose Islamists do so quietly.
Thus, Mr. Choudhury’s supporters looked to Dhaka’s new leaders with anticipation. Previous officials admitted that the charges remained only to appease Islamists, to whom the government was no longer beholden; and the esteemed international human rights attorney Irwin Cotler had identified eight violations of Bangladesh’s own law in the prosecution. Dr. Cotler’s clients have included Nelson Mandela and Andrei Sakharov. Surely, Bangladesh’s leaders do not want to see their country placed along side of Apartheid South Africa and Soviet Russia.
When Congress passed the Shoaib resolution, I passed Dhaka a cue about its potential consequences. An article published in several Bangladeshi papers noted that the Republican floor leader for the debate and someone who supported the resolution “wholeheartedly” represents the district with largest importer of Bangladeshi goods in America. It was ignored. While the previous government responded to US concerns with damning duplicity and dissembling; this government has responded with delays. But movement on trade is not waiting; and what should have been a smooth trip through Congress for Bangladesh now appears to be in jeopardy.
Senator Gordon Smith, Oregon Republican, proposed a bill that would give tariff relief to several countries, Bangladesh among them. This sort of thing normally sails through Congress easily, but because Bangladesh remains defiant of a House Resolution passed by an overwhelming 409-1, the measure faces some difficulty. Already several organizations have been lobbying Senators for specific language requiring Bangladeshi action. Some Senators are getting angry telephone calls from their constituents. If Bangladesh wants to reap the rewards that the US is offering, it is time for it to put this false prosecution to rest.
Today’s leaders in Bangladesh seem to have a keen sense of what will benefit the country and its people, but have not acted. There are several ways to drop the charges via the courts or the administration. And the world knows it. If despite resolutions by the US, the EU, Australia, and others the government maintains these false charges, their only conclusion will be that the leaders in Dhaka lack the will to make it happen.
Courtesy: Weekly Blitz www.weeklyblitz.net
Voice of moderation
JEWISH WEEK EDITORIAL
Voice of moderation
He's not a household name. But, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury should be.
He's facing a possible death sentence ‹ for the crime of wanting his Muslim-majority country to recognize the Jewish state.
Bangladesh's ambassador to the United States, Shamsher Chowdhury, says Choudhury, the editor and publisher of The Weekly Blitz, an English-language newspaper published in Bangladesh's capital, leaked classified information that endangered state security.
A host of human rights organizations have rushed to Choudhury's defense, saying such charges are false and malicious. The Bangladeshi journalist's only crime, they contend, is that he speaks out against Islamic fundamentalism and tried to attend a conference in Israel. He also has called for his nation ‹ a country where Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise ‹ to establish diplomatic relationships with Israel.
We often wonder where the voices of Islamic moderation are. Choudhury provides one such voice.
In an October interview with The Jerusalem Post, Choudhury said he has "found Jews to be among the most dependable and sympathetic of nations in the world. I am proud to have brotherly relations with many Jews in the world."
He also said Israel "is the only modern state in the entire Arab world, and its technological strength is much superior to that of many Western countries."
In May, the American Jewish Committee presented Choudhury with its Moral Courage Award, recognizing his efforts to promote dialogue between Muslims and Jews and his courage to condemn Islamic extremism. The Bangladesh government prevented him from visiting the United States to receive the honor.
Now, he awaits a trial later this month that could result in the death penalty.
Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) introduced a resolution in the last congressional session calling on the Bangladeshi government to drop all charges against Choudhury, stop "harassment and intimidation," and "hold accountable those responsible for attacks" against him. They plan to reintroduce it.
We call on President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, our members of Congress and Ban Ki-moon, the new United Nations secretary general, to let Bangladesh know its treatment of Choudhury is unacceptable.
A voice of moderation should never be silenced.
10.01.2007
Dr. Richard L. Benkin & Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Dr. Richard L. Benkin with Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury during Richard's Dhaka visit on 8th January 2007.
Eminent journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury with his wife Shahnaj Choudhury Happy
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and wife Shahnaj Choudhury Happy
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