Commonwealth Club of California [CCC] has invited award winning Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury to visit California for giving a lecture on the topic of his activities.
It may be mentioned here that Choudhury is the only Muslim journalist facing sedition, treason and blasphemy charges for confronting culture of jihad and religious hatred as well as promoting interfaith understanding and establishment of relations between Israel and the Muslim nations. Shoaib Choudhury was arrested in 2003 [November 29] on his way to Tel Aviv for attending a writer's conference. He was detained for 17 month and tortured in prison. Sedition bears capital punishment according to Bangladesh law. International human rights activist Dr. Richard L. Benkin and Professor Irwin Cotler MP are working tirelessly for protecting rights of Mr. Choudhury.
US Congress has passed a resolution [HR 64] demanding immediate dropping of the false charge, which was brought against him by the former BNP-Jamaat Coalitions government. United States Congress has extended bipartisan support to Mr. Choudhury.
It is learnt that last year CCC invited Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus as the speaker. Earlier eminent world figures including US President George Bush, Secretary of State Condolezza Rice and many other top global leaders attended programs organized by this century old orgaization.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is the first Muslim journalist from Asia, who has been invited by the Commonwealth Club of California.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Our inalienable right to differ
By: Maneeza Hossain
Bangladesh is a country born out of dissent. Against the tyranny of an outside power that reduced us to second-class citizens, we Bangladeshis asserted our right to difference, prosperity, and progress. We rose from the ashes as a nation deliberately burned by a vindictive colonizer to create a commonwealth that brought together the wretched of our region restoring to them dignity and decency in their means of survival. Ours has not been a full-fledged success story, yet.
These values, for generations the soul of our nation, seems to have been forgotten of late. The previous governments, while paying lip service to democratic values, ignored the central duty of recognizing dissent. Much to our disappointment, the current regime continues to crush opposition. Voices of dissent are still silenced by the state, or when attacked and abused by non-state actors, they face a resounding state silence.
Such is the voice of this particular publication, or its Editor and publisher Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury who has been recognized by many all over the world as a voice of integrity and uncompromising truth. Not in his own country.
To this day, Mr. Choudhury has to suffer the tricks of a legal system that mocks his freedom of thought. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is not alone. Women activists who challenged the status quo have been murdered. Artists and writers who expressed their rejection of facets of the political and /or social order have had to flee. Political demonstrations, a healthy expression of our vibrant democracy, are banned and forcibly repressed. It matters little whether the forces from the dark that try to silence Mr. Choudhury and other brave activists stem from the ruling order, or from a totalitarian mindset that activates radical extremists in our land. In both cases, the result is one: dissent, the right to differ, the right to be oneself, is denied. Dissent and opposition are the barometer of a healthy democracy, if ignored it can degenerate into rebellion, and if addressed properly it can often be gained back as loyal opposition. If we failed as a nation to accommodate dissent in the past, we are surely paying the price for our failure today.
No value is higher than the value of freedom. No claim for any necessity, national, social, religious, or otherwise, can supersede the obligation to respect responsible freedom. Unfortunately, as the tribulations of Shoaib Choudhury indicate, our polity has not risen to the level of acting on this non-negotiable principle. We can only hope that our society will.
Maneeza Hossain is Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute.
Bangladesh is a country born out of dissent. Against the tyranny of an outside power that reduced us to second-class citizens, we Bangladeshis asserted our right to difference, prosperity, and progress. We rose from the ashes as a nation deliberately burned by a vindictive colonizer to create a commonwealth that brought together the wretched of our region restoring to them dignity and decency in their means of survival. Ours has not been a full-fledged success story, yet.
These values, for generations the soul of our nation, seems to have been forgotten of late. The previous governments, while paying lip service to democratic values, ignored the central duty of recognizing dissent. Much to our disappointment, the current regime continues to crush opposition. Voices of dissent are still silenced by the state, or when attacked and abused by non-state actors, they face a resounding state silence.
Such is the voice of this particular publication, or its Editor and publisher Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury who has been recognized by many all over the world as a voice of integrity and uncompromising truth. Not in his own country.
To this day, Mr. Choudhury has to suffer the tricks of a legal system that mocks his freedom of thought. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is not alone. Women activists who challenged the status quo have been murdered. Artists and writers who expressed their rejection of facets of the political and /or social order have had to flee. Political demonstrations, a healthy expression of our vibrant democracy, are banned and forcibly repressed. It matters little whether the forces from the dark that try to silence Mr. Choudhury and other brave activists stem from the ruling order, or from a totalitarian mindset that activates radical extremists in our land. In both cases, the result is one: dissent, the right to differ, the right to be oneself, is denied. Dissent and opposition are the barometer of a healthy democracy, if ignored it can degenerate into rebellion, and if addressed properly it can often be gained back as loyal opposition. If we failed as a nation to accommodate dissent in the past, we are surely paying the price for our failure today.
No value is higher than the value of freedom. No claim for any necessity, national, social, religious, or otherwise, can supersede the obligation to respect responsible freedom. Unfortunately, as the tribulations of Shoaib Choudhury indicate, our polity has not risen to the level of acting on this non-negotiable principle. We can only hope that our society will.
Maneeza Hossain is Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute.
Right thing to do
By: Sheree Roth
I first heard the name Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury on Oct. 4, 2006 in one of the many internet newsletters that I subscribe to. By the time, I got the alert that there was a good man in trouble, Choudhury had already been charged with sedition, a capital offence in Bangladesh and had already spent 17 months in jail. He was arrested at Dhaka-Zia International Airport before boarding a flight to Israel, where he was scheduled to deliver a lecture on Muslim-Jewish relations.
I was taken by his words in a Jerusalem Post Op-Ed: “Islam does not endorse terrorism, the killing of innocents or even destruction of property. Under normal conditions, Muslims would not do so either. And yet so few Muslims object to what is being done in the name of their religion. Opportunists don an Islamic mask to justify their misdeeds, and our media support them and, thereby, our own impoverishment, ignorance and oppression.
Only a strong countervailing media presence will make for positive change, as our initial efforts in Bangladesh suggest. Our weekly tabloid, Weekly Blitz, is about the only place in the Muslim world where people can read positive things about Israel. ...
But our efforts are feeble and tentative compared to the great noise heard day after day from the other media giants. Muslims need to hear more voices of dissent, of reason, of decency. And a democracy like Bangladesh just might offer us a beachhead to join this epic battle.”
For a woman who has grown up in a land of freedom it is hard for me to imagine being arrested and imprisoned for advocating for dialogue. I am used to being able to speak my mind freely, meet with whoever I wish to meet, worship my God freely in a way that is comfortable to me, to have a say in selecting a leader of my choosing, to write a letter to a newspaper laying out whatever it is in my heart that day. I have that freedom and so do all my fellow countrymen – people of every nationality, color, race, gender and religion. Do we all disagree from time to time? Oh yes – Always! I constantly write letters defending Israel in the local newspapers. And many folks who both agree and disagree write back and the next day, their letters are in the newspapers. Most of us, if we found ourselves in Shoaib’s shoes, oppressed for our thoughts and for trying to speak out, if we had the opportunity to flee to a better, safer environment – would be on a jet plane in a split second, as fast as we could pack our bags. Why put up with all the difficulties if you don’t have to? Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury has had the opportunities to flee. He has friends all over the world who want to protect him. He has chosen to remain in the country that he loves, among the people that he loves, and in the beautiful religious faith that he loves and wishes for others to know.
I would tell people reading this article that all of our holy books have passages that we aren’t so proud of. We must try to learn from them. The Jewish tradition has been openly debating our holy books for centuries. For those of us who can’t get enough just arguing with our fellow Jews around the corner, or in a newspaper, we can join a Yeshiva where we can have the honor of arguing with great Rabbis who lived centuries ago. The dialogue is alive and vigorous. It leads to learning and to understanding. Well, sometimes not – but you keep trying. I have read that this tradition of independent thinking was once alive in Islam and known as "Ijtihad".
I hope that Shoaib Choudhury will be able to help his people in Bangladesh achieve comfortableness with free dialogue. Dialogue is the way to learning about each other. We must share this planet with each other; we may as well get along. Talking to each other is the first step; listening to each other is the second but more important step. We of many faiths, whose religious traditions go back centuries, have so many stories and so much wisdom to offer each other. We may worship our creator in different ways but we have so much in common. We all want a safe, peaceful world in which to bring up our children.
Salah Uddin Shoaib’ Choudhury’s only crime was that he wanted to reach out to people of another religious faith and build bridges of understanding. I appeal to the authorities in Bangladesh and to those who have made life so difficult for Shoaib and his family, to please allow him the freedom of speech and press that we in the West are living with and wrestling with every day. It’s difficult, it’s exhilarating, it’s educational, sometimes it’s gratifying and sometimes it hurts – but it’s the only way. An American judge, the late Justice Louis D. Brandeis described the essence of free speech: “If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.”Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is asking for us to begin the process of learning about each other. He should not be called a criminal for this. Please set him free. It’s the human thing to do, it’s the religious thing to do and it’s the right thing to do.
I first heard the name Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury on Oct. 4, 2006 in one of the many internet newsletters that I subscribe to. By the time, I got the alert that there was a good man in trouble, Choudhury had already been charged with sedition, a capital offence in Bangladesh and had already spent 17 months in jail. He was arrested at Dhaka-Zia International Airport before boarding a flight to Israel, where he was scheduled to deliver a lecture on Muslim-Jewish relations.
I was taken by his words in a Jerusalem Post Op-Ed: “Islam does not endorse terrorism, the killing of innocents or even destruction of property. Under normal conditions, Muslims would not do so either. And yet so few Muslims object to what is being done in the name of their religion. Opportunists don an Islamic mask to justify their misdeeds, and our media support them and, thereby, our own impoverishment, ignorance and oppression.
Only a strong countervailing media presence will make for positive change, as our initial efforts in Bangladesh suggest. Our weekly tabloid, Weekly Blitz, is about the only place in the Muslim world where people can read positive things about Israel. ...
But our efforts are feeble and tentative compared to the great noise heard day after day from the other media giants. Muslims need to hear more voices of dissent, of reason, of decency. And a democracy like Bangladesh just might offer us a beachhead to join this epic battle.”
For a woman who has grown up in a land of freedom it is hard for me to imagine being arrested and imprisoned for advocating for dialogue. I am used to being able to speak my mind freely, meet with whoever I wish to meet, worship my God freely in a way that is comfortable to me, to have a say in selecting a leader of my choosing, to write a letter to a newspaper laying out whatever it is in my heart that day. I have that freedom and so do all my fellow countrymen – people of every nationality, color, race, gender and religion. Do we all disagree from time to time? Oh yes – Always! I constantly write letters defending Israel in the local newspapers. And many folks who both agree and disagree write back and the next day, their letters are in the newspapers. Most of us, if we found ourselves in Shoaib’s shoes, oppressed for our thoughts and for trying to speak out, if we had the opportunity to flee to a better, safer environment – would be on a jet plane in a split second, as fast as we could pack our bags. Why put up with all the difficulties if you don’t have to? Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury has had the opportunities to flee. He has friends all over the world who want to protect him. He has chosen to remain in the country that he loves, among the people that he loves, and in the beautiful religious faith that he loves and wishes for others to know.
I would tell people reading this article that all of our holy books have passages that we aren’t so proud of. We must try to learn from them. The Jewish tradition has been openly debating our holy books for centuries. For those of us who can’t get enough just arguing with our fellow Jews around the corner, or in a newspaper, we can join a Yeshiva where we can have the honor of arguing with great Rabbis who lived centuries ago. The dialogue is alive and vigorous. It leads to learning and to understanding. Well, sometimes not – but you keep trying. I have read that this tradition of independent thinking was once alive in Islam and known as "Ijtihad".
I hope that Shoaib Choudhury will be able to help his people in Bangladesh achieve comfortableness with free dialogue. Dialogue is the way to learning about each other. We must share this planet with each other; we may as well get along. Talking to each other is the first step; listening to each other is the second but more important step. We of many faiths, whose religious traditions go back centuries, have so many stories and so much wisdom to offer each other. We may worship our creator in different ways but we have so much in common. We all want a safe, peaceful world in which to bring up our children.
Salah Uddin Shoaib’ Choudhury’s only crime was that he wanted to reach out to people of another religious faith and build bridges of understanding. I appeal to the authorities in Bangladesh and to those who have made life so difficult for Shoaib and his family, to please allow him the freedom of speech and press that we in the West are living with and wrestling with every day. It’s difficult, it’s exhilarating, it’s educational, sometimes it’s gratifying and sometimes it hurts – but it’s the only way. An American judge, the late Justice Louis D. Brandeis described the essence of free speech: “If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.”Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is asking for us to begin the process of learning about each other. He should not be called a criminal for this. Please set him free. It’s the human thing to do, it’s the religious thing to do and it’s the right thing to do.
Shoaib's Struggle
By: Ami Isseroff
November 29 marks the fourth anniversary of the fateful night on which Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury was arrested on his way to Israel, to deliver a talk about the role of the media in peace and dialogue efforts. I remember how excited he was about attending this conference, and building ties of peace and brotherhood between our countries.
It was not to be. Shoaib Choudhury 's arrest began a long and Kafkaesque nightmare of trumped-up court charges, a degrading and dangerous term in jail, violence, threats of violence and vilification in the Arab and Muslim media. All this for the crime of wanting to make peace. Unfortunately, in certain societies, advocating terror, war and hate are not crimes, but peacemaking is a crime.
The fanatics who oppose peace claim that they are sure of their way, and that the masses are all behind them. They represent the "popular will" supposedly. If that is so, then why do they need to put the opponents of peace in jail? Why are they afraid of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury?
The "crime" that Shoaib Choudhury wanted to commit was to make peace. The same "crime" brought the representatives of the Arab states to Annapolis Maryland this past week. Should they too be jailed? But Shoaib is really being persecuted because he is fighting for freedom in Bangladesh, against those who want to extinguish it.
One day Bangladesh will be really free, and one day all Muslim societies will be free. That freedom is being bought now by courageous people like Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, who dare to stand up to benighted fanatics. It is being bought at a dear price. When the people of Bangladesh, and in fact, when all Muslims, look back on Shoaib's long and lonely struggle, I believe they will understand what a great service he did for Bangladesh and for Muslims everywhere, by lighting the torch of freedom in the darkest night of fanaticism. It will happen, if not in five years, then in fifty.
One day, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury will be a national hero in his country, as he is admired today in other countries that value freedom. I dearly hope that this will be the last anniversary of Shoaib's nightmare, that his ordeal and that of his family will be finished, and that the next year will see him a free man, his case closed, and his cause vindicated.
November 29 marks the fourth anniversary of the fateful night on which Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury was arrested on his way to Israel, to deliver a talk about the role of the media in peace and dialogue efforts. I remember how excited he was about attending this conference, and building ties of peace and brotherhood between our countries.
It was not to be. Shoaib Choudhury 's arrest began a long and Kafkaesque nightmare of trumped-up court charges, a degrading and dangerous term in jail, violence, threats of violence and vilification in the Arab and Muslim media. All this for the crime of wanting to make peace. Unfortunately, in certain societies, advocating terror, war and hate are not crimes, but peacemaking is a crime.
The fanatics who oppose peace claim that they are sure of their way, and that the masses are all behind them. They represent the "popular will" supposedly. If that is so, then why do they need to put the opponents of peace in jail? Why are they afraid of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury?
The "crime" that Shoaib Choudhury wanted to commit was to make peace. The same "crime" brought the representatives of the Arab states to Annapolis Maryland this past week. Should they too be jailed? But Shoaib is really being persecuted because he is fighting for freedom in Bangladesh, against those who want to extinguish it.
One day Bangladesh will be really free, and one day all Muslim societies will be free. That freedom is being bought now by courageous people like Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, who dare to stand up to benighted fanatics. It is being bought at a dear price. When the people of Bangladesh, and in fact, when all Muslims, look back on Shoaib's long and lonely struggle, I believe they will understand what a great service he did for Bangladesh and for Muslims everywhere, by lighting the torch of freedom in the darkest night of fanaticism. It will happen, if not in five years, then in fifty.
One day, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury will be a national hero in his country, as he is admired today in other countries that value freedom. I dearly hope that this will be the last anniversary of Shoaib's nightmare, that his ordeal and that of his family will be finished, and that the next year will see him a free man, his case closed, and his cause vindicated.
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
Friday, May 18, 2007
The only Bangladeshi journalist facing sedition, treason and blasphemy charges
Dhaka’s newspapers on May 18, 2007 reported that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) CID Inspector Masud Karim on Thursday (May 17) submitted probe report discharging writer-columnist Shahriar Kabir, Saleem Samad (now on political asylum in Canada), Zaiba Naz Malik (British journalist), Leopoldo Bruno Sorrentino (Italian journalist), Pricilla Raj (interpreter for the foreign journalists) and Tofael Ahmed (freelance journalist). The two foreign journalists belong to Britain’s private television Channel-4. In the charge sheet, the Investigation Officer mentioned that the charges brought against them were not primarily proved and he prayed for discharging them from the charge of sedition. The court will decide on May 22 whether the final report will be accepted or not, court sources said.
On November 25, 2002, police arrested the two Channel 4 journalists on sedition charges while they were crossing into India from Bangladesh through Benapole border in Jessore.
The two foreign journalists came to Bangladesh to film a current affairs program for Channel 4 about the reported repression on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. During their arrest at the Benapole border, customs authorities seized films and other documents from them, which were "intended for tarnishing the image of Bangladesh".
Shahriar Kabir, Pricilla Raj, Saleem Samad and others were arrested on charge of assisting the Channel 4 journalists. They were later granted bail from different courts on different dates.
A sedition case was filed with Motijheel Police Station on November 15, 2002 against the two foreign journalists, Pricilla and Saleem Samad. On December 11, 2002, the government had deported two journalists -- Zaiba Naz Malik and Leopoldo Bruno Sorrentino -- following their undertaking that they would not broadcast any of the material collected from the country.
After dropping of the case against journalist Shahriar Kabir, Saleem Samad and others, the only journalist in Bangladesh facing false sedition, treason and blasphemy charges is Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor and publisher of Weekly Blitz, who was arrested on November 29, 2003 from Zia International Airport en route to attend a Peace Conference in Tel Aviv (Israel). It may be mentioned here that, when the previous government of BNP + Islamist Coalitions granted bail to Mr. Shahriar Kabir and others, even before the investigation was finished, they did not grant bail to Shoaib Choudhury, even after a Charge Sheet was filed. The previous government even stopped him from attending his mother’s funeral that died on August 9, 2004. Moreover, investigation of the case against the mentioned Bangladeshi and foreign journalists took around five years, while, in Shoaib’s case, the report was submitted simply in One year.
It may be mentioned here that, US Congress passed a Resolution (No. 64) demanding dropping of the false charge of Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. European Parliament also passe a similar bill.
But, despite such internal supports, government in Bangladesh is yet to show any positive sign of dropping the charge. The next date of hearing of the case is fixed for June 28.
On November 25, 2002, police arrested the two Channel 4 journalists on sedition charges while they were crossing into India from Bangladesh through Benapole border in Jessore.
The two foreign journalists came to Bangladesh to film a current affairs program for Channel 4 about the reported repression on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. During their arrest at the Benapole border, customs authorities seized films and other documents from them, which were "intended for tarnishing the image of Bangladesh".
Shahriar Kabir, Pricilla Raj, Saleem Samad and others were arrested on charge of assisting the Channel 4 journalists. They were later granted bail from different courts on different dates.
A sedition case was filed with Motijheel Police Station on November 15, 2002 against the two foreign journalists, Pricilla and Saleem Samad. On December 11, 2002, the government had deported two journalists -- Zaiba Naz Malik and Leopoldo Bruno Sorrentino -- following their undertaking that they would not broadcast any of the material collected from the country.
After dropping of the case against journalist Shahriar Kabir, Saleem Samad and others, the only journalist in Bangladesh facing false sedition, treason and blasphemy charges is Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor and publisher of Weekly Blitz, who was arrested on November 29, 2003 from Zia International Airport en route to attend a Peace Conference in Tel Aviv (Israel). It may be mentioned here that, when the previous government of BNP + Islamist Coalitions granted bail to Mr. Shahriar Kabir and others, even before the investigation was finished, they did not grant bail to Shoaib Choudhury, even after a Charge Sheet was filed. The previous government even stopped him from attending his mother’s funeral that died on August 9, 2004. Moreover, investigation of the case against the mentioned Bangladeshi and foreign journalists took around five years, while, in Shoaib’s case, the report was submitted simply in One year.
It may be mentioned here that, US Congress passed a Resolution (No. 64) demanding dropping of the false charge of Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. European Parliament also passe a similar bill.
But, despite such internal supports, government in Bangladesh is yet to show any positive sign of dropping the charge. The next date of hearing of the case is fixed for June 28.
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