What adviser Mahfuz said about ‘Shapla Shahbagh’
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Photo: Collected
Just as Jamaat successfully used Shapla Chattar as a 'proxy' in 2013, Awami League has also used the protesters in Shahbagh, said Mahfuz Alam, Information and Broadcasting Advisor to the interim government.
On Wednesday (March 12) night, he made these comments in a long status on his own ID on the social media Facebook about the Shahbagh movement and Jamaat's political future
At the beginning, Mahfuz Alam said that Jamaat was an accomplice in war crimes, but as Nahid Islam said, they have atoned for it through this coup. I also said that those in Jamaat who are pro-Bangladesh have the right to do politics in this country. With a few exceptions, none of the new generation of Jamaat are pro-Pakistan. Therefore, the political rights of Jamaat-Shibir cannot be undermined by using the anti-liberation tag. They will have to be won against through a political and ideological fight. Their propaganda war must be answered with truth.
Regarding the Shahbagh movement, he said, a large part of those who went to Shahbagh fell into blindness of consciousness. Many students and youth were present not out of hatred of Islam but simply to demand the trial of war criminals. The Awami League and the Mujibist faction of the leftists exploited the emotions of the young generation to establish mobocracy in this country. The result of which was the disappearance, murder, rape and persecution of opposition party activists for a long decade of fascist dictatorship.
Adviser Mahfuz said, many students and youth who participated in Shahbagh realized their mistake and wanted to go beyond the Mujibist narrative. They were participants in the fight against fascism in the past few years. The injured and those killed. They are our fellow fighters. By playing a strong role in this uprising, they ensured the defeat of the League and Mujibism. They have already atoned for their political mistakes.
The adviser also said about the Shapla Chattar movement, I myself came to Shapla in the Long March out of love for the Prophet. I could not come on May 5. But, we were not interested in the war crimes trial and the role of Jamaat leaders. We mainly came to Dhaka with respect and love for the Prophet. In the madrasa where I studied, Jamaat leaders were considered followers of false beliefs. And, the hanging of Jamaat leaders was seen as the result of their opposition to scholars and true Islam. We have known Jamaat since childhood as opposed to scholars and ulama. He wrote, many may not notice that most of the workers of Shapla are actually against Jamaat's beliefs (beliefs and policies) and leadership. Many of the Shapla leaders are victims of opposition to Jamaat's scholars and pirs. Many have even been harassed and oppressed by Jamaat and Shibir leaders. But, Jamaat has been able to use them as proxies successfully. For example, the League has used Shahbagis.
The adviser believes that we have reached the post-coup period. Here, we are against the narrative that Jamaat or Shibir workers are perceived as Razakars, anti-liberation. Similarly, our position is also against the Islamophobia of Shahbag. I myself have been a victim of this Islamophobia. Shahbag is responsible for the demonization of madrasa students and scholars, starting from calling them militants just for wearing a Punjabi cap. The cultural settlement of Shahbag turned opposition party leaders and activists, including BNP-Jamaat, into untouchables.
He further said, but in the post-coup period, a time for dialogue has arrived. An opportunity has arisen to come outside the binary of Shapla-Shahbag and become comrades of the old Shapla and Shahbag workers against Shahbag's lifeblood-Mujibism, Bharat Panth and the Sheikh family. In fact, Sheikh Hasina's downfall occurred because the workers of Shapla-Shahbagh became comrades. A beautiful opportunity arose for the leadership of Shapla to demand respect and partnership in the state without being anyone's proxy.
Mahfuz Alam also wrote, I had thanked the scholars and ulama in my previous two posts for their strong role. I hope that the leadership of the monotheistic people should be in the hands of mainstream right-wing scholars instead of fringe elements. I hope that the mainstream scholars will stand in favor of the mass uprising, the country, and stand against the culture of treason and impunity of Shahbagh. They themselves will not imitate that culture. In this case, we will stand in favor of the oppressed and democratic mainstream scholars. The trial has begun, and it will end.
The adviser clearly stated that the former Shahbaghi who expressed their just position and fought through the uprising - they cannot be made eligible for execution in any way. The possibility of greater solidarity in the post-coup period cannot be destroyed by tagging someone as a Shahbagi. If any Shapla supporter thinks that they will succeed by making the former Shahbagis who were anti-League and pro-coup as enemies and killable, it will not happen. If you demand treason and impunity as a Shapla, will you also become a Shahbagi, or not? Those among the leftists who are anti-Mujibism have been vocal against the Shapla massacre for a long time (photo attached). Therefore, it is very important for us to differentiate between enemies and friends. Mahfuz Alam further writes, however, the old Shahbagis, who still consider loyalty to the Mujibism, pro-India and Sheikh family, the lifeblood of Shahbag, as their ideals, should not be given the slightest concession. They were the ones who incited and justified the disappearances and massacres. They were silent even during the July massacre, some were busy creating legitimacy. A large part of those who are still defending fascism from abroad are fascists from Shahbagh. They are enemies of the people, enemies of justice and democracy, enemies of the mass uprising. The
trial has begun and it will be completed.
