“What does the Arundhati Roy imbroglio say about our democratic freedoms?”
I’m sure, you all are familiar with the Bengali proverb: “A donkey always makes the water dirty before drinking.”
If you have ever wondered what that actually means, look no further than the Arundhati Roy affair.
Arundhati Roy, who became, much to her chagrin, a human weathervane […]
Avijit Roy (1971-2015) was a voice of reason in an age when people boast of their ignorance and lies are claimed as alternatives to universal truths. A software engineer by profession and a writer by avocation, Avijit Roy was a leading Bangladeshi-American human rights activist, author and a pioneer in Bengali free-thought movement.
In his short […]
“The 2,400-year-old fight for free speech”
The man who stood for freedom.” That’s how Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been branded by the world of academia.
But what, precisely, is this freedom that puts Ai Weiwei at the centre of attention of scholars from across the world?
The ancient root of this struggle can be traced back to […]
“in recent years no other country of the world has recorded more hostility towards intellect than Bangladesh, not even Pakistan or Iran.”
In a bid to silence the critical voices of the country, yet another name has been added to our very own ever-growing list of Martyrs of free thoughts.
The tragic murder of poet and publisher […]
Yesterday, there was an attempt on the life of Professor Muhammad Zafar Iqbal who is a leading intellectual in Bangladesh, . The assassin was standing behind Prof. Iqbal when he was overseeing a robotics meet at Sylhet’s Shah Jalal Engineering and Technology University. The attacker managed to stab him in the head with a dagger. […]
This year’s Hedenius Prize is awarded to Shamima Aktar for her work for women’s rights and integration, as well as as representative of secular bloggers and activists forced to fly to Sweden from Bangladesh.
Shamima Aktar (Shamima Mitu) is awarded the 2017 Hedenius Prize for her work for women’s rights in Bangladesh and Sweden. She is […]
Why should it be different for individuals of a sexual minority?
Soon after the spreading out of the news, that Bangladesh has sided with twelve other member states, most of which are considered as oppressive regimes including Donald Trump’s America, to vote against a UN resolution condemning capital punishment for homosexuality, I have received a call […]
