Abu Sayeed: Harlesdon, London, UK. Principal of Islamic College
Chowdhury Mueen Uddin:
Tottenham, London, UK. Housing Officer, Housing Co-op, Islington
According to War Crimes
File Documentary this is the same Mueen Uddin, who is associated with
Trustee of Muslim Aid UK.
Wife of the abducted Dhaka University professor Dr. Mofazzal Haider
Chowdhury and four other family members saw Mueen-Uddin's face while
Mueen-Uddin and his group were abducting Dr. Chowdhury. For a second,
Muen-Uddin brought down the mask he was covering to hide his face to
re-fix that and Mrs. Chowdhury and his family members CLEARLY saw and
still remember Mueen-Uddin's face!
Mueen Uddin in 1971
Muenuddin also helped in abducting journalist and colleague ANM Golam
Mustafa. According to Mr. Mustafa's brother Dulu Rahman, who spoke in this
ocumentary, told that after the abduction he rushed to his brother's
office the newspaper Daily Purbodesh, where Muenuddin also worked. The
Purbodesh authority knew well that Muenuddin was well connected to al-Badar
(death squad) and Pakistani Army! So, they called Muenuddin and asked to get
information of ANM Mustafa's
whereabouts! Muenuddin accompanying Dulu Rahman visited few Army and al-Badar
camps in search of Mr. Mustafa. Dulu Rahman also told to Channel 4
journalist that at that time it was absolutely impossible to get access to
those type of Army and al-Badr camps but Muenuddin did not only have
easy
access to those high security premises, the guards and gate keepers
at those locations
saluted Muenuddin as he entered, which indicates Muenuddin's Commanding
Officer sort of role in al-Badr force!
The day before of Mustafa's abduction Muenuddin had quarrel with Mustafa
and threatened him for dire consequences! Eye witness of that incident was
boss of Muenuddin and ANM Mustafa in daily Purbodesh Journalist Atiqor
Rahman. Mr. Atiq told that he understood Muenuddin's attachment with al-Badr from an event: Some time in June 1971 Muenuddin himself wrote a news
item of the formation of
al-Badar & Al Shams Forces and that news item was ONLY published in Daily
Purbodesh, where Muenuddin himself worked! No other Pakistani news paper
got or knew about anything of that news. It indicates he was the insider
of al-Badr from it's inception!
Journalists Ataus Samad and Enaetullah Khan (both are still alive) both
were residing in the same building from where Mr. Nazmul Hoque was
abducted on 10th December night. The al-Badr operation for killing the
Bengali Intellectuals began on 10th December after midnight. Journalist Serajuddin Hossain and
Nazmul Hoque were the first pick of that operation. Ataus Samad and
Enayetullah Khan heard their colleague Nazmul's
voice "Help Me! - Save Me!" at the time of his abduction. Two other tenants
of that building interviewed in this documentary
categorically said unmasked Muenuddin came to their apartments and asked
for Ataus Samad. These two eye witnesses saw Muenuddin to abduct Nazmul and
looking for others in the same building. Ataus Samad and Enayetulla escaped
the abduction. Another one escaped Muenuddin's prey was his boss at Daily
Purbodesh, journalist Atiqur Rahman, who told channel 4 journalists
that the connection of Muenuddin to al-Badr was pretty much evident in the
following event: Muenuddin asked Mr. Rahman about his address on the day
before Mustafa's abduction but Mr. Rahman's intuition warned him not to
give the correct address to him, so, he lied to him and gave him a fake
address. After the liberation war the documents found from al-Badr camps
showed al-Badrs
enlisted Mr. Rahman's fake address in their books, which was given ONLY
to Muenuddin! Mr. Rahman categorically told that he did not give any one
else other than Muenuddin that fake address of him and that was found in
al-Badr's books, which indicates Munuddin's association with al-Badr!
Mueen Uddin: the treasurer of Muslim Aid
TV programme: Dispatches
In the wake of the Channel 4 TV programme Dispatches (see BMMS for April 1995), Bangladeshi groups in the UK are calling for the alleged war crimes to be investigated. The Bangladesh Anti-War Criminal Committee, the Bangladesh Youth Movement and the Shapla Youth Force are urging the Scotland Yard War Crimes Unit to investigate the three men named in the programme (Asian Age 10.05.95).
A public meeting was held in the East End to which the programme makers were invited to rebut allegations of inaccurate reporting. The programme researcher told the meeting, "We are not saying that these men are guilty of war crimes. It is up to the British Government to look at the evidence and take action under the 1957 Geneva Convention... It is up to the Bengali community to sign petitions and send them to the Home Office, [and] Scotland Yard's War Crimes Squad to voice their demands. The Bengali community must not let this issue die with the programme" (Daily Jang 12.05.95). The Bangladeshi community in London are reported to be divided over the issue and a main focus of concern is why these events should have been given publicity 24 years after they took place. The Bangladeshi High Commission in London was reported to be non-committal concerning the events which are covered by a general amnesty in Bangladesh. The only place where proceedings are in any way likely to be begun is the United Kingdom.
One of the men named in the programme, Chowdhury Mueen Uddin, has been
suspended from his job as a housing officer with a London housing
association (Q News 19.05.95). The same report says that it has been
claimed that "the accusations are part of a plot by secular Bengalis aimed
at discrediting the growing Islamic Movement in Bangladesh". "The upshot
of all this is to cast a cloud over the legitimate activities of Muslim
individuals and organisations in Britain as unsavoury, loathsome and even
criminal", according to Iqbal Sacranie of the UK Action Committee on
Islamic Affairs. There is concern in the Bangladeshi community about the
motives of the programme makers given that little has been said about
atrocities committed against Muslims in Bosnia and Chechnya and by the
government of Israel against Palestinians. Apparently, "a spokesman from
Scotland Yard told Q News that there is no law that currently applies
directly to crimes of the nature committed in Bangladesh. The Genocide Act
is strictly limited to World War II. Any investigation into claims made by
the Dispatches programme will be at the discretion of the Home Office".
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has cancelled meetings scheduled to
take place on premises owned by them (East London Advertiser 18.05.95)
where the organisers or speakers are associated with the three men named
in the programme. The two meetings which have been cancelled were
organised by Dawatul Islam and the Islamic Forum Europe. The reason given
by the council was that there might be a "possible breach of the peace" (Q
News 02.06.95). [BMMS May 1995 Vol. III, No. 5, p. 9]
Lutfur Rahman: Balsall Green, Birmingham, UK. Imam of a mosque at Bordesley Green Islamic Center
A defiant yet
brutal faces of Islamic fascism: a Third World scenario
By Jamal Hasan
Most of the authoritarian
doctrines have one thing in common. That is, the end justifies the means.
Thus, fascism, Nazism, and communism are the "non-divinely" inspired
doctrines where humanistic and moralistic values are halted to attain the
assumed larger objective. In such totalitarian
predicaments, process of extinction of nonconformists may be conducted
with extreme prejudice. Genocide of a great magnitude is thought to be
justifiable because the "others" seemed to be a threat to the expansion of
dogma. Nazi superiority complex led to the hatred to the Jews and the
dogma cherished the need to annihilate an entire people. In such a
totalitarian dogma, average citizens unknowingly fall prey to brainwashing
where the sense of right and wrong get blurred.
Islamic fascism is not a new development in the contemporary world. The
totalitarian nature of this political idea is indebted to the Wahhabistic
idea in the Arabian Peninsula that culminated only a few centuries ago. In
a traditionalist political Islamism, fascistic nature is inherent. In
governance of a society, the line between secular and sacred is almost
nonexistent. The total subjugation to a powerful elite, who claims to be
arbiters of god's wish, is the common scenario. Millions of faithful like
dumb and driven cattle lose the sense of morality and humanity to appease
god's gatekeepers or the protagonists of Islamic fascism.
Islamic fascism in the Indian subcontinent was basically a localized
political development. Deobandi students and Abul A'la Maududi were the
pioneers of a movement where interpretation of Islamic norms and
jurisprudence was made in the line of existing Wahhabism borrowed from the
Arab land. Today's greatest threat to human civilization, the al-Qaeda,
and the Talibans got their main inspiration from Wahhabite philosophy. In
Bangladesh and Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Islami had been historically a leading
protagonist of Saudi-sponsored Wahhabism. The Saudi monarch was satisfied
with the contribution of this fundamentalist party in enhancing the
Wahhabist agenda. Although the Jamaatis are the blood brothers of the
Talibans or al-Qaeda, they have not turned into as ambitious as the
latter. On the surface, it seems they have not resorted to undermining
western interest globally. Not everybody would agree to such notion.
Khalid Duran has extensively written about Jamaatis' sympathetic ties to
the Talibans in the Pakistani theater. The Jamaatis, though surprisingly,
refrained from committing violent acts against USA and western nations.
This does not make them to be innocent lambs. Maybe, this could be their
tactical maneuver. Nonetheless, some disturbing events need more vigorous
scrutiny. The presently ruling BNP-Jamaat-i-Islami alliance is helping the
cause of Islamism in Bangladesh. The new regime that won a landslide
victory in a controversial election held in October of last year is
putting its favorites in different sectors of the country's governing
body. A newly elected cleric, the Khatib of the grand mosque of Bangladesh
recently urged his fellow countrymen to confront USA and US President
George Bush. This, he uttered in an Eid-ul-Fitr congregation where
Bangladeshi President and quite a few state ministers were even present.
If the tragedy of September 11 did not occur, the free world would not
have been bogged down to confront the global menace of Wahhabism inspired
al-Qaeda. Today, the battle line is drawn where the victory of west's
military action is helping the ideological battle against an evil
philosophy. Globally, the victory against Talibans still leaves some
questions unanswered. That is, if Islamic fascists of indigenous variety
do not show any global agenda, how to deal with them when they espouse
brutal and fascist acts within the confines of nation states? This
question has more significance as countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan
are facing the danger of falling preys to the Jamaati-i-Islami's evil
design. Pakistan, due to immense pressure from her Superpower ally has
cornered the fundamentalist party to a great length. Even then, the danger
remains. This party has enough sympathizers not only in the rank and file
but also in the army hierarchy. In Bangladesh, the right of the center
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) draws its power from the
fundamentalists who are blessed with having two ministers in the national
government. The painful reality is, these Islamic fascists, leaders of the
Jamaat-i-Islami of Bangladesh were directly involved in the genocide in
the country during its war of liberation in 1971.
At one time while the Soviet army was engaged in Afghan soil, the Talibans
were friends of the West. So were the Jamaatis. During 1971, in a bipolar
world, USA was involved in a turf war with the Soviets when Pakistani army
juntas allied with the Islamic fascists conducted a dirty war against the
people of Bangladesh. After the war, a number of the ringleaders of the
Islamic fascists fled the country to Arabian Peninsula. Ironically,
some of them ended up in the western nations. The Bangladeshi war
criminals settled in UK and USA are test cases where the western nations
ignore their presence as they are assumed to be not directly tied to Osama
bin Laden or his terrorist al-Qaeda network. They have bloodied their
hands to uphold the cause of Islamic fascism, but the killings were done
in a Third World hinterland like Bangladesh. Today, it can safely be said
that the perpetrators of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon attack
and the fundamentalist killers of 1971's Bangladesh are graduates
from the same school. They are the torchbearers of an inhuman dogma where
dignity of human lives has no value. For readers' attention, let us have a
brief overview of two notorious Bangladeshi war criminals who will always
be remembered by the victims as forces of evil.
The Ashrafuzzaman Khan affair:
When the News from Bangladesh on November 10, 1999 published "The Travail
of Ashrafuzzaman Khan's Infamous Diary" (later on republished in South
Asia Tribune with a new title, "Why to read Ashrafuzzaman Khan's Infamous
Diary") (http://www.satribune.com/archives/dec30_jan05_03/opinion_zaman.htm)
many readers at home and abroad were introduced once again to the heinous
killer of 1971. Before the NFB publication, he was a sought out man in
just liberated Bangladesh. His photo was posted in various dailies as a
"Most wanted fugitive." Later on, a few books on killers and collaborators
depicted his picture and the details of his murderous act. This man was
directly responsible for killing seven Dhaka University teachers before
the final moment of Bangladesh's liberation from the occupational forces.
In early seventies, in a Bangladesh court, Ashrafuzzaman Khan was found in
absentia, to be guilty of the crime. Today, this criminal is living freely
and openly in USA. After the publication of the article in NFB, an
advocacy group, namely Bangla Nuremberg was formed with some dedicated
Bangladeshi expatriates. Some of them were living in the North America
while others were living in Europe.
Thanks to a handful of dedicated expatriate activists in America, soon
Ashrafuzzaman Khan became a household name in various law
enforcement bodies of USA. This war criminal's thirty-year-old photo along
with his present day portrait and his writing samples were in possession
of a powerful law enforcement body of USA. The US State Department was not
left out either. The lobbyists met Bangladeshi Ambassador to USA and had a
few meetings with the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina regarding
extradition of the war criminal to his native land. Sheikh Hasina's
typical oratory was as if she was the greatest champion of the Bangladesh
liberation cause. The activists got a different picture altogether. While
the US State Department took some interest in the case and followed up the
matter with another US law enforcement agency, the US officials' position
was - "The ball is in Bangladesh's court." That means US government wanted
to see Bangladesh being more proactive in resolving the war criminal
issue. One reliable source was quoting a highly placed law enforcement
official who said with frustration, "The Bangladesh Government had been
pressing US Government a number of times to extradite Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman's killers back to their home country. Not one time, the Bangladesh
Government approached US Government asking for extradition of
Ashrafuzzaman Khan or any other war criminal who might be living in the
United States." The Hasina Administration failed miserably pursuing the
case. Therefore, a war
criminal has the last laugh.
The other day, New York-based Bangla weekly Thikana published a news story
on the killer of 1971. Today, Ashrafuzzaman Khan is a renowned Islamist, a
busy body in Bangladeshi community affairs in the greater New York area.
The Thikana report said he gave an emotional speech at an award
presentation ceremony for the Quran reciters. He expressed his frustration
as he spoke of the expatriate Bangladeshis stating that only twenty
percent of the Muslims attend the mosque. He said that if the Muslims did
not practice their religion in a nonbelievers' land, their identity would
go away in course of time. The Office of Special Investigation (OSI), a
division of the US Department of Justice has successfully apprehended a
good number of Nazi war criminals who were hiding in the United States. In
fact, OSI became synonymous with successful prosecution of Nazi criminals
on US soil. In most cases, those Nazis living in the land of opportunity
kept a low profile, occasionally bearing aliases. Some of them were
working in factories; some of them were making a living by menial jobs. In
case of Ashrafuzzaman Khan, a leader of the Islamic Circle of North
America, the situation is quite the opposite. Not only did he not change
his former name, neither does he hesitate to be in the limelight. As a son
of the soil, he knows the pulse of the Bangladeshis and Bangladeshi
leaders. He knows that in Bangladesh the political wind is now blowing
favorably in his direction. He does not see any threat coming from
Bangladesh now that an Islam Pasand government is in power over there.
Also, he knows it very well that he will die peacefully and gracefully in
an alien infidel land.
Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin saga:
While Ashrafuzzaman Khan story may sound amazing, Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin
episode is as incredible as it could be. Like Ashrafuzzaman Khan, this war
criminal from Bangladesh is leading a rather elegant life in UK.
Ashrafuzzaman Khan did not get any bad rap in the US press, also the
majority of the Allah-fearing Muslims living in North America are
presumably not aware of his murky past. Conversely, Chowdhury
Mueen-Uddin got the infamy because of high level exposure brought out by a
lone UK TV documentary. On May 3, 1995, UK's Channel Four Television
broadcast a documentary titled "The War Crimes File." Produced by Twenty
Twenty Television of London, this documentary provided exclusive evidence
on the criminal past of three former Bangladesh citizens who became
prominent British Muslim Fundamentalists. The documentary presented vivid
eyewitness testimonies of these men, all of whom had lived in Britain for
around 20 years, in organized assassination and massacres during the 1971
Bangladesh liberation war against Pakistani military regime. All three
moved to England shortly
after the war and each had become a leading figure in Bangladeshi
community and were actively involved in fundamentalist politics.
Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin is one of the three protagonists of "The War Crimes
File." Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin's despicable act in 1971 could have been
blown in the wind if not for the direct involvement of a few young
Bangladeshi activists in the production of the documentary. The brutal
Islamic fascists slaughtered most of the activists' parents when they were
merely infants. Unlike theirs most other contemporaries growing up during
the General Ziaur Rahman's or General Ershad's (who happened to be the
friends of Islamic fascists) rule, these activists kept the fire in their
soul intact. The following message came from these dedicated individuals
who still keep the mantle of liberation war memories alive.
Act Now for Trial of three war criminals of the Bangladesh liberation war
in 1971
Dear Friends,
We, on behalf of the following organizations, urge you to endorse the
following Urgent Action regarding the trial of three war criminals of the
Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. These three war criminals, Choudhury
Mueen Uddin, Abu Sayeed and Lutfur Rahman are now citizens and residents
of U.K.
FACTS
In a documentary film, titled The War Crimes File produced by Twenty
Twenty Television and broadcast by Channel Four on May 3, 1995, exclusive
evidence is revealed of how three former Bangladeshi citizens, now
prominent British Muslim Fundamentalists are guilty of inciting torture,
mutilation and murder - and argues that they should be prosecuted under
war crimes legislation in England. The film presents vivid eye-witness
testimonies of the involvement of these men, all of whom have lived in
Britain for around 20 years, in organised assassinations and massacres
during the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation against Pakistan. All three
moved to England shortly after the war and each is now a leading figure in
the Bangladeshi community and actively involved in fundamentalist
politics. Each was involved in Al-Badr operations, a paramilitary death
squad of Pakistani Army formed by local fundamentalist political parties
mainly Jamaat-I-Islami and Muslim League, in abducting and brutally
killing many prominent academics, doctors and journalists in the last days
of the war. They were also involved in kidnapping and raping innocent
women, looting, arsoning and all other gross violations of human rights.
Since 1992, pro-liberation forces in Bangladesh are demanding trial of all
war criminals of 1971 in Bangladesh, under the leadership of late Jahanara
Imam, mother of martyred freedom fighter. In this regard, a public trial
of Golam Azam, the chief collaborator, was also held on 26th March 1992 -
the Independence Day. Presently, a public Enquiry Commission is
investigating and documenting allegations against notorious war criminals
of 1971. The film The War Crimes File was also premiered in Dhaka recently
by the pro-liberation forces on May 18. The showings in England and
Bangladesh have created a tremendous impact over both Bangladeshi and
non-Bangladeshi communities in these countries. Please send urgent appeal
to the following persons and authorities urging them to try the three war
criminals of Bangladesh Liberation War - CHOUDHURY MUEEN UDDIN, ABU SAYEED
and LUTFUR RAHMAN under British Legislation:
Geneva Convention Act 1957. Please also circulate this appeal as widely as
possible.
1.Rt. Hon. Michael Howard Home Secretary Petty France LONDON SW1 Fax: 0044
171 273 3596
2. Sir Nicholas Lyell Attorney General 9 Buckingham Gate LONDON SW1E 6JP
Fax: 0044 171233 7194
3. War Crimes Unit New Scotland Yard 8-10 Broadway LONDON SW1H 0BJ Fax:
0044 171 233 1952
4. Rt. Hon. Greville Janner Q.C.M.P. Parliamentary War Crimes Group House
of Commons Westminster LONDON SW1 Fax: 0044 171 233 0161
5. Parliament of the European Community Strasbourg, France
Baroness Paula Monjila Uddin, a member of UK's House of Lords, is a pride
of Bangladesh. The publicity surrounding the three murderous Islamic
fascists drew her attention. Baroness Uddin took the Bangladeshi war
criminal case quite seriously. During the last Awami League
administration, she met the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and
discussed the legal issues pertaining to the extradition process. The
British parliamentarian of Bangladesh descent disclosed to the reporters
that she was in favor of resolving the unresolved issue of war crime in
Bangladesh. But what happened since then? Was Hasina administration at all
sincere to follow up the matter? The following development can give you
the clue to the answer. Here is the excerpt from a news report. November
25, 2001, 12:12 PM LONDON(AFP)-Prince Charles, heir to the British throne,
joined Muslim worshippers at an east London mosque Friday (Nov. 23) for a
breaking of fast for Ramadan. Launching a building project at the mosque,
he sipped faluda, a drink made of milk and rose petal syrup, and ate a
bowl of kushat, a dish of dates, figs and milk.... The vice-president of
the mosque, Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, thanked the prince for visiting in the
aftermath of the September 11 atrocities, calling him "a patron of Islam
in this country". He said: "Despite the traumatic events of the past
couple of months, Islam continues to attract the attention of the world
for all the right reasons". Readers, now let's have a flash back once
again. Please click on this URL address to review a speech by Prince
of Wales where he mentioned the Bangladeshi mass murderer's name quite a
few times with admiration! Did the Prince have any clue that he was
referring to a wolf in sheepskin who was acting so innocent and docile in
front of the British royalty: http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speeches/multiracial_24012003.html
These murderous Islamic fascists are conquering the world due to their
good fortune of being born in a country like Bangladesh. Although this
nation of Bangladesh was born after tremendous sacrifice, the religious
dogma diminished the sense of bitterness toward Islamic fascists. The
gradual expansion of Wahhabism and infusion of petrodollars has
marginalized the secular nationalist and anti-fundamentalist force in the
country. The Islamic fascists are dreaming of enacting their Sha'ria Law
in Bangladesh. That could hardly be a pipe dream as they got enough seats
in the last parliamentary election. They are acting slowly and wisely. As
far as repentance for the brutalities of the past, the war criminals and
their cohorts do not possess any remorse. After all, all the killings and
massacres were committed for keeping the integrity of military ruled
Islamic Pakistan intact. Therefore, the great "Islamic scholars" in the
western land would hardly lose their sleep for killing a few Bengali
intellectuals who were hindrances to their ultimate global agenda. Also,
being non-Arabs has advantages too. As persons being born in a "liberal
Islamic country" (quoting from US Congressman Joseph Crowley's recent
comment), Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin are fortunate
enough to escape the dragnet thrown by agencies like FBI or Scotland Yard.
Thus, cry for justice, as before, remains unanswered as humanity now seeks
justice for 9-11 massacre.
=============================================================
Jamal Hasan writes from Washington DC. His email address is
poplu@hotmail.com