Courage in Journalism
Editor's Note: In the hope of keeping courageous Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury safe by helping to raise his public profile in the West, Canada Free Press will post, on a regular basis his columns. Shoaib, who founded his own English-language newspaper, The Weekly Blitz, handed out in local markets and published online to an international readership since May 2003, is the victim of persecution in his native land for single-handedly reporting on the rise of fundamental Islamism in Bangladesh. Imprisoned for 17 months, Shoaib was blinded in one eye during incarceration when his prisoners refused him medicine for the glaucoma from which he suffers. Even though a U.S. 409-1 resolution requesting the Government of Bangladesh to drop trumped up charges of sedition, treason and blasphemy against him, a Bangladeshi judge ordered Shoaib back to court to face the same charges on August 19. The penalties for the charges are death by hanging or imprisonment.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Monday, August 20, 2007
When I was in prison, there were two Pakistani pathans [born in Afghanistan], who were facing trial for trafficking 24 kilograms of heroin in Bangladesh, which were in fact, destined towards one of the Western countries. Both of them were seen as pious and were mostly spending time by reciting the Koran or giving sermons in the small prayer place inside the prison cell.
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Monday, August 13, 2007
Intolerant are the Islamist radicals. They don't want anyone to raise their voice and say—enough--to the increasing trend of spreading religious hatred and provoking people with the false interpretations of the Koran, saying "Jews and Christians are your enemies, go for jihad (holy war) against them".
Lynn B., Incontext.com
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
As I mentioned Friday, Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury has spent the past week in the U.S. for a brief whirlwind visit to a number of east coast cities, trying to drum up support for his cause. His cause, believe it or not, really isn't the preservation of his life, which is in considerable jeopardy at the moment. Not that he would object to that result as well, but his primary concern right now is communicating his message of religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue and encouragement of other truly moderate Muslims.
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Just few minutes back, New York studio of ABC Radio in their program 808 interviewed me for 10 minutes with Rabbi Potasnick Dickens McCormick as the host. It was a live show.
Anti-Islamist Muslim journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury to visit U.S. from July 28
Bangladeshi journalist and Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury will address the prestigious Hudson Institute, at the Harvard Club, 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Aug. 2.
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
In recent years, there is a growing phenomenon of mushroom growth of kindergarten madrassas (Islamic religious kindergartens) in almost all the Muslim nations, preaching Wahhabism, which greatly encourages people towards jihad and killing of Jews and Christians. In present days, only in Bangladesh there are 64,000 madrassas, while the number of kindergarten madrassas, mostly financed by dubious Afro-Arab sources has already crossed 900 throughout the country. And, of course, most interestingly, madrassas and kindergarten madrassas are the most notorious places to breed religious extremists and terrorists. Children are given orientations to accept Ossama Bin Laden as a hero, while endorsing the notoriety of Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah or Hamas as ‘holy task'.
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Last month has witnessed a tremendous power struggle between Hamas and Fatah in Palestine with the declaration of State of Emergency by President Mahmood Abbas in order to control the law and order situation as well as saving the entire nation from going into the tight grips of Hamas notoriety.
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Saturday, July 21, 2007
For years, number of local and international analysts have been predicting rise of Islamic militancy in Bangladesh or the country turning into a failed state. Each time, when a foreign press published such comment, Bangladesh missions abroad or its very foreign ministry had simply denounced saying the country was holding a ‘moderate' status and there was no room for Islamist militancy to find any root in the land, which is annually washed by floods and suffers from series of natural calamity.
By Judi McLeod
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
What was the July 18 court fate of journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, who single-handedly reported on the rise of fundamental Islamism in Bangladesh?
Was the courageous Choudhury silently thrown back into solitary confinement in the same prison that already cost him his sight in one eye?
Why is the silence from the Government of Bangladesh so deafening on the night after today's scheduled trial?
Hamid Mir
By Hamid Mir
Saturday, August 18, 2007
KABUL: The US government has urged President Hamid Karzai to stop a secret Iran-Taliban cooperation against Nato troops in Afghanistan. President Karzai is not ready to admit any negative Iranian role in Afghanistan publicly but he has given a quiet assurance to the US officials that he will speak with Iranian government on this issue very soon.
By Hamid Mir
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Kashmir, India--Syed Salahuddin, alias Syed Yousaf Shah was declared one of the 20 most wanted people by the Indian government in 2002. According to a list provided to Pakistan and Interpol by the Indian Home Ministry, the name of the politician-turned-militant leader was on the top of that list. Spokesman for Indian Foreign Ministry Navtej Sarna formally demanded of Pakistan on July 22, 2006 that Syed Salahuddin should be arrested and handed over to India. Syed Salahuddin did his masters in Political Science at Srinagar University in 1971. He wrote many English poems in his University days. He joined Jamat-e-Islami after his education and contested the state election in 1987. He abandoned politics after losing the election and joined the military. He was one of the founding members of Hizbul Mujaheddin in 1989. Currently he is the Supreme Commander of Hizbul Mujahedin and United Jihad Council, an umbrella organization of 19 militant groups fighting in Kashmir against the Indian Army. Hamid Mir of Geo TV interviewed Syed Salahuddin in the mountains of Kashmir. Here are the details.
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