We are reposting the following article that we posted three months ago on what to do with the cartoonist. The judgement on the detention order is due out tomorrow. We are urging all of you to send this urgent appeal to the chief adviser TODAY urging him to to take into consideration Arif’s background and good character, in particular that he has clearly expressed regret for any untoward offence caused, and the facts and circumstances in which he has been accused and imprisoned, and to intervene to withdraw all pending detention orders and case (CR Case no . 2298 of 2007 filed by OC Jane Alam) against him and to ensure his immediate release.

It has been well over four months that Arifur Rahman, the cartoonist formerly employed by the Prothom Alo, has been in jail. It is more in sorrow than anger we note that in this time, no newspaper has run a supportive editorial. Some consider it a ‘dead’ issue, subsumed by the latest political soap opera. Others think, it’s not prudent to upset the delicately poised political situation by supporting Arif. Mridul Chowdhury argues that the government should act basing its decisions on the common thread that created Bangladesh and initiated Islam: tolerance and justice.

Mridul Chowdhury

Let me take you back about 35 years ago, when Bangladesh was just a new-born nation. There was a widespread feeling of optimism and hope for creating a nation based on social justice and equity – a nation that would value religion as every citizen’s personal choice, a nation built on tolerance even towards those who actively fought against the notion of an independent Bangladesh during the liberation war. The General Amnesty, although a controversial decision, arguably helped to squelch a potentially bloody drive towards eradicating war criminals and collaborators. The seed of tolerance was sowed at the very initial period of this nation’s history.

Now, let me now take you back some 1600 years ago, during the initial years of Islam when Prophet Muhammed (SM) lived. One of the core ideals of the Prophet’s life was tolerance towards those who humiliated him at many points in his life and mercy even towards those who murdered his immediate family members. It is well documented how the Prophet forgave the person who brutally murdered his uncle, Hamzah. He led his life in a way that epitomized the following verse from the Quran: “Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.” (Quran 7:199). There are many who believe that he even offered prayers of forgiveness for those who scorned him with the reasoning that they were doing wrong only because they were ignorant.

Now, more than three decades after the birth of Bangladesh and more than fourteen centuries after the emergence of Islam, how much of the core values that constituted their respective origins are we really practicing? A cartoon by Arifur Rahman is a source of grievance of scores of Islamist activists in Bangladesh who have risen up in arms to see Arif severely punished – some have even felt it their ‘sacred’ duty to declare death sentence on him. Isn’t it ironic that we are defying the very teachings of the Prophet in the name of trying to uphold his respect? Isn’t it a disgrace that we have ignored the peaceful and tolerant teachings of Islam and the Prophet (SM) to the point of making Islam look to the outside world like an intolerant and barbaric religion?

What the government decides to do about cartoonist Arif should be based on the common thread that created Bangladesh and initiated Islam – tolerance and justice. While Arif may be ‘ignorant’ and has no doubt hurt the sensitivities of many Muslims, he is not a criminal, and thus deserves to be forgiven, as our Prophet Muhammed (SM) would have done. If an opinion poll is taken, I am sure that a significant majority of the country would not support treating Arif as a criminal – if we are really striving for democracy, then it the people’s voice which should determine the course of the government’s action.

If the government fails to free Arifur Rahman and give him adequate protection for his life, it will only fan the fire of religious bigotry and ignorance in the country. If unchecked, this fire runs the danger of extending to proportions that we see in some other Muslim countries, hampering our international relations and jeopardizing our image as a ‘moderate Muslim nation’ that can serve as an example for others. We hope that this government will be prudent in taking a decision on this matter since it is not just an issue of freedom of expression but one that goes to the very fabric of who we are as a nation.

Mridul Chowdhury is a graduate student of public administration at Harvard University. A larger piece is available here