History shows suppressing students yields nothing: Mehazabien

As chaos unleashes all over Bangladesh amid the "complete shutdown" announced by quota reform protesters for today, the more popular celebrities are finally voicing their concerns through social media and requesting the safety of students.

Actress Mehazabien Chowdhury has firmly stood against the ongoing violence towards students with a stern voice. She has also cited her statements by bringing forward references from religious scriptures. 

Today, she wrote a lengthy post on her social media handle. In it, she highlighted issues of violence against women, oppression of students, and various successes and failures of the government. Such a long and profound piece has yet to be seen by any other artiste, at this time. Here is the full text of Mehazabein Chowdhury's writing:

Since childhood, I have known that family, society, and the state do not support violence against women. Our holy Quran has never taught us to raise a hand against women. The Quran says, 'Treat women kindly.' It is also stated in the Hadith that, 'The best among you are those who behave well with their women.

Unfortunately, nowadays we are witnessing a different picture in the media or on social media, with heartbreaking videos. Not one or two, but countless sisters of mine are being mercilessly attacked and left bleeding. How cruel, how brutal! I will discuss the matter of right and wrong later, but from my standpoint, I will say, this violence against women cannot be justified under any circumstances. 'No' means 'no'; always.

What did the students even do? They raised their voices about their rights. They demanded reform of the quota system. Isn't that right? In a democratic country, anyone can demand their rights. But does that justify raising a hand against women, and killing a promising young man like Abu Sayed? Do these actions fall under the scope of civilisation? Was there no other way to resolve the situation? Why did it have to come to shooting? Perhaps the situation will return to normal today or tomorrow. But can we fill the void left in the heart of the mother who lost her child, the smiles that disappeared from the faces of those families who have lost people, in any other way?

Furthermore, history attests that no matter how powerful, no one has ever gained anything by suppressing the student community. So, why this pointless display of bravado? We always hold dear the memories of the great Liberation War and our courageous freedom fighters in our hearts. We take pride in their sacrifice that gave us an independent country. But did our freedom fighters envision a Bangladesh where expressing one's thoughts and demanding rights are restricted, where merit is not upheld as the highest virtue, where opposing the administration leads to attacks, and where lives are sacrificed without justification? I don't believe so.

We often remain silent on almost all issues, whether it's rising commodity prices, corruption, or exam paper leaks. Even when those meant to protect us turn into aggressors, we quietly endure, hoping for a resolution, believing it will come today or tomorrow. We typically don't voice our concerns on social media about other matters. So why are we speaking up now? Why are we, the ordinary citizens, criticising the government's handling of the quota reform movement, regardless of our political affiliations?

The answer is straightforward: Quota reform is now an urgent demand of our times. A solution is crucially needed. Let's not forget that we, as common people, have enthusiastically applauded the government's significant achievements such as the Metro Rail, Padma Bridge, and flyovers. We have praised these accomplishments and expressed our views openly on social media.

Surely, once the government accepts the students' demands for quota reform, we will stand by them once again. We will collaborate with the government to address all the country's challenges as a united front. Together, we can propel the nation forward.

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In conclusion, students represent the future of tomorrow. I, Mehazabien Chowdhury, earnestly appeal to the honourable prime minister and the Supreme Court to support the students' legitimate demands rather than suppressing them. I am confident that we will not be disappointed.