Reinstate coordination committee for revising textbooks

One hundred twenty-two citizens including writers, teachers, and political activists, in a statement today demanded to reinstate the coordination committee for revising the textbooks which was dissolved taking the allegation into cognisance from a certain religious group.

The citizens in the statement said they are concerned by the rising influence of a particular religious group that is replacing the space once occupied by the Awami fascism after the recent mass uprising.

"This group, by promoting a one-sided and manipulative interpretation of religion, is spreading hatred and intolerance against the pluralistic cultural fabric of society, thereby threatening social peace, democratic atmosphere, and the rights of diverse opinions and identities based on religion, language, ethnicity, and gender," the statement said.

On September 28, the interim government dissolved the 10-member committee formed on September 15 for revising the textbooks for primary and secondary schools.

After the formation of the coordination committee, two members --Associate Professor Samina Lutfa Nitra of sociology department and Professor Kamrul Hasan Mamun of physics department at Dhaka University -- were falsely accused of "Islamophobia" by Sheikh Ahmadullah, chairperson of the As-Sunnah Foundation, and Mamunul Haque, secretary-general of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, read the statement.

"We believe these allegations are politically motivated and aimed at misleading a significant portion of the religiously devout Muslim community, fostering division and intolerance," it said.

This deliberate provocation undermines the aspirations for inclusive social reform, which the state, driven by the spirit of the mass uprising, is trying to fulfil, the statement said, adding that by yielding to the politically motivated demands of a religious group, the government has essentially surrendered to the pressures of special interest groups, contrary to the spirit of the people's movement.

The citizens urged the government to uphold the right to freedom of thought and diverse opinions and to immediately reinstate the committee tasked with textbook revisions.

The signatories of the statement include public intellectuals Prof Anu Muhammad and Prof Salimullah Khan, journalist Abu Sayeed Khan, Supreme Court Lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua, Dhaka University teacher Prof Moshaida Sultana, human rights activist Elira Dewan, writer Kallol Mostafa, former Dhaka University teacher Prof Fahmidul Haque, and Independent University, Bangladesh teacher Prof Bokhtiar Ahmed.