The Negative Facets of the Distortion of History in Bangladesh

Secular and progressive history featured with modern outlook, conscience and reason with true informative touch should be important for a society.  In today’s world the only objective that history can shape is the truth which has gone once into the womb of the past.  So consequences of objective history can create morality, revolutionary impact, transparency   among people’s mind which can bring changes in systems.  On the other hand, biasness of history or distortion of history can preach falsehood.  During the last fifty years such a scenario of distortion prevailed in the education system of Bangladesh. Hence, it is a matter of major concern to the educationists and progressive intellectuals all over the world.  In previous Islamization years history had been used as a weapon for antagonizing against the traditional values and Bengali culture. Moreover, a section of people of Bangladesh suffers from a `small state’ paranoia and very often bask under a pretentious knowledge of age-old history of Indian subcontinent.  They are happy having a constructed Islamic telescope to build up a structured history of Bangladesh as a part of the continent in South Asia.  Since many aspects of historical processes shall remain alien to such telescopic articulation, knowing history becomes highly truncated, attributing fabricated meaning to such efforts. One should not fail to appreciate that any intangible factual history of Bangladesh could be constructed on a bigot historical rational frame, if only one goes beyond a few hundred years before 1704 A.D.  This is so because the genesis and the evolution of a part of Dinesh Chandra Sen’s `Greater Bengal’ which is present day Bangladesh, coincidentally is a part of product of political arrangement of imperial understanding of the past rulers (Edward W. Said coined this as ‘Orientalism’). However, the British left Dacca but communal essence remains unchanged in the mentality of a section of people in Bangladesh.  Besides, they are getting strength from fundamental ideologies made by leading terrorist organizations. Those groups are also active of doing distortion in true history writings.  This is one of cultural terrorism and clever penetration into the chauvinist mind of the Bangladeshi society.

Textbooks are the benchmark of a state’s ideology.  But to appease Hefazat, iconic writings were removed from the textbooks. Personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Nazrul Islam,  Humayun Azad, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay,  S. Wajed Ali, Ranesh Das Gupta, and many  leading progressive Hindu and  Muslim writings were removed.¹  Even when Bangladesh Awami Olama League, Hefazat, showed their resentment against a statue of Themis rooted in front of Supreme Court and gave an ultimatum.² The administration silently shifted the symbol of justice from the compound of the Court.  Such events and counteractions of dramas and laughter and anti-modern conservatism and fundamentalist myopia did not create hope and space for liberalism. Rather it is a symbol of Islamization. On May 2019 in an Islamic unity Press conference Hefazat demanded and later submitted a memorandum through the District Commissioner to the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, of the proposed amendments to get rid of above authors’ writings in textbooks of junior and secondary levels.  Consequently, all those pressures veiled the country’s rising up as a progressive society and civilization of South Asia.  Now in Bangladesh is the society retreating in the pre-1947 order? This is the basic question of partition history learners and political analysis practitioners.

The father of the nation of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, stressed on liberal thinking to form up secular vision regarding and remembering cultural coexistence among the religions.  But military regime after Mujib’s assassination bent towards Islam and inspired Islamization.  The books related to Islamic propaganda, theology and communal elements flooded the market. The Islamic history writers in Bangladesh had made orthodox comments in their publications receiving healthy patronage from the administration. There was an attempt to derail a whole generation through a state sponsored distortion of history.³ In the year 1992, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came in power and Begum Khaleda Zia was the first lady prime minister in Bangladesh but no history book later argues anything about women’s history in Bangladesh, women’s studies did not get enthusiasm and the role of Biranganas was also suppressed, while writings were confined only among some literatures with different issues.  History books at secondary grade school level have been revised reflecting the political calculations of BNP. Though BNP Secretary General, Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir in public meetings raised voice against and demanded that Awami League was distorting history and all these were false propaganda with dirty motives to discredit  Ziaur Rahman.⁴   The Awami League Government was also not much secular- minded.  During 2001 elections, the Awami League (A.L.) had to adopt a number of overly religious positions to win over the mind of mainstream voters. Its manifesto promised not to enact any legislation contrary to the Quran and pledged to establish a sharia bench at the Supreme Court.  Bengali cultural identity and values had slowly disappeared from the country.  The thoughts of radical Islam and history of Islam was being stressed to include in the history books, madrassas were giving radical education concerning Islamic past and medieval period. However, later A.L.  changed its former tactics and rigidly started to campaign for liberalism. 

On 15^th May 2014, Islamic Foundation submitted a survey report of madrassa education in the office of the Home Ministry.  In this report it has been seen that most of the madrassa books had been written with perverted information.  Even the history of 1971 liberation war had been decomposed.  The history of freedom struggle partly included in the madrassa books and Jamaat’s ideology and Madudi’s ultra-Islamic speech had been included which was not even reasonable and scientific history.  Qawmi and Aliah, madrassa books had incorporated perverted history.  The survey examined books of Aliah madrassa, where it was found that communal ideas strategically mingled with history.  Those erratic communal approaches have been published by ten publishers which flourished under the safe hands of Jamaat in Bangladesh.  Those were—Al-fatah  publications, Al Baraq Prokashoni, Punjeri Prokashoni, Kamiab Prokashoni, Al-madina Publishers, Millat Prokoshoni, Imtehan Publishers, Islamia Kutubkhana, Madrassa Library and Al Arafa Publications. All this had been done to give space for the extension of fundamentalism. We can look into more instances. In a book published for standard 11(Alim), it has been written-‘There is no existence of utilitarian idea of secularism in the world. Secularism is another name of impiety, through which blasphemy would be increased. It is irreligious and anti-Islam,⁵ this book is bearing the authority seal of NCTB. In another book published by Islamia Kutubkhana, a dangerous argument has been made. It is said that Islam has to abolish the system made by human beings and this would be the Islamic movement. For the last 50 years in Bangladesh situation became fatal to Elementary, Secondary and Higher Secondary curriculum, while authority was careless about the situation. Islamic Foundation which itself was not much secular now feels danger from Jihadi elements and their writings. Intelligent students from science and engineering also have been involved with radical Islamic think tanks in Bangladesh.  On 24th September, 2002, police arrested seven Arab nationals, four Yemenis, one Algerian, one Libyan and one Sudanese on charges of providing jihadist training in Dhaka based Madrasa funded by Saudi Arabian charity organization Al-Haramain.⁶ During the year 2010-2014 the detectives of Rapid Action Battalion Force(RAB) arrested many young Jihadist, surprisingly most of them were meritorious students from madrassas and colleges. The Dhaka city Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Detective Department, Mr. Monirul Islam argues that “Terrorists now target poor, meritorious students to incorporate in their sleeper cells vis-à-vis of the activists of Jihad.” He also expressed the less consciousness of civil people about this matter.⁷ The Home Ministry has already alerted the Madrassa Board for restraining those measures. Even unfortunate systematization of a falsified history of Bangladesh has also been constructed and  published in the last quarter of the twentieth century particularly after the publication of three volumes of History of Bangladesh 1704—1971.  Bangladesh Government after 2008 had taken strict measures against radical Islamic organizations.  However, radical Islamic discussions and wrongly interpreted history books are still not prohibited.  Falsified history books are sold in various book markets. Students of different colleges and Madrassa boards are reading these materials, but they are not aware about the truth. Till today a fraction of religious groups are hesitating to involve in their curriculum the fruitful philosophy of liberalism and scientific history. Quami Madrassa textbooks did not incorporate Bangladesh’s own national anthem and the image of National Flag.  All that had been moderated is nothing but the Medina style of religious study. Surprisingly, Quami Madrassa board supported the plan publicly.  Eventually, the scope of free air, secularisation and open- mindedness became contested and limited at mass scale. Sheikh Hasina earlier firmly stated that “many generations read and learnt distorted history.”⁸ Thus counter actions and the steps should be taken immediately to stop such things. The Chairman of Madrassa Education Board, Janab A.K.M. Saifullah has said to reporters that ‘the earlier board members could not know about the malpractices and no supervision has been made but very soon police will arrest those anti-social beings who are pursuing to preach falsified histories.’ Islamic foundation has circulated five lakh copies of awareness books and pamphlets against radical Islam among common people of Bangladesh and Government also has built up training centres for Imams and formed two anti-terrorist committees against fundamentalist preaching.  One-third of the total student community is passing through Madrassa education every year and their role in the society cannot be ignored.  Government should restrain the publication houses wherefrom falsified histories were published and any illegal distortion also should be banned. Today healthy culture is important for foreign relations and yet if perverted history and ill-education grow simultaneously in Bangladesh then, it must damage the state system and external affairs. There is potential role of history and education in Bangladesh’s cultural diplomacy and this is important because that involves an attempt to promote values, culture and image of other countries and their people.  Cultural diplomacy helps to create a foundation of trust with other peoples of different civilizations.  Policy makers can build on this trust to create political, economic and military agreements.  It can act as a deterrent against ignorance and baseless hatred that people in other countries may bear to a certain country.  But if somebody starts to walk along with falsified notions,  that only can bring wrong policy making.  Hence, all types of perversion, distortion and cultural vandalism should be stopped in Bangladesh in the presence of history and in various forms beyond our imaginations.  When you can get others to admire your ideals and want what you want, you do not have to spend as much as on sticks and carrots to move them in your direction. Seduction is more effective than coercion and this seduction is provided by soft power; ⁹ and summit diplomacy, digital diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, public diplomacy, etc. are all the different varieties of soft power. In the previous year’s conference in February 2022, the people’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina said that “the contribution of Bangabandhu in the Language Movement and the great liberation war was erased.  But no one can erase the truth.  We will continue our efforts to establish our mother tongue, our language, literature and culture at the international level.  I believe we will succeed in that endeavour as well.”¹⁰ Distorted history books should be stopped to reach fairly- minded children. Otherwise, Jihadist mentality would be increased in the near future.

 References:

1. The New York Times Report “To secular Bangladeshis, Textbook changes are a harbinger” by Ellen Barry, 22.01.2017, Rasheda K. Choudhury’s interview in D.W.Tv on 02.06.2017 (https:// dw.com/cn/bangladesh’s secular activists concerned about textbook changes/a-3-7398705 accessed on 15.05.2023).

2. Hefajat, Olama League demand removal of SC sculpture (The Daily Star, 5 Feb., 2017), also Hefajat demands SC statue demolition reported by Prothom Alo, also Bangladesh: confrontation escalates over Mujibur Rahman statue, Subir Bhowmik’s article – December 11, 2020 (The wire.in a news website from India).

3. Times of India Report by Rakhi Chakraborty and her interview with Mahbub Hassan Saleh, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India, 23.03.2012.

4. Dhaka Tribune, reported on 24.10.2018.

5. The book Islamic Pouraniti (Civics) published from AL Baraqa publishers, p.387, Reported by the daily Amader Shamoy (A daily Bengali Newspaper from Dhaka) 19.08.2015.

6. Alex Perry, `Deadly Cargo’ an article published in Times Magazine, October 21, 2002.

7. Daily Amader Shamoy, 08.2015.

8. The Daily Observer, 27.03.2019 (addressing a discussion meeting on Independence Day, 26 March, 2019. Prime Minister Hasina’s statement was quoted) United Nations of Bangladesh reporting, 27.03.2019, Dhaka.

9. Joseph Samuel Nye Jr., Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics, Public Affairs Books, 2004, New York, USA. Page-X. See also chapter I (The Changing Nature of Power).

10. Sheikh Hasina’s Address to the Nation in `Mahan Vijay Diwas’ 15 December 2022, http://www.btv.gov.bd@BTV BNP war criminal alliance distorted our history: Hasina, Tuesday, February 2022, Sumi Khan’s report posted in www.daijiworld.com  (accused on 15 May).

—–