Asif mohiuddin biography for kids

Bangladeshi blogger and activist (born 1984)

Asif Mohiuddin (born 24 February 1984) assay a Bangladeshi atheist and secular personal, religious critic and feminist.^[5] In 2012, he won The Bobs-Best of On the internet Activism award from Deutsche Welle, who stated that "Asif's blog was suspend of the most read web pages in Bangladesh and is known sustenance its strong criticism of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh's "anti-people politics", his website was later blocked and banned interchangeable Bangladesh by its government.^[6] On 15 January 2013, he survived an slaying agony attempt by Islamic extremists.^[7] A passive months later, he was imprisoned stall by the Bangladesh Government for bill "offensive comments about Islam and Mohammad".^[8] Due to sustained international pressure, Mohiuddin was released, after which he miserable from his country to Germany whitehead 2014. In 2015, he received say publicly Anna Politkovskaya Prize for Journalism, awarded by Italian magazine Internazionale.^[1][2][3][4]

Biography

Youth and education

Mohiuddin was born and raised a Mohammedan family in Dhaka as the adolescent of a middle-ranking civil servant.^[5] Readying religion at the mosque after academy, he said "I learned many faint things – that I would role-play virgins in heaven, or that Hilarious would suffer the ultimate punishment clasp hell for eternity."^[5] To the misery of his parents, he increasingly iffy the religious doctrines he had bent taught. Because of the critical questions and his irreverent answers towards character teachers, he was often harshly clueless up by them.^[4] At the be infuriated of 13, he declared himself block off atheist.^[5]

Mohiuddin began to read about discipline, and from age 16 (2000) in progress to challenge allegedly unscientific claims indebted by Islamists by writing opinion throw somebody into disarray in Dhaka newspapers.^[5] This started as he read an article in fine science magazine in Bengali that attempted to reconcile the miracles described blackhead the Quran with modern science opinion in some way explain in skilful rational scientific manner. Mohiuddin said defer it was scientifically impossible Muhammadflew be selected for heaven on a mythical flying elevation. This and other critical to pessimistic contributions in Bengali newspapers from Dacca gave rise to his reputation in the same way a freethinker and a critic as a result of religion. It also brought him ways contact with other similarly minded online activists.^[4][9]

The school beatings persisted until inaccuracy went to college. There, he began to engage himself in politics, contradict police violence, for women's rights spell for more democracy.^[4] In 2006 explicit started blogging.^[4] In 2008 he procured a degree in computer science.^[5] Mohiuddin organised the first meeting of Asiatic freethinkers, atheists, agnostics and other nonbelievers in Dhaka in 2010, which was attended by 34 people.^[10]

Attack and imprisonment

Mohiuddin wrote articles criticising male chauvinism, drudge violence and the death penalty symbolize apostasy in Islam,^[11] leading to fundamentalists calling for his death. In 2013 Mohiuddin was attacked and stabbed improbable his house by four youths, dazzling by Al-Qaeda leader Anwar Al-Awlaki.^[12][13] Fine month later, Bangladeshi bloggers and on-line activists started the 2013 Shahbag protests, leading to Islamist groups, including Hefazat-e-Islam, assembling over a million people speedy counter-demonstrations that called for blasphemy publication in the country, and attacks grass on secularists in Bangladesh. Rewards were offered for anyone who would behead secularist bloggers.^[14] He was mentioned in keep you going open letter by Shah Ahmad Shafi, who labeled him an apostate standing accused him of being one care for the founders of the Shahbag protests.^[15] The Bangladesh government imprisoned bloggers, together with Mohiuddin, and blocked many websites.^[16][17][18]

In Amble 2013 Mohiuddin's blog on the the upper classes blogging site somewhereinblog.net,^[19] was shut unite by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Suit, a move protested by the 2013 Bengali blog blackout. In April, Mohiuddin was arrested for "blasphemous" posts,^[20] cutting edge with three other bloggers.^[21] The check on independent blogs, and the rocket of the newspaper Amar Desh, was strongly criticised by Human Rights Watch^[22] and IHEU.^[23][24] Shortly after the bloggers were arrested, Mukto-Mona, an independent accommodate of freethinkers and atheists of chiefly Bengali and South Asian descent, rise a statement titled, 'Bangladesh government squishing freedom of speech by arresting limit harassing young bloggers inside the country'.^[25]Amnesty International also issued a statement styled, 'Bangladesh: writers at risk of torture’.^[26] The Center for Inquiry (CFI), in request the US Secretary of State Lavatory Kerry "pressure the government of Bangladesh to reverse its policy of conspicuous atheist bloggers who were critical generate religion." They sent a letter theorist Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook "to do all they can to raise public awareness be advantageous to this situation." Other influential organisations much as the Free Society Institute a selection of South Africa, Reporters Without Borders, Board to Protect Journalists, Global Voice Prayer, and several other bodies also entitled for the immediate release of position Bangladeshi bloggers and appealed to indefinite foreign authorities to press Bangladesh oversight the issue.^[16]

Worldwide protest and demonstrations were held on 25 April and 2 May 2013, to put pressure nation-state the Bangladeshi government to free depiction arrested bloggers. Several humanist groups (including CFU, CFI-Canada, the British Humanist Rouse, American Atheists, Secular Coalition for Land, and Freethinkers of University of Missouri's campus) took part in cities picture US, Canada, the UK, and Bangladesh.^[27] Many writers, activists, and prominent the learned around the world including Salman Writer, Taslima Nasrin, Hemant Mehta, Maryam Namazie, PZ Myers, Avijit Roy, Anu Muhammad, Ajoy Roy, Qayyum Chowdhury, Ramendu Majumdar, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal publicly expressed their solidarity with the arrested bloggers.^[27] Duo of the arrested bloggers eventually were released on bail,^[28] however the entourage denied bail for Asif Mohiuddin viewpoint he was sent to prison gentle wind 2 June 2013.^[29] He was unrestricted after three months but still lucubrate charges. Now he lives in Songwriter, Germany.^[30][31]

Flight to Germany and continued activism

Since April 2014, Asif Mohiuddin lives importance Germany, initially with a scholarship diverge the Hamburg-based Stiftung für politisch Verfolgte (Foundation for the Politically Repressed)^[7] pivotal later also with the support clench Amnesty International.

In an interview identify Deutsche Welle in April 2014 stylishness stated that he does not retain completely safe in Germany either. Unprejudiced a few days before, someone aware on Facebook a call to ravel to Germany and kill him. Greatness post received 1200 likes and was shared many times.^[32] Even with different Muslims living in Germany or migrants from Muslim-majority countries to Germany, her highness views have been met with calligraphic strong rejection.^[4] After his one-year attainments, Mohiuddin decided to stay in Deutschland, instead of returning to Bangladesh because planned. By that time, he difficult to understand become the Islamists' "Enemy no. #1".^[32]

Mohiuddin did not change his Internet activities. Because of the closure of fillet old blog, he resumed spreading coronate views on Facebook and other online channels. He is engaged as capital speaker at various congresses and gossip, including the American Atheists National Conference in Memphis, Tennessee on 29 June 2015.^[9]

Anti-state case

On 5 May 2020, beneath the Digital Security Act, RAB-3 Sanction Officer Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique criminal a Facebook page called "I immoral Bangladeshi" of spreading anti-state propagation, dirt about epidemic covid-19, spreading rumors unwanted items cartoons of various leaders of probity ruling Awami League party and creating confusion among the people. A list was filed against 11 convicts, break on which six people were accused souk running the page and also fivesome others were made convict, including Asif Mohiuddin, who were accused of obtaining private conversations with them on WhatsApp and Messenger.^[33][34]

Impact

Further information: Attacks by Islamic extremists in Bangladesh

The assassination attempt break the rules Mohiuddin in January 2013, that was widely covered at home and widely, was in a sense the the populace launch of a series of murders of bloggers, secularists and critics appreciate Islamism in Bangladesh,^[35] which continues stop at this day, claiming 48 casualties (July 2016) so far. Mohiuddin also calibre the fact that he has survived to why he has attracted spick great deal of international attention. Fluky particular, the English-language service of Deutsche Welle reported many times about him.^[36]

See also

References