Cultural Weakness of Bangladesh

Sushupta Patak

The events of Bangladesh are similar to those of Iran and Afghanistan. Many say that the rich cultural mind of Bengal will never allow a radical Islamic government to be established here. Let me inform them that the Persians had a much richer and more independent cultural sphere than the culture of a nation like the Bengalis. Even after they came under Muslim rule, they did not abandon the Persian words of Namaz, Roza, Khoda, Hafez, and the national fire-worshippers. They were the ones who could not protect their alphabet during the era of Muslim rule. They had to write Persian in Arabic letters. The 'Pahlavi' script was lost during Muslim rule. Mass conversions took place. No history has been kept of exactly how and how the Persians were converted to Islam.

Now someone may say that the Pakistanis could not teach us Urdu either. We fought for the Bengali language. In fact, behind the protection of the Bengali language here, the Muslims did not have any urge to protect their mother tongue. Before Dhirendranath Dutt, no one had any reaction to Urdu being the state language instead of Bengali. Dhirendranath Dutt spoke in favor of Bengali in the Pakistani parliament and was afraid that someone would beat him up at the airport when he returned home! In fact, 95 percent of the teachers in East Pakistan were still Hindus. They were the ones who incited the students against Bengali culture. As a result, in 1964, Hindu teachers were targeted and expelled from the country by issuing a hulia (a legal order) and calling them enemies. In 2024, Hindu teachers were targeted in the same way. The rulers are still afraid of them. It is believed that they are responsible for not allowing Muslims to remain 100 percent Muslims.

You will know if my words are true if you follow the continuity of history. Bengali Muslims have no identity. Their cultural bond is very weak. They suffer from a crisis of identity. They are hesitant to consider lighting lamps, morning ferries, and processions as 'Hindu' at any festival. If they become a majority in a country, it is not a matter of taking them under a 100% hardline Khomeini style rule. Some cultural workers will leave the country by hanging on the wheels of a plane. This has happened in Iran and Afghanistan. As a result, nothing can be saved with the Bhatialy Bhavaiya of Bengal. You cannot stop it with Lalon Hasan Raja. Do you know that from 1820 to 1857, Sharitullah Titumir started a social movement against the songs of the Majhimalla Garwans? Before the Wahhabi movement became political, it was a religious reform movement. Muslims will not sing songs like Hindus. This was their propaganda. They will not wear dhoti like Hindus. They will do the opposite of Hindus. They will not have names like Hindus. They will not write 'Shri' before their names, which was Bengali culture. Wahhabis influenced the whole of Bengal against Navanna, Barshavaran, song festivals, Baul Sangha. From then on, Wahhabism entered the mosque through mullahs. Since then, the cultural consciousness of Bengalis has been shaken by going to the mosque. Even very progressive Bengali Muslims have suffered from a crisis of self-identity deep in their hearts throughout their lives.

Not paying respect to the heroes and martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War in a speech to the nation is certainly a signal. Who doesn't like 71? What is their mission? Sharia rule or an Islamic republic in Bangladesh. Bangladesh can easily become Iran, Afghanistan. Bengalis are not a developed nation like the Persians. They could not protect their alphabet from Islamic colonization! You, despite seeing the brutality of 1971, crowded the streets to see Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1974! Iranians consider the Shahnama of the poet Ferdowsi their pride. That Shahnama was a tribute to the fire-worshipping rulers of Iran before the advent of Islam. You could not accept the Mahabharata as the legacy of India. Not even the psyche. Who will save those who could not make Rabindranath Tagore their own?