Are the Bloggers the Fodders?

Gautam Chaudhuri

In the backdrop of intensifying US intervention in this subcontinent during the last few decades, especially in very recent times, it can't be ignored that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has jumped into the bloggers' murder case in Bangladesh this year.

The first of this series of murders, that of a US citizen Avijit Ray of 'Muktomona' blog with his wife Banya being seriously injured early this year, made a huge repercussion not only in Bangladesh, rather it became almost an international issue. Banya alleged that Bangladesh Govt. is not sincere in booking the culprits. And proving the allegation true, three more bloggers of the same feather have so far been killed successively. What may be the reason? It is that they were atheist 'fundamentalist', as it appears from a facebook post of elated VHP: "We are opposed to all kinds of fundamentalism-be it Islamic fundamentalism or atheist fundamentalism". The Police Commissioner of Dhaka is reported to caution the bloggers not to cross limits, not to hurt religious sentiments. Here lies the answer. Blasphemy, and their battle against religious fundamentalism and cry for secularism and democracy along with trial against the war criminals of 1971 in Bangladesh caused their killing.

This is very much understandable. The 'guards of religion' and fascistic forces never tolerate such audacity anywhere. In present Bangladesh, they are quite a strong force hatched up by the ruling clique since long.

But why is the FBI in the scene?

This is no secret today that the US is the principal breeder of dreaded religious fundamentalist forces the world over. Their game-plan is simple and well exposed by the incidents of the past quarter century. They reinforce communal militancy, help them organize with the supply of lethal weapons and fund, provide trainings. The Taliban and AI-Qaeda among them have earned top notoriety. Today, the 'Islamic State' (ISIS) has surpassed them as more horrifying.

ISIS is also another contribution of the USA. In a nutshell, devastation of Iraq, the huge assaults still continuing on Iraqi people, stirring up rebellion and help organizing armed insurrections in Syria, together with unprecedented intensification of Shia-Sunni conflict in the region dexterously by the CIA, the USA has fathered its creation. And now the US ally Turkey, a NATO member, is dropping bombs on the Kurdish freedom fighters who are fighting the ISIS most stubbornly making Kobani of Rojava in the border of Turkey and Syria as their base area, under the leaoership of the Workers' Party of Kurdistan (PKK). Pretending to fight ISIS—the US 'enemy'—Turkey is thereby helping ISIS to inflict devastation on Kurdish people. And the US has termed PKK as a terrorist force in Turkey while freedom fighter in Syria—as they are fighting there against President Assad's force too for their liberation.

Now, the horrendous blitzkrieg of the blood-thirsty ISIS is providing US the excuse to extend its 'war against terrorism' over the region in the name of civilization.

And, it is again they who feign to boost scientific temper and democratic values everywhere. The young, rational, spirited, honest fellows are made vehicles for the purpose and a battle is got launched by them against fundamentalism and autocracy so that they become easy prey to fundamentalist assaults. This again provides US the scope to interfere more directly as is apparent in Bangladesh today.

Frontier
Vol. 48, No. 10, Sep 13 - 19, 2015