JMB threat to kill DU professor

The letter further stated: "We are going to make Bangladesh an Islamic republic. You are making our job difficult. Your research about militants creates problems for us."

Given that JMB has allegedly executed atrocious acts and murders, such threats must be taken seriously. JMB and similar groups resort to terrorist tactics because they are indoctrinated to the belief that such tactics are effective in realizing their goals. Such beliefs are the root cause of terrorism. Our job as democratic and God-fearing citizens is to show unequivocally that they are wrong and their approach is counter-productive to their cause.

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While addressing the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism, and Security on March 10, 2005, the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan identified five elements to fight terrorism:

• Dissuade disaffected groups from choosing terrorism as a tactic to achieve their goals,
• Deny terrorists the means to carry out their attacks,
• Deter states from supporting terrorists,
• Develop state capacity to prevent terrorism, and
• Defend human rights in the struggle against terrorism.

The country is currently following all these five elements to deter terrorism with commendable success. However, many political and social scientists in Bangladesh believe that terrorism in our country is essentially home-grown because of years of ever growing economic plight of the people brought about by pervasive corruption and moral degradation of the politicians and bureaucrats.

These factors not only have affected the poor and the destitute, they have denigrated people of all walks of life (except government officials and political functionaries) including those working in institutions of academics and research. We all are victims of an evil empire created by our corrupt and ill-educated power broker, wheeling and dealing politicians. So JMB's threats to kill university professors, judges, journalists, and innocent people are misdirected to say the least. .

The difference between a school teacher and a university professor is that the latter, in addition to presenting class lectures, also provide guidance to independent research in the form of thesis (or dissertation). A dissertation involves an in-depth exposition and analysis of a single or a composite topic or an issue of theoretical or practical interest generally set off by a student and approved by a supervising professor or a dissertation committee. The advisor provides guidance to appropriate methodologies of research and supervises the progress of work so that the research progresses in the direction of the goals set forth in the original proposal.

In the current spectre of political unrest, religious radicalism, and terrorist violence, it is not atypical that students would like to write their research papers on topics of Islamic economics, governance, caretaker government reform, religious militancy, and so on. If such research papers are a reason to send life-threatening letters to professors, then we can only envisage how ruthlessly the people would be treated if extremists reach the seat of power.

Research and higher studies in any area of academic field brings new knowledge, innovative ideas, and often outcomes. Whether Bangladesh should be an Islamic state to be governed by shariat, or a secular democracy as it is now, is an academic and intellectual discourse to academicians and researchers. The system of governance is ultimately decided by the voters -- by the people -- not by researchers and academicians or the thesis work of students. As citizens, we must engage in such academic pursuits, otherwise we will turn into a nation of mindless zombies.

A vast literature exists on Islamic rule of governance and Islamic economics. These literatures evolved over hundreds of years of research, and learning through intellectual discourse, debate, and often disagreements. No system of governance, Islamic or otherwise, can exist as one cohesive body if its members do not respect each other's diverse and dissenting views.

After enjoying the freedom to read, write and speak, and experiencing the values of democracy and the openness of acquiring new knowledge, there is no going back to the days of nomadic living and culture. People who promote the Islamic rule of governance must respect those who are equally religious but promote secular democracy. The latter group does not invoke violence or inculcate hate and intolerance against the former, because the latter respects opposing views.

The non-violent people believe in Qur'an's teachings that "one who walks in the path of knowledge walks in the path of God." If a university professor deviates from the path of knowledge to the path of hate and diatribes against others' beliefs, he will suffer the consequences under God's justice.

Politicians of the two major parties while sopping themselves in corruption have in the process corrupted the entire government machinery, political system and the social fabric of the nation. This has denigrated the country's image to the community of nations. National election has become a landscape of vote rigging and vote buying. Black money is multiplying at the patronage of the government itself; lawmakers and ministers instead of working to reduce poverty alleviations are working for property acquisitions. I am not recommending violence against thieves and thugs. However, JMB can win the hearts and minds of the people if the JMB movements redirect their energy and efforts and demand:

• Curbing of bureaucratic and political corruption,
• Reconciliation of two major political parties and bringing sanity to the political process,
• That black money be confiscated and use them for poverty alleviation and rural infrastructure development,
• Loan defaulters be brought to justice and all available measures be taken to recoup all unpaid balances,
• Non discriminatory application of the rule of law, transparencies in all governmental activities,
• No infringing acts against print and broadcast media which will hinder transparency, and
• Human rights must be upheld in their pristine form.

  Additionally, JMB must pledge non-violence; instead display tolerance to opposing views and people of other faiths. If JMB leaders start working towards achieving these goals and ideals, they can be a legitimate alternative. To bring about a political transformation from the current system of corrupt governance to any other system, JMB must convince that their system of governance is politically sound, socially non-discriminatory and economically viable.

Ours is a resource starved and underdeveloped economy. As a nation we cannot survive without exports and imports, foreign investment, foreign aid and development funds. Reality is that if we are labeled as a terrorist state, and become one, millions of our children and adults will die from malnutrition and starvations. JMB's struggle should be directed against those who degraded our country's image by corruption and poor governance, not against intellectuals who educate our children, enlighten our society with new knowledge and raise our country's image abroad. I dare to have a dialogue with the JMB leaders on the following issues:

• Have you prepared yourselves with the required knowledge and qualifications to run a state based on Islamic shariat?
• Where is your detailed manifesto or a constitutional framework?
• You must realize how lack of statesmanship by our two leading politicians has brought the country to the brink of a failed state?
• Killing intellectuals, teachers, journalists, doctors, lawyers and judges will only help the corrupt politicians to tighten their grip on power.
• Violence against people of opposing views will never achieve political, social and economic goals.
• By killing or threatening to kill people of dissenting views will not establish the Islamic ways of governance; it will only push back its emergence, if it were to have a chance to emerge any time in the future.

We need nurses to comfort the sick, doctors to treat the dying, engineers to build roads and houses, veterinarians for dairy and beef cattle, scientists to discover new methods and techniques, economists to formulate economic policies and imams to lead us to prayers and rectify the corrupt.

JMB leaders know that anti-liberation forces (for example, Al Badr) that killed many of our intellectuals on the eve of the victory day on December 14, 1971 are enjoying the glamour of power today. JMB followers do not have to follow the traits of Al Badr to share power with corrupt political parties; they can ascend to power and establish their political ideals through gaining public support. There is no precedence of establishing a religious state by resorting to intimidation and violence against those to be governed. Because, that is not God's will in any form or shape.

The author is Professor of Economics, Eastern Michigan University.