{"id":13680,"date":"2026-06-16T17:49:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T11:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/?p=13680"},"modified":"2026-06-16T17:49:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T11:49:40","slug":"sheikh-mujib-was-the-icon-of-fascism-in-independent-bangladesh-mahmudur-rahman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/?p=13680","title":{"rendered":"Sheikh Mujib Was the Icon of Fascism in Independent Bangladesh: Mahmudur Rahman"},"content":{"rendered":"

SM Tajul Islam<\/strong>: Dr. Mahmudur Rahman, Joint Convener of the National Editors’ Council and Editor of Amar Desh, has described Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as \u201cthe icon of fascism in independent Bangladesh.\u201d<\/p>\n

He made the remarks on Tuesday (June 16) while speaking at a discussion titled \u201cMedia Under Awami Rule and the Spirit of the July Uprising,\u201d organized by the Bangladesh Association of Journalists (BAJ) at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), marking the observance of the Black Day of Newspapers.
\nMahmudur Rahman said Sheikh Mujib began the journey of independent Bangladesh by dismissing legendary editor Abdus Salam from his job. According to him, the history of the Awami League is a history of autocracy evolving into fascism.
\n\u201cI divide Sheikh Mujib into two phases: Sheikh Mujib of the Pakistan era and Sheikh Mujib of independent Bangladesh. To me, the Sheikh Mujib of independent Bangladesh was an icon of fascism. Fascism always requires an icon to legitimize itself,\u201d he said.
\nHe alleged that since the July Revolution, efforts have been made to separate Sheikh Mujib from Sheikh Hasina in an attempt to rehabilitate the Awami League politically. \u201cThere is no difference between Sheikh Mujib and Sheikh Hasina,\u201d he asserted.
\nExplaining his position, Mahmudur Rahman said Sheikh Mujib was in power for only three and a half years, whereas Sheikh Hasina ruled for more than 20 years. \u201cHad Sheikh Mujib been given 20 years in power, he would have taught Sheikh Hasina how to practice fascism,\u201d he remarked.
\nHe further claimed that during both Sheikh Mujib\u2019s and Sheikh Hasina\u2019s administrations, the media was turned into a \u201cfactory for producing sycophants.\u201d Comparing the media environments of 1972\u20131975 and the past 15 years, he said there was no difference in the level of political flattery and loyalty displayed by sections of the press.
\nWarning those attempting to rehabilitate the Awami League, he said, \u201cAnyone trying to portray Sheikh Mujib as a better politician or a better person than Sheikh Hasina in order to restore the Awami League should understand that, to me, Sheikh Mujib is nothing more than an icon of fascism. There is no scope for rehabilitating such an icon.\u201d
\nReferring to June 16 as a \u201cBlack Day,\u201d Mahmudur Rahman said it symbolizes Sheikh Mujib\u2019s legacy of curtailing democratic rights and suppressing freedom of expression. He alleged that many of the authoritarian practices associated with Sheikh Hasina\u2019s rule had their origins during Sheikh Mujib\u2019s tenure from 1972 to 1975.
\nHe also described the former Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini as the \u201cfather of RAB,\u201d arguing that discussions on alleged state repression should not overlook the role of the paramilitary force established during Sheikh Mujib\u2019s government.
\nCalling on journalists to move away from political sycophancy, Mahmudur Rahman stressed the need for self-criticism and professional integrity. He argued that journalists must maintain independence and resist political interference in media affairs.
\n\u201cThe job of the media is to ask questions. Never compromise on your right to question those in power,\u201d he told journalists. \u201cOnly when we can stand upright and tell politicians not to interfere in professional matters will true media freedom become possible.\u201d
\nThe discussion was chaired by BAJ President and former Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) President M. Abdullah. Information and Broadcasting State Minister Yaser Khan Chowdhury attended the event as the chief guest.
\nA keynote paper titled \u201cMedia Under Awami Rule and the Spirit of the July Uprising\u201d was presented by noted columnist and former Vice-Chancellor of Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Professor Dr. Abdul Latif Masum.
\nIn his paper, Professor Masum argued that political systems ultimately depend not only on administrative power or electoral majorities but also on public consent, social legitimacy, and credible information flows. Citing Italian political philosopher Antonio Gramsci\u2019s theory of cultural hegemony, he noted that governments rely on ideological state apparatuses, including the media, to sustain power.
\nAccording to Masum, the July Uprising of 2024 demonstrated that when media institutions lose touch with public realities, people create their own language of resistance on the streets. He emphasized that Bangladesh\u2019s future democratic and constitutional journey will require an independent, courageous, and trustworthy media capable of speaking truth to power and holding rulers accountable.
\nHe concluded by saying that the sacrifices made during the July Uprising serve as a reminder that truth may be suppressed temporarily, but it can never be defeated permanently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SM Tajul Islam: Dr. Mahmudur Rahman, Joint Convener of the National Editors’ Council and Editor of Amar Desh, has described Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as \u201cthe icon of fascism in independent Bangladesh.\u201d He made the remarks on Tuesday (June 16) while speaking at a discussion titled \u201cMedia Under Awami Rule and the Spirit of the July Uprising,\u201d organized by the Bangladesh Association of Journalists (BAJ) at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), marking the observance of the Black Day of Newspapers. Mahmudur Rahman said Sheikh Mujib began<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bangladesh","category-lead-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13682,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13680\/revisions\/13682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}