Science teacher arrested over blasphemy in Bangladesh
Hridoy Chandra Mandal, science teacher in Ramkumar High School, Munshiganj, in Bangladesh, was arrested. Students of class 10 complained that the teacher disrespect Islam religion. The incident was happened on March 20, 2022. Students of that class recorded 13 minutes audio, which was later posted on Facebook. On March 22, some islamic extremist (we can say them islamic terrorist) attacked the house of the teacher. Some other teachers of the school and lawyers think that incident was pre-planed against science teacher. Court rejected his bail. The science teacher Hridoy Chandra Mandal should be released immediately and Bangladesh Government should ensure his safety. Atheists, Free thinkers around the world demand to release the teacher.
Much of this student and teacher conversation was in the regional language of Munshiganj, so the transcription was edited in standard Bengali with the help of the local people of Munshiganj. Always Free Thinking has translated the conversation in English from that Bengali version.
Transcript of conversation of science teacher Hridoy Chandra Mandal with class 10 students of Ramkumar High School, Munshiganj, Bangladesh.
[00:00]
Teacher: Has anyone seen? No one saw anything. It is based on faith. When you read more about science, you will see that there is more things in science. In fact, we do not understand or do not want to know the truth. Look at the developed nations are moving away from religion and we are following religion blindly.
[00:35]
Student: Many kinds of words and theories come from religion. Scientists have found these discoveries in religion.
Teacher: Nothing is taken from religion by no means. Rather, religion has been taken from science, religion has been made.
[01:10]
Student: Our Prophet Mohammad had given all the sources of many sciences. About 4500 years ago, our Prophet Mohammad spoke about these sciences.
Teacher: How about 4500 years ago? Hazrat Mohammad was born 1450 years ago. Scientists have been making discoveries for a long time. This does not mean that science has started from the time of Prophet Mohammad.
[01:30]
Student: Yes sir, there is no argument in those who have said before Hazrat Mohammad but all that our Prophet Muhammad has said is reasonable. Scientists have found evidences.
Teacher: What did Hazrat Mohammad say that the scientists have got evidence from him? Was there any discovery that scientists could not make before? It's a science class, not a religion class. Science is proven by experiments. Religion is faith.
[02:00]
Student: Sir, there is a lot of evidence that religion is scientific.
Teacher: There is no evidence of religion. Do you know where the interpretation of religion goes? In the end, God is watching, God will give the solution, God will give justice after death. These are matters of belief. These have no evidence.
[02:15]
Student: There's a book, read it. The name is 'Theory of Everything'. Allah has already told you how the yolk is inside the egg.
Teacher: I have read the book. If not, did I become a science teacher? Your claim about the book is false. There is nothing like that written in that book. In fact, religion is written by human beings. All religions are written by human.
[02:45]
Student: Sir, science is also a human writing.
Teacher: Yes, science must be written by man.
[02:55]
Student: Sir, there is evidence of religion.
Teacher: Show me the evidence of religion.
[02:04]
Student: What did you say, sir? There have been studies of muslims all over the world. Everyone says that Islam is the only truth. This is true religion and all other religions are lies. Scientists have found evidence of this.
Teacher: If the Quran is the source of science, then how many persons have become scientists by reading the Quran? 90% of the world's scientists come from Christian or Jewish families.
[03:24]
Student: Sir, what we call religion, if we take it to science, is science and if we take science towards religion, then that is science. The point is, both are one thing.
Teacher: No one obeys the rules of their religion that Christians discover so much. Can't they do religion business? Of course they can. Are they doing religion business? They are not even close to religion. They are with their discoveries. If muslims want to move forward, they have to stay ahead in science. It is not possible if bigotry increases. Islam came fourteen hundred years ago. Science has tremendously improved in last 200 to 300 years. So what have the islamic huzurs done before? What have they discovered?
[04:40]
Student: From the beginning, what the huzurs said was accepted as science.
Teacher: What did your huzurs read in science? You know what? They haven't read science. I talked about Darwin, did Darwin become a scientist by studying religion?
[05:08]
Student: Sir, what is the proof that Darwin did not read the religion?
Teacher: Most of scientists do not read religious books.
[05:10]
Student: Sir, the atheist is fine. But they have discovered these after reading the books of religion. They have found evidence of religion.
Sir: Discoveries did not come from religious books. Which surah, in which hadith has the source of the discovery? Religion is an imaginary belief. What is his relationship with reality? Yes, there is a creator. If there is no creator, where did the plants come from? These plants were not created by humans. People cannot make soil. The baby in the mother's womb cannot be made into a human being, from the egg to the baby. There may be power. If there is power, who is it? That is Allah, that is God. Hazrat Mohammad, who was he? These are the great men. None of these are gods.
[06:15]
Student: They have given us knowledge.
Teacher: Maybe moral knowledge. Religion tells people some rules of living. People observe it. Is there nothing beyond that? Of course, there are many things outside of religious books. Religion has come to keep people in discipline. Not for anything else.
It is said that there is a creator, we have not seen. What's the point of fighting over things you haven't seen? Put your faith in the place of your faith. Science is a subject of proof. Science concludes by experiments. And whatever happens if you are blind in religion, this summer you are wearing a robe. This is not scientific.
Electricity is passing through wire and lighting a lamp, this is science. The formula for the (a+b)2, calculated and matched. This is science which is subject of proof. Are these in the religious scriptures? We often associate science with religion, which is not true. Yes, religion keeps people organized. Science is different. Science is science.
[08:27]
Student: Sir, read the book 'Paradoxical Sajid'. You can find it in the Google Play Store.
Teacher: I have already read the book. I read science books all the time. I have also read these type of religious fantacy books. I don't have to learn science from that book. This is because muslims preach religion like muslims, hindus like hindus and christians like them. All conflicts with this caste and religion.
[09:00]
Student: If we say, are scientists taking credit for science by taking different things from religion.
Teacher: Science is coming with proof. What is the relationship between religion and science? Why the need to take credit? Science is not a belief.
[09:12]
Student: If we could go back 1400 years, we would see all the evidence.
Teacher: The book of religion was written 1400 years ago. Where was it before? Were there no people before? Wasn't there civilization?
[09:26]
Student: There were 3 books before the Quran.
Teacher: There was a Psalm, the Injil was 2500 years ago. There were Buddhists. The Vedas of our hindu religion were roughly seven thousand years ago. What is the benefit? People have been on earth for millions of years. Where were these books then? So? Now we talk about religion as much as we know. We are creating problems for religion now. Why? We don't want conflicts. We will learn, we will know. We will not bother with religion. That is, there is no point in exaggerating religion. The thing is, you will understand and act Religion will not jump just by saying a word. If religion says eagle has flying taking your ear, then you need not run towards eagle.
Hanuman put the sun in his ear. The elders of our hindu religion believe that the sun is in the ear of this Hanuman. The sun is 13 lakh times bigger than the earth, This earth is 1.3 million times smaller than the sun. Now the question is if Hanuman puts the sun inside the ear, how does Hanuman keeps the sun inside his ears while standing on this small earth?
Do those who make such cannabis stories have to believe the story? Why would we believe this? There are such cannabis stories in almost all religions. We will be aware. If we say against these stories, then debate will start. Let's start teaching you. There is no point in going into these debates.
There are good and bad aspects of religion. If not good, where did the bad come from? This is the day you see, how did this day come about? Because there is night, we can say day.
This is a black bag, how do you know it is black? This is that red bag, why do you all see red? This is science, science is such a clear subject. Science is reality.
The cannabis stories, who does all these? Bad people do. These cannabis stories are made by bad people to sustain their business.
Educated hindus do not believe the story of Hanuman. Those who are fools believe these things. There are some people who moves around without any work. They said these sonsense stories. They make disciples of these fools. Then they make their food for living. They say that Hanuman has the sun in his ears and on hearing this the foolish people give him money.
You have learned to read, you will read the books of religion. Why jump to hear the words of others? You are not ignorant.
[12:50]
Student: Sir, we are getting all this after reading the Quran. Besides, we are learning a lot by listening to Waz.
Sir: Listen to Waz, what kind of words does Waz say, have you thought? Have you noticed - telling people to kill, talking nonsense in Waz. Did you notice that violence is spreading through Waz? Why do you following religion listening to others.? First read religious books own, then follow religion.
In the audio it is clear that Hridoy Chandra Mandal did not say against Hazrat Mohammad. He said Hazrat Mohammad was a great man, religion may give us moral knowledge. He clearly denied scientific proof of religion. He blames islam with all other religions for communal violance.
Many people claim Vedas very old, thousands and thousands or lakh years old. Hridoy Chandra Mandal claimed Vedas 7000 years old. But the reality is Vedas are not 7000 years old. Vedas are hardly 1000-1200 years old. The students are brain washed by islamic speakers, books like 'Paradoxical Sajid'.
Now a days murder of atheists, free thinkers; communal violance against minority biddists, hindus has become common in Bangladesdh. Some incidents are:
- On January 15, 2013, Asif Mohiuddin was stabbed. He survived the attack. He works in his website Shongshoy (সংশয় - চিন্তার মুক্তির আন্দোলন). Now he lives in Germany.
- Asad Noor was arrested and prisoned. Free thinker Asad Noor had to leave Bangladesh and he is now in India from February, 2019.
- Ahmed Rajib Haider, an atheist blogger, was murdered on February 15, 2013. According to Haider's family, Haider was murdered "for the blogs he used to write to bring 'war criminals' to justice"
- Avijit Roy who establised Muktomona (মুক্তমনা) was murdered on February 26, 2015. Islamists attacked Avijit Roy and his wife when they were returning home from the Ekushey Book Fair. His wife Bonya Ahmed urvived the attack. Bonya Ahmed founded Think Bangla and Think English youtube educational channel in 2020.
- On March 30, 2015 Washiqur Rahman Babu, an atheist blogger, was killed.
- Ananta Bijoy Das, writer in Muktomona an editor of magazine Jukti (in engliash Logic) was murdered on May 15, 2015.
- Niloy Chatterjee (famous as Niloy Neel), writer in Muktomona and organiser of Science and Rationalist Association Bangladesh, was murdered on August 7, 2015.
- Faisal Arefin Dipan, the publisher of Jagriti Prakashani, which published Avijit Roy's 'Biswasher Virus' (in english 'The Virus of Faith') was murdered on December 15, 2015.
- Atheist poet and publisher of Bishaka Prokashoni Shahzahan Bachchu, also former general secretary of Munshiganj of Communist Party of Bangladeah, was killed by islamic terrorist group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh(JMB) on June 11, 2018.
So, this incident in Munshiganj is not separate. Torture against minorities, atheists is increasing in Bangladesh indirect and sometimes directly with help of Bangladesh Government, political parties like Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jaamat-e-Islami. Atheists, minorities, rationalists, scientific minded people, supporters of secular political parties are not safe in Bangladesh.
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