|
|
This article's references may not meet Wikipedia's guidelines for reliable sources. Please help by checking whether the references meet the criteria for reliable sources. (December 2011) |
Ghulam Azam (also known as Golam Azam) (Bengali: গোলাম আযম; born. 7 November 1922) is a retired Bangladeshi Islamist political leader. He was the Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh until 2000.[1] Azam, whose political thought was significantly influenced by Syed Abul Ala Maududi, opposed the independence of Bangladesh before and during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War out of a desire to prevent further divisions of the Muslim community (Maududi opposed the partition of India for the same reason),[2] and for fear of Indian hegemony.[3][4] He is alleged to have led the formation of the Shanti Committee, Razakar and Al-Badr to thwart the Mukti Bahini that fought for the independence of the country.[5] He and his supporters state, on the contrary, that he had nothing to do with the formation of such paramilitary groups.[6][7]
In 1994, one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh made a remark in passing during the citizenship trial of Azam stating that the court did not find any direct proof of the war crimes attributed to Azam. But it was clarified by other judges that in fact, supreme court did not have any jurisdiction to investigate and try criminal offences like those. Azam has never before been tried in a court of law for his alleged war crimes.[8] On 11 January 2012, he was arrested on charges of committing war crimes in Bangladesh Liberation War by the International Crimes Tribunal.[9][10] The tribunal has been criticized for not adhering to international norms[11] and although members of the European Parliament have welcomed the effort to seek justice for crimes committed in 1971,[12][13] they also cautioned that they would like to "ensure that the trials reach the highest possible standards."[14] On this count, a number of seasoned international lawyers and human rights organisations have expressed their concern over fairness of the trial procedures.[15][16]
Azam comes from a respected family of Islamic scholars, and was encouraged to pursue Islamic studies from an early age by his father and grandfather. He attended a Madrasa in his village of Birgaon (Comilla district) and completed his secondary school education in Dhaka. He went on to complete BA and MA degrees in Political Science at Dhaka University.[17]
Azam entered politics as a student leader at Dhaka University, and in 1947 became the Secretary General of the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU). After the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1948 new governor-general of Pakistan Khawaja Nazimuddin decided to strictly follow the path its founder had set for it. Thus he again declared that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan which led to unrest and subsequent movement in Bangladesh characterized as Bengali Language Movement. In the same year the state language committee of action decided to present the case for Bengali as an official language in East Pakistan alongside Urdu before the prime minister and authorized Azam to do the job. Because at that time he happened to be the general secretary of DUCSU and the leaders of the committee felt that the president of the union, Aurobindo Basu, should not be asked to face the prime minister as he was part of the Hindu religious community that was already under suspicion of the Pakistani government.[18][19] Between 1950 and 1955, Azam was teaching at the Government Carmichael College in Rangpur. He was arrested in 1952 for his association with the language movement and dismissed from his teaching position at the college.[17][20]
Between 1952 and 1954, Azam was active in the Tabligh Jamaat in Rangpur district, where he acted as the leader (ameer) of the organisation.[17]
In 1954, Azam became the head of the Rangpur branch of the East Pakistan Islamic cultural organisation, Tamaddun Majlish. Through his involvement with this organisation, he became influenced by the ideas of Syed Abul Ala Maududi. In 1955, while in jail, Azam became a member of Maududi's Jamaat-e-Islami party. He soon rose through the ranks of the party and became the General Secretary of Jamaat-i-Islaami in East Pakistan in 1957. In 1964, the Ayub Khan regime banned Jamaat-i-Islaami, and Azam was arrested. He was kept in detention for eight months without trial. In 1969, he became the Ameer (president) of the Jamaat in East Pakistan, a position he was going to keep until the 1971 Liberation war. He was also a participant in the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance in 1967.[17]
Together with leaders of a number of other parties in East Pakistan (including the Pakistan Democratic Party, National Awami Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and the Pakistan National League), Ghulam Azam protested at the Awami League approach to electioneering for the 1970 general elections in Pakistan, accusing them of breaking up public meetings, physical attacks on political opponents and the looting and destruction of party offices.[21] During 1970, while Azam was the head of Jamaat-i-Islami, a number of political rallies, including rallies of Jamaat-i-Islaami, were attacked by armed mobs alleged to be incited by the Awami League.[22][23]
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Ghulam Azam took a political stance in support of unified Pakistan, and repeatedly denounced Awami League and Mukti Bahini secessionists[citation needed], whose declared aim after 26 March 1971 became the establishment of an independent state of Bangladesh in place of East Pakistan. Excerpts from Azam's speeches after 25 March 1971 used to be published in the spokespaper of Jamaat named The Daily Sangram. According to him, as alleged by Bangladeshi newspapers hostile to him[citation needed], whatever Pakistani army did after 25 March was only for the betterment of Pakistan. He referred to fighters for independence of erstwhile East Pakistan as Indian and anti-Pakistan agents and expressed his support for their elimination. He also urged the workers of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat, to help the Pakistani army with their lives. On 20 June 1971, Azam reaffirmed his support for the Pakistani army by stating that 'the Pakistan army has eradicated all criminals of East Pakistan'.[24] Azam has stated that he also harshly criticised the Pakistan army and its generals for their excesses against the Bangladeshi populace, but that any criticism of the army was censored by it at the time, hence only anti-secession and pro-Pakistani statements that reflected his desire to maintain a unified Pakistan appeared in the papers of the time, while critical statements did not.[25]
During the war of 1971, it is alleged that Azam played a role in the formation of Peace Committees, which declared the independence movement to be a conspiracy hatched by India.[5] It is also alleged that Azam was one of the founding members of this organization.[5] He himself denies any leading role, but states that he used the forum to directly castigate the Pakistan Army for their killing of civilians.[26] Azam also claims that the Peace Committees role, inasmuch as he was involved with them, was essentially one of ameliorating the consequences of the Pakistan Army's persecution of Bangladeshi civilians by being a conduit for passing on the complaints of Bangladeshis against the Pakistan militarys excesses to its commanding officers.[27] The Shanti Committee has also been alleged to have recruited Razakars.[28]
Azam, on the contrary, claims that during this period the Awami League leadership had fled to India, and so ordinary people were turning to Jamaat for help.[27] Azam adds that he in turn used his connection with the Peace Committees to do what he could to reduce the suffering of average Bangladeshis under Pakistani Army persecution.[27] On April 12, 1971, Azam and Matiur Rahman Nizami led demonstrations denouncing the independence movement as an Indian conspiracy.[29] Azam maintains that he publicly voiced his opposition to the army's atrocities, averring that such horrific behaviour meant that the union of Pakistan could not be maintained, but he states that such statements did not appear in the state-censored newspapers of the time.[25]
On June 20, 1971, Azam declared in Lahore that the Hindu minority in East Pakistan, under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, are conspiring to secede from Pakistan.[30] On August 12, 1971, Azam declared in a statement published in the Daily Sangram that "the supporters of the so-called Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".[31] For his part, Azam denies all such accusation and challenges that proof be brought forward to justify them.[32]
The military junta of Yahya Khan decided to call an election in an attempt to legitimise themselves. So, on October 12, 1971 Yahya Khan declared that an election will be held from November 25 to December 9. Ghulam Azam decided to take part in this election. On October 15, the Pakistani government suddenly declared that 15 candidates were elected without any competition. According to the declaration of November 2 as many as 53 candidates were elected without any competition.[33] In this election Jamaat won 14 of the uncontested seats.[34]
Ghulam Azam wrote some of his activities of 9 months of the war in his biography Jibone Ja Dekhlam (What I have seen in life). According to his book, Azam states that he was on way to Dhaka from West Pakistan on 3 December when midway through the flight, the plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia because of the formation of India-Bangladesh joint force against Pakistan. A few weeks later East Pakistan emerged as newly independent country Bangladesh and Ghulam Azam along with his political party Jamaat-e-Islami was banned by new country's government and Azam's Bangladesh citizenship was cancelled.[citation needed] However, New York Times reported in 1992 that Azam left East Pakistan in 1970 due to his opposition to the independence movement.[35] No justification for the 22 year old claim was given.
After the war, the Bangladesh government declared the newly independent country to be secular and religion based political parties were banned.[citation needed] On 18 April 1973 the government revoked the citizenship of Ghulam Azam and thirty-eight other alleged collaborators of Pakistan Army.[36] Azam refused an offer of amnesty from the then Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to return to Bangladesh and renounce Jamaat politics,[citation needed] choosing to live in exile in Pakistan and England until 1978, when President Ziaur Rahman restored multi-party democratic system, Jamaat re-launched itself, seizing the democratic opportunity, and soon Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa.
In 1992, Dhaka University Professor Anisuzzaman submitted allegations against Ghulam Azam to a mock court called "the People's Court" in 1992, alleging that after 1971 Azam tried to convince many political leaders of Middle East and Pakistan not to support the newborn nation.[37]
Ghulam Azam has himself stated that all such allegations are completely false, politically motivated, and has challenged his accusers to present proof for them.[38][39]
In 1978, then Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman allowed Azam to return to Bangladesh. Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa with a Pakistani passport.[citation needed] But he had been living in Bangladesh from 1978 to 1994 as a Pakistani national without any valid visa to stay in Bangladesh, refusing to leave a country he considered his home by birth-right.[37][40]
Azam became the unofficial Ameer of the party while remaining in Bangladesh illegally, as he was denied Bangladeshi citizenship and had overstayed his visitors visa on his Pakistani passport. However, no attempt was made to restrain him, and he moved around openly due to the anomalousness of his case. His citizenship was granted in 1994 by a decision of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, as the panel of Judges, with Muhammad Habibur Rahman as the Chief Justice (later chief of the Caretaker government of 1996), decreed that by virtue of his birth he had right to Bangladeshi citizenship.[41]
Ghulam Azam announced his retirement from active politics in late 2000. He was succeeded by Motiur Rahman Nizami.[1]
In 1994, one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh made a remark in passing during the citizenship trial of Azam stating that "there is nothing to directly implicate the petitioner (Ghulam Azam) in any of the atrocities alleged to have been perpetrated by the Pakistani Army or their associates- the Rajakars, Al-Badrs or Al-Shams." But as supreme court does not have any jurisdiction over criminal offences like this it could not be considered an exoneration from the war crimes which was clarified by other judges. For example judge of the appellate division of the supreme court of Bangladesh, Mostafa Kamal stated that, "First, commentaries on the criminal aspects of the political antecedents of the Respondent were never tested in a court of law. Secondly, even if the allegations are correct, our (Bangladeshi) citizenship law does not deny citizenship to those who opposed the creation of Bangladesh and even killed freedom fighters and were engaged in murder, rape, etc,".[8]
On 11 January 2012, Ghulam Azam was arrested on charges of committing crimes against humanity and peace, genocide and war crimes in 1971 by the International Crimes Tribunal. His petition for bail was rejected by the ICT, and he was sent to Dhaka Central Jail. However, after three hours he was sent to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital for a medical check-up due to his old age. According to the Daily Star, Azam was allowed to remain in a hospital prison cell despite being declared fit for trail by a medical team on 15 January.[42][43] The same paper later acknowledged that he had been placed there due to his "ailing condition".[44]
Azam's family members and supporters claim that his health has deteriorated rapidly since being imprisoned. His wife, Syeda Afifa Azam was reported in several pro-Jamaat newspapers including the spokespaper of Jamaat The Daily Sangram,[24] to be shocked at his treatment, stating that he has become very weak and has lost 3 kilograms in a month due to malnutrition. She described his treatment as "a gross violation of human rights" even though he was kept in a hospital prison cell.[45][46]
Azam's wife complains about him being denied proper family visits and access to books, saying that this amounted to "mental torture".[47] The Daily Star reported that Azam's wife and his counsels were allowed to meet him on 18 February.[48] On 25 February 2012, The Daily Star reported that Azam's nephew was denied a visit at the last minute just as he was about to enter the hospital prison room. This is despite the application for the visit being initially approved.[49]
The International Crimes Tribunal has brought widespread international condemnation[11] from legal and human rights organisations, including, the United Nations, the International Bar Association, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.[15][50] Laurel Fletcher, clinical professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley said, "such trials run the risk of turning into political show trials, where laws are bent to produce predetermined results".[51]
The International Union of Muslim Scholars, chaired by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who himself had been condemned by other Muslim scholars for giving Islam a bad name,[52][53] called the arrest "disgraceful", and called on the Bangladesh government to release him immediately, stating that "the charge of Professor Ghulam Azam and his fellow scholars and Islamic activists of committing war crimes more than forty years ago is irrational and cannot be accepted".[54]
The Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Qazi Hussain Ahmad stated on 24 January 2012, "I call for the immediate release of 89 years old Prof. Ghulam Azam former Ameer of Jamaat e Islami Bangladesh from imprisonment.[55] The Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Syed Jalaluddin Umri also condemned the arrest, saying "it is evident to everyone, be it the Indian government or educational centres or organisations or people who keep a close watch on the happenings in the Muslim world, that trials of Jamaat members arrested would be rigged and alienated from justice and would be done in a revengeful manner".[56]
Azam authored more than 70 booklets and books on topics related to Islam, politics, and Muslim society and culture. He writes in English and Bengali. Some of the books he has written include[citation needed]
- A Guide to the Islamic Movement
- Bangladesh and Jamaat-i-Islami
- Islamic Unity and Islamic Movement
- Seerat-un-Nabi
- An Easy Understanding of the Qur'an
- Politics in the Life of the Prophet
- Ikaamat-e-Deen
- From Pallasey to Bangladesh
- Politics of Bangladesh
- Democratic Movement and Jamaat-i-Islaami
- The Future of Bangladesh and Jamaat-i-Islaami
- My Bangladesh
- Democracy Versus Socialism, Thoughts of Abul Ala Maududi
- Islam in the Modern Context; As I Saw Maulana Maududi
- What I Have Seen in Life
- ^ a b Prof. Ghulam Azam Retires, Islamic Voice, December 2006.
- ^ H. Evans in 'The Post-colonial States of South Asia:Democracy, Development and Identity', edited by A. Shastri and A. Wilson, Palgrave, 2001, p. 71.
- ^ Azam BDINN Interview, 12th Dec 2011.
- ^ Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 2, See video at 13:30.
- ^ a b c ঢাকায় নাগরিক শান্তি কমিটি গঠিত (Citizen's Peace Committee formed in Dhaka), Daily Pakistan, April 11, 1971.
- ^ GhulamAzam.net, Factfile Concerning Ghulam Azam, January 15th, 2012
- ^ Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 1, see video at 20:44.
- ^ a b Professor Golam Azam v. Bangladesh (Mohammad Ismail Uddin Sarkar J); Dhaka Law Reports 46 (1993), p. 433.
- ^ Ghulam Azam lands in jail, The Daily Star, January 12, 2012
- ^ Ghulam faces 52 charges, The Daily Star, 13 December 2011
- ^ a b Banged up in Bangladesh, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 8 February 2012
- ^ Vote of trust for war trial: EU Parliament member hails Bangladesh's effort, The Daily Star, 3 February 2012
- ^ Text of ICT Prosecutor’s Speech before South Asian Committee of EU Parliament
- ^ EU Parliament Session on ICT, January 31, 2012; See video at 4:09.
- ^ a b Bangladesh must stop harassing defense lawyers of the war crimes tribunal, Human Rights Watch, November 2, 2011.
- ^ Obstructing International Defence, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, August 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c d I. Hossain, N. Siddiquee, 'Islam in Bangladesh Politics: the role of Ghulam Azam of Jamaat-i-Islaami', Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Vol 5, 2004, p. 385
- ^ Abdul Gaffar Choudhury, "Was Ghulam Azam a language activist?", The Daily Samakal, 10 March 2012.
- ^ Get Bangla in Arabic script, Opined then Bengali education minister; by Syed Badrul Ahsan, The Daily Star, 7 February 2011
- ^ 'Islam, Muslims and the Modern State: Case-Studies of Muslims in Thirteen Countries', edited by H. Mutalib and T. Hashmi, St. Martin's Press, 1994, p. 81
- ^ 'White Paper on The Crisis in East Pakistan', Government of Pakistan, Islamadab, August 5, 1971
- ^ Idem, pg. 6-8
- ^ 'Police accused over rioting',The Guardian, January 26, 1970, pg. 4
- ^ a b Ghulam Azams speeches in 1971, The daily Prothom Alo, 11 January 2012
- ^ a b Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 1, see video at 16:15 and 17:35.
- ^ Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 1, see video at 11:28.
- ^ a b c Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 1, see video at 12:52.
- ^ The Wall Street Journal, July 27, 1971; quoted in the book Muldhara 71 by Moidul Hasan
- ^ পাকিস্তানের প্রতি চীনের দৃঢ় সমর্থন রয়েছে (China fully supports Pakistan), Daily Sangram, April 13, 1971.
- ^ লাহোরে সাংবাদিক সম্মেলনে অধ্যাপক গোলাম আযম (Prof. Ghulam Azam in a conference at Lahore), Daily Sangram, 21 June 1971.
- ^ মাওলানা মাদানীর শাহাদত মুসলমানদের সচেতন করার জন্য যথেষ্ট - গোলাম আযম, Daily Sangram, August 12, 1971.
- ^ Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 2, See video at 2:15 and 3:42.
- ^ Muldhara '71 (মূলধারা '৭১ Mainstream '71) by Moidul Hasan, page. 128, footnote. 177. published by University Press Limited
- ^ International Herald Tribune; November 4, 1971
- ^ "3 Die in Bangladesh Fundamentalists' Strike", New York Times, June 21, 1992.
- ^ Riaz, Ali (2004). God willing: the politics of Islamism in Bangladesh (First ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 184. ISBN 0-7425-3084-1, 9780742530843.
- ^ a b গোলাম আযমের বিরূদ্ধে ডঃ আনিসুজ্জামান উত্থাপিত অভিযোগপত্র (Allegations against Ghulam Azam submitted by Prof. Anisuzzaman); The Daily Prothom Alo - March 14, 2008
- ^ Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 1, see video at 10:40.
- ^ Azam ATN Bangla Interview, 14th Dec 2011, with Eng Subs Part 2.
- ^ Women and Islam in Bangladesh: Beyond Subjection and Tyranny by Taj I. Hashmi; Preview at Google books
- ^ Article 15, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations.
- ^ Hospital stay not needed, The Daily Star, 15 January 2012.
- ^ Ghulam Azam lands in jail, bdnews24.com, 11 January 2012.
- ^ Counsels and Family Meet with Ghulam Azam, 18 February 2012.
- ^ স্বামীর জীবন নিয়ে আমি শঙ্কিত : সৈয়দা আফিফা আযম (I am in fear of my husband's life: Syeda Afifa Azam), Daily Naya Diganta, 27 January 2012.
- ^ ৩ কেজি ওজন কমে গেছে অধ্যাপক গোলাম আযমের (Professor Ghulam Azam has lost 3 kg in weight), The Daily Sangram, 5 February 2012.
- ^ গোলাম আযমকে ‘প্রিজন সেল'এ মানসিকভাবে নির্যাতন করা হচ্ছে -মিসেস আফিফা আযম (Ghulam Azam is being mentally tortured in his prison cell - Mrs Afifa Azam), The Daily Sangram, 12 February 2012. Azam is held in solitary confinement and is allowed a visit of 30 minutes per week by 3 close relatives only. Applications for visits are required to be made in advance and require approval.
- ^ Counsels, family meet Ghulam Azam
- ^ Wife, son meet Ghulam Azam
- ^ Section on ICT from Amnesty International Annual Report 2011, Amnesty International.
- ^ Int'l Crimes Tribunal fair, The Daily Star, 17 January 2012
- ^ "Stop Terror Sheikhs, Muslim Academics Demand". Arabnews.com. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=53683&d=30&m=10&y=2004. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ "be merciful". "Be merciful to Qaradawi". Ikhwanweb.com. http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=15874. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
- ^ الإتحاد يندد بإعتقال الحكومة البنغالية المفكرين الإسلاميين ويطالب بإطلاق سراحهم(The Union condemns the arrest of Professor Ghulam Azam and other thinkers by the Bangladeshi government), International Union of Muslim Scholars, 18 January 2012.
- ^ Qazi Hussain Ahmad on Twitter, Twitter, 24 January 2012.
- ^ JIH demands immediate release of ex-Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat, Radiance Weekly, 29 January 2012.
| Persondata |
| Name |
Azam, Ghulam |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
7 November 1922 |
| Place of birth |
Dhaka, Bengal, Undivided India (now Bangladesh) |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
