Daily Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman has claimed that leftist political forces in Bangladesh have historically acted as agents of India and have consistently worked against the interests of Bengali Muslims.
He made the remarks on Saturday evening while addressing a seminar titled "Sylhet Referendum and Muslim Geographical Nationalism", organised by Guardian Publications at the Sylhet District Shilpakala Academy auditorium.
“The leftists have opposed Bengali Muslims since 1947, and they continue to do so. They always work against the Muslim identity. All these leftists are India’s agents,” he alleged.Dr Rahman emphasised the need to reconnect with Muslim identity within Bengali nationalism. “I am a Bengali and a Muslim—there is no contradiction between the two. Muslim is my religion, and Bengali is my ethnicity,” he said.
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He urged the younger generation to study history to protect the nation’s independence. “We must win culturally to maintain our independence. Cultural aggression has been ongoing since independence to weaken our resolve. We must stand on our own historical foundations,” he said, praising Guardian Publications for promoting historical awareness.
Reflecting on the role of Sylhet’s people during the referendum that led to the region joining Pakistan, Dr Rahman said, “I pay respect to the ancestors of Sylhet. Had we not joined Pakistan, we would not have achieved independence.”
He criticised renowned Indian historian, the late Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, calling him "deeply Islamophobic", and accused secular intellectuals of suppressing Muslim contributions to history. “Our young generation must increase historical research and intellectual engagement. The practice of history is part of our identity,” he added.
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Dr Rahman further said that the Swadeshi movement was "essentially anti-Muslim" and that its implications are often overlooked due to a fear of being labelled as communal.
He claimed that Rabindranath Tagore’s famous patriotic song ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’ was written in opposition to Bengal's Muslim identity, accusing the Kolkata elite of advancing their own interests while suppressing others.
The seminar was chaired by Guardian Publications Managing Director Nur Mohammad Abu Taher.
Writer and researcher Dr Fahmid-ur-Rahman spoke as the main discussant, while Dr Md Nazrul Islam, Professor of Political Studies at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, was present as the special guest.