Dear readers
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
As the cover story of these issue is on the extinct languages of the planet, so we remember the language martyrs Salam Barkat, Rafiq and Jabbar who laid down lives for our mother tongue Bangla. For Bangla-speaking peoples they are embodiment of liberty. Their killings took place on February 21 in 1952 on Dhaka University campus and the date became not only important for the Bangladeshis but also equally important for the nations across the world. The UN declared the date as the International Mother Language Day. The day goes global and the day too is observed in America. We are not sure whether African American Muslim Malcom X knew that four Muslims in the then East Pakistan— Salam Barkat, Rafiq and Jabbar — were killed while protesting at the injustices in Pakistan society. But one thing we are sure that he didn’t know that he will be killed on the same day (21st February) while protesting at the injustices in American society. Among the dozens of dissimilarities one subtle similarity between these killings in both Pakistan and America on February 21 (but not in the same year) was that Salam and others were Muslim while Malcom X was a Muslim. And those who killed Salams and their patrons were Muslims by name whose wrong doings were challenged. Same was the case with Malcom X. He was killed as he challenged the wrong doings of the leaders of so-called Muslims of the Nation of Islam in the US and others. The sacrifices of Salams and Malcom X were made only to free the world from all sorts of injustices.
Dear subscribers
These February 21 and other unjust killings teach the whole world not only to be true to just ideals and their respective religions but also to serve the cause of their country, creator, colleague and, above all, all the creations. Because a proverb goes, ‘injustice in anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’. See you next inshallah.