Issuing a powerful message marking Martyrs’ Day (Shaheed Dibas) and International Mother Language Day, Awami League President and five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned against what she described as a deliberate conspiracy to obliterate Bengali national identity and impose a new, alien sense of self on the people of Bangladesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her statement<\/a>, released on February 20, comes at a time when critics accuse the Yunus-led interim regime of enabling a dangerous rise in religious extremism backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan\u2019s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and Turkish ideological networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In her press release, Sheikh Hasina paid glowing tribute to the immortal martyrs of February 21, 1952\u2014Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, and countless unnamed heroes\u2014who sacrificed their lives demanding recognition of Bengali as a state language. She described the Language Movement as a timeless milestone in the centuries-long struggle for Bengali self-identification, tracing its roots to the resistance against Pakistan\u2019s imposition of Urdu after the country\u2019s creation on religious lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlighting Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman\u2019s arrest on March 11, 1948, alongside comrades while organising the movement, Sheikh Hasina emphasised that February 21 became the cradle of Bengali nationalism, fueling the autonomy struggle and ultimately the Liberation War of 1971.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFebruary 21 is not merely a Language Martyrs\u2019 Day; it has earned global recognition as International Mother Language Day,\u201d Sheikh Hasina wrote. \u201cWe must honour our own language and national identity while respecting every mother tongue and ethnic identity worldwide\u2014this is the true philosophy of Ekushey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sajeeb Wazed asks BNP government not to endorse Awami League ban<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump pushes for controversial defense deals in letter to Tarique Rahman<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jamaat\u2019s 77 seats signal continuation of militancy, mob violence under BNP rule<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, Sheikh Hasina warned, this hard-won legacy is under grave threat. \u201cUnfortunately, a conspiracy is now afoot to erase Bengali national identity from the Constitution, to wipe out the words spoken from the heart of Bengalis and forcibly implant a new identity through coercion,\u201d she declared. \u201cWe are realising that the struggle to preserve our self-respect is far from over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her pointed remarks have fueled speculation that the Yunus administration\u2014now in its 18th month\u2014has created fertile ground for extremist forces to undermine secular Bengali nationalism. Since August 2024, Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir have enjoyed unprecedented freedom of operation, openly organising rallies, reopening madrasas, and pushing for religious governance models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reports from multiple districts indicate increased funding flows\u2014channelled through Pakistani ISI-linked networks\u2014to Jamaat-affiliated charities and educational institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Observers also point to growing Turkish influence, with several pro-government figures and media outlets echoing Ankara\u2019s neo-Ottoman rhetoric and promoting pan-Islamic narratives that sideline Bengali cultural distinctiveness. Critics argue that the regime\u2019s tolerance\u2014or even tacit encouragement\u2014of these elements aligns with a broader agenda to dilute the secular, linguistic foundations of Bangladeshi identity established through the Language Movement and Liberation War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why does Jamaat-patron US want a weak government in Bangladesh?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yunus-Jamaat fascist regime turns judiciary into a slaughterhouse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n