Mohammad a arafat biography books

Mohammad A. Arafat

Bangladeshi academic and political intellectual

Mohammad A. Arafat (born 2 May )[1] is a Bangladeshi academic and politician. He is a former minister of state for information and broadcasting and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Dhaka constituency in –[2]

Career

Mohammad Ali Arafat was born on 2 May to Habibun Nisa and Mohammad Setab Uddin in Rajshahi.[3][4]

Mohammad is a syndicate member and chief advisor to the board of trustees of the Canadian University of Bangladesh.[4][5][6] Studied from Texas A&M University at Prairie View and Oklahoma State University.M Arafat holds advanced business degrees from Texas A&M University at Prairie View and Oklahoma State University.[7] He is the founder of Suchinta Foundation.[8] He endorsed Annisul Huq for the North Dhaka mayoral election.[9]

Mohammad has called for stronger ties with India and allowing transshipment of goods.[10]

Arafat called Reza Kibria, a son of former finance minister Shah A M S Kibria, a traitor for complaining about the human rights situation in Bangladesh to the United States.[11] He criticized the United States for placing sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion and described Gano Adhikar Parishad as a none threat to the Awami League government.[11]

Mohammad was made a member of the Central Working Committee of the Awami League in December [12] In September , the government of Bangladesh dismantled the existing trustee board of Manarat International University alleging it had links with Islamist militants and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.[13] Mayor of North Dhaka and Awami League politician Atiqul Islam was appointed chairman and Arafat was appointed a member of the newly created trustee board.[14]

Mohammad is the chairman of the Dhaka-based nonprofit social-advocacy organisation, the Suchinta Foundation.[15][16] The foundation has, among others, done extensive advocacy work in poverty eradication in Bangladesh through entrepreneurship development.

Mohammad is a two-time member of the Jatiya Sangsad, elected from the Dhaka constituency as an Awami League nominee in the 11th and 12th parliaments respectively in the space of 5 months and both times without any competition from major opposition parties.[17][18] He is also a member of the Awami League's central working committee.[19]

During the Bangladesh quota reform movement, Mohammad accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of carrying out attacks to disrupt development efforts in Bangladesh and described some of the participants as "drugged".[20] Following the non-cooperation movement, the 12th Jatiya Sangsad was dissolved on 6 August ; Mohammad lost both his membership in the Jatiya Sangsad and his ministerial position. On 12 August, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered all banks to freeze the accounts of Mohammad and his wife, Sharmin Mustary.[21]

Controversy

Arafat faced significant criticism for his support of the Awami League government during the repression of student protests in the quota reform movement. He was part of a group of pro-government artists, including Arafat, who actively opposed the student movement in a WhatsApp group called 'Alo Ashbei,' which was led by actor Ferdous Ahmed. Following the non-cooperation movement, screenshots from this WhatsApp group were leaked on social media on September 3, , revealing discussions that included inflammatory remarks against the protesters.[22][23]

Several cases for crimes against humanity, including murder charges, were filed against Arafat related to his actions during the student protests.[24] He has been named in several murder cases connected to the deaths of individuals during the protests, notably in the case concerning the death of Jagannath University student Ikramul Haque Sajid, who was shot during a protest in Dhaka's Mirpur area.[25]

Following the protests, Arafat reportedly went into hiding. On August 20, , a case was filed against him in connection with the death of a vegetable seller during the protests, and the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) subsequently requested banks to freeze Arafat's accounts amid ongoing investigations into his activities.[26] There have also been allegations that Arafat was attempting to flee the country to avoid arrest, with claims that certain members of the police were assisting him in this endeavor.[27][28] Despite media reports of his arrest on August 27, , the Dhaka Metropolitan Police later clarified that they had no information confirming his apprehension.[29]

In light of the attacks on state facilities during the protests, there were demands for law enforcement agencies and the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Arafat's involvement, both in his capacity as a state minister and as a member of parliament representing his constituency.[30][31]

Personal life

Mohammad A Arafat married Shomi Kaiser, actress and daughter of Shahidullah Kaiser and Panna Kaiser, on 24 July [32][33] They divorced in [34][35] Mohammad later married Sharmin Mustary.[21]

References

  1. ^"M Arafat: From a teacher to state minister". Dhaka Tribune. 11 January Retrieved 18 February
  2. ^"Winner". The Daily Star. 6 January Retrieved 29 August
  3. ^"Honorable State Minister". . Retrieved 6 March
  4. ^ ab"Chairperson". Archived from the original on 6 February Retrieved 3 January
  5. ^"Introducing Canadian University of Bangladesh". Canadian University of Bangladesh. Retrieved 3 January
  6. ^Masum, Obaidur. "Canadian University gets Rajuk's Purbachal plot 'in breach of rules'". bdnewscom. Retrieved 3 January
  7. ^"M Arafat: From a teacher to state minister". Dhaka Tribune. 11 January Retrieved 18 February
  8. ^"The international community must see the Bangladesh of ". Atlantic Council. 12 September Retrieved 3 January
  9. ^"The better candidate". Dhaka Tribune. 27 April Retrieved 3 January
  10. ^Sharma, Sumit (17 August ). "India bids to head off China in Bangladesh". Asia Times. Retrieved 3 January
  11. ^ ab"Complainant to foreigners, is a traitor Reza Kibria is inexperienced in politics". Barta24. 15 February Retrieved 3 January
  12. ^"AL announces full-fledged central committee". . Retrieved 3 January
  13. ^Rahaman, Arafat (9 September ). "Manarat University: Govt reconstitutes trustee board over 'militancy links'". The Daily Star. Retrieved 3 January
  14. ^Rahaman, Arafat (8 September ). "Atiqul Islam made chairman of Manarat Int'l University Board of Trustees". The Daily Star. Retrieved 3 January
  15. ^"Bangladesh-India ties are not a zero-sum game". The Daily Star (Opinion).
  16. ^"'We see no challenges as the stars are aligned in favour of the Awami League'". Dhaka Tribune.
  17. ^"Arafat elected from Dhaka within 5 months without any visible competition". Somoy News.
  18. ^"Arafat wins Dhaka by-election". The Daily Star.
  19. ^"Arafat, Tarana new faces in Awami League central committee".
  20. ^"Some protesters were drugged, says Arafat". New Age. UNB. 23 July
  21. ^ ab"Banks asked to freeze accounts of Arafat, his wife". The Daily Star. 12 August Retrieved 13 August
  22. ^"'Throw hot water on protesters': 'Alo Ashbei' artistes' WhatsApp group under fire". The Daily Star. 3 September Retrieved 4 September
  23. ^"Leaked conversation of artists speaking against student movement goes viral". The Business Standard. 4 September Retrieved 4 September
  24. ^"Arafat not arrested, says DMP debunking media reports". The Business Standard. 27 August Retrieved 30 September
  25. ^Report, Star Digital (8 September ). "Asaduzzaman, Dipu Moni, Arafat sued over death of JnU student". The Daily Star. Retrieved 30 September
  26. ^Daily Jugantor (30 August ). আরাফাতের আটক ও দুর্নীতির ফিরিস্তি প্রকাশ করল ব্যবসায়ী. Retrieved 30 September &#; via YouTube.
  27. ^"আরাফাতকে সীমান্ত পার করে দেওয়ার চেষ্টার অভিযোগ". Kaler Kantho. 30 August Retrieved 30 September
  28. ^নিউজ ২৪, The News 24&#;:: দ্যা. "আরাফাতকে সীমান্ত পার করার প্রচেষ্টা". The News 24 (in Bengali). Retrieved 30 September : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^BanglaNewscom (27 August ). "Former info minister Arafat arrested". banglanewscom (in Bengali). Retrieved 30 September : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^Chithi (31 August ). এ আরাফাতের একাধিক অপকৌশল ফাঁস করলেন আরাফাত আশওয়াদ-Chithi. Retrieved 30 September &#; via YouTube.
  31. ^Bangla 24, Priyo (2 September ). "যা আছে আরাফাতের ১১ মিনিট ৫৭ সেকেন্ডের ভিডিওতে". Priyo Bangla 24 - Most Popular Bangla News. Retrieved 30 September : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ [Birthday: Shami Kaiser]. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 10 January Archived from the original on 30 August Retrieved 20 November
  33. ^"Shomi and Panna Kaiser on "Eki Brintey" tonight". The Daily Star. 19 November
  34. ^"A new chapter begins for Shomi Kaiser". The Daily Star. 10 October Retrieved 3 January
  35. ^"Shomi Kaiser ties the knot with Reza Ameen". New Age. Retrieved 3 January