Bangladesh Minority Watch, France Chapter, Holds Discussion and Announces New Committee

Community News: Speakers at a discussion meeting held on Sunday afternoon in a hall in Paris, France, stated that Bangladesh is a non-communal state. For thousands of years, Bengali culture nurtured a non-communal spirit. However, by making Islam the state religion in the constitution in 1988, the ruling party not only destroyed the centuries-old non-communal spirit of Bengalis but also turned the country into a communal state.

The discussion, organized by the Bangladesh Minority Watch, France Chapter, was presided over by former student leader Soumen Barua Liton. The chief guest was Adv. Rabindra Ghosh, a human rights activist and Bangladesh representative for the Netherlands-based human rights organization Global Human Rights Defense. Other speakers included:

 * M.A. Kashem, Founding General Secretary of the France Awami League

 * Jamal Ahmed, President of the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, France Chapter

 * Sagar Khan, Human Rights Activist

 * Udayan Barua, President of the All-Europe Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council

 * Manik Bablu, Community Personality

 * Bibha Biswas, Human Rights Activist

 * Debesh Barua, Journalist

Adv. Rabindra Ghosh, the chief guest, said in his speech, "A group of traitors, wearing the guise of religion, are destroying communal harmony in Bangladesh to undermine the goals for which we fought the Liberation War. They must be brought to justice and the country must be returned to the 1972 constitution."

The meeting began with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Savar. The entire event was moderated by blogger Shivaji Roy.

At the end of the meeting, a new committee for the Bangladesh Minority Watch, France Chapter, was announced, with Soumen Barua Liton as President and Kishor Biswas as General Secretary.