LET SALAH UDDIN SHOAIB CHOUDHURY GO

SHEIKH PROFESSOR ABUL HADI PALAZZI TO BANGLADESH: LET SALAH UDDIN SHOAIB CHOUDHURY GO

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Advisory Board Member, R&B Islam-Israel Fellowship;
Journalist, Columnist, Author & Peace Activist;
PEN U.S.A. F.T.W. Award 2005;
A.J.C. Moral Courage Award 2006;
Editor & Publisher, Weekly Blitz
mailto:salahuddinshoaibchoudhury@yahoo.com
www.weeklyblitz.net
Chief Editor, Weekly Jamjamat
www.interfaithstrength.com

Dr. Richard L. Benkin
Spokesman for Salah Choudhury
Advisory Board Member, R&B Islam-Israel Fellowship;
mailto:drrbenkin@comcast.net
www.InterfaithStrength.com

Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Muslim Co-Chair, R&B Islam-Israel Fellowship;
Secretary General, Italian Muslim Assembly
mailto:islam.inst@alice.it
www.amislam.com

Dr. Asher Eder
Jewish Co-Chair, R&B Islam-Israel Fellowship
mailto:avrason@netvision.net.il
www.rb.org.il
Author,
"Peace is Possible Between Ishmael and Israel according to the Qur'an and the Tannach"
http://www.rb.org.il/Fellowship%20Islam-Israel/commentary/arab.htm

YERUSHALIYIM, Israelite Tribal Territories of Judah and Benjamin, Kingdom of David and Solomon, United Israelite Kingdom of Judah and Joseph, Erev Shabbat (Eve of the Sabbath); Tenth Day, Ninth Month ("Kislev"), 5767; Yom Shishi (Sixth Day of Week/"Fri"-day, December 1, 2006) (10 Thul-Quada, 1427); Root & Branch Information Services [mailto:rb@rb.org.il] [www.rb.org.il]:

(Reprinted with permission from "L'opinione", Rome, Italy)

"Now he risks the Death Penalty and is accused of Spying and Sedition:
Bangladeshi Journalist Salah Uddin Choudhury is beaten by Government Thugs
because of his pro-Israel Stand"

BY SHEIKH ABDUL HADI PALAZZI
Secretary General, Italian Muslim Assembly

L'opinione (The Opinion)
Rome, Italy
October 12, 2006

Can you imagine a country where two leaders of a government party assemble about sixty armed thugs, and together with them raid the editorial offices of one of the main opposition newspapers, injure the editor, take money from his pocket, steal cash from his desk and smash his chair?

Can you image a country where the aforesaid editor goes to the police, but the police refuses to accept his report dealing with violence, theft and damages, and on the contrary blames him for coming to their office with his garments in disorder?

Unfortunately such a country exists and is Bangladesh.

According to Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, Editor of "Weekly Blitz International", on October 5, 2006, the office of his newspaper was attacked by a mob led by Helal Khan and Babul Ahmed, two leaders of the "cultural department" of the governing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (B.N.P.).

The next day, another B.N.P. member, Ruhul Amin, called Choudhury by phone and asked him to sign a declaration according to which he will never sue the B.N.P. leaders, threatening him of serious consequences in case he refused to obey.

But Choudhury was not stopped by fear; on the contrary, he described in an issue of his magazine the brutal tactics of the B.N.P., and asked Western media to circulate information about his case.

What is the reason that leaders of the ruling Bangladeshi party attack a journalist in such a barbaric manner? This happens since Choudhury is a moderate Muslim who promotes interfaith dialogue, opposes and investigates fundamentalist groups which exist in his country and publicly stands for Jewish-Muslim friendship and for normal diplomatic relations between Israel and Bangladesh.

If voicing such position is already dangerous in Italy (as is proved by the case of Magdi Allam, the Muslim Deputy Editor of Italy's main newspaper who lives under police protection due to threats he receives from fundamentalists belonging to the Italian Branch of the "Muslim brotherhood", U.C.O.I.I.) doing so under a regime like that of Bangladesh (theoretically secular and even pro-socialist, but conditioned by Saudi-sponsored fundamentalist parties) is dangerous in the extreme.

Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Calling for the establishment of such relations was enough to land Choudhury in jail for seventeen months. On November 29, 2003, while Choudhury was flying to Israel to participate in a symposium, he was stopped by the police at Dhakah airport, and detained under on the ridiculous charge of "spying" (for Israel). An American friend and colleague of his, Dr. Richard Benkin, was able to mobilize American media and public opinion, and to convince two U.S. congressmen to pressure the Bangladeshi government to free Choudhury.

His liberation from jail, however, did not represent the end of persecution against him. Last July 7, 2006, the office of "Weekly Blitz" experienced a terror attack. Now the authorities in Dhakah -- instead of protecting Choudhury and defending his right to exercise his profession -- will try him for "sedition", a crime which according to the Bangladeshi penal code can be punished by execution.

That is the reason why we say it is essential for the Italian press to deal with this case, and for the Italian public opinion to mobilize to save Choudhury.

We ask each of our distinguished readers to contact the Embassy of Bangladesh in Rome either by phone (068083595), fax (068084853) or e-mail info@bangladeshembassyitaly.com, asking them to protect Choudhury's life and to dismiss all the false accusations raised against him.

Let the authorities in Dhakah know that our eyes are fixed on Bangladesh and its persecution of the free press.

Saving Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury's life can depend on us, too.