Fix errors in textbook regarding Jamaat

Twenty-one eminent citizens yesterday called upon the authorities concerned to rectify some errors in a chapter on political parties in the "Civics and Citizenship" textbook of grades IX and X.

In a joint statement, they said the errors need to be corrected in order to present the true history of the country's Liberation War before the students.

"We have noticed some serious discrepancy in the facts presented in the grade IX and X textbook of Civics and Citizenship," the statement read.

"In the chapter on the 'Political Parties of Bangladesh', Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has been mentioned as one of the political parties, but its crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War have not been mentioned," it said.

"History says Jamaat-e-Islami committed war crimes in 1971 during the Liberation War taking an armed stance against liberation, and played a leading role in the genocide and mass rape that saw 30 lakh people dead and over four lakh women raped.

"The International Crimes Tribunal identified Jamaat for its war crimes while the apex court of the country cancelled its registration as a political party on this ground. Therefore, Jamaat-e-Islam cannot be considered a mentionable political party of the country under any circumstance," the statement also said.

"These contradictory information in the textbook will not only confuse the students but also prevent them from knowing the true history," the citizens said.

"The book did not mention Jamaat's role in the genocide and killing of the country's intellectuals, and also its crimes against humanity during the Liberation War. Also, in the constitution of the country adopted by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-led government of independent Bangladesh, religion-based political parties were banned, hence Jamaat-e-Islami had no place in this country's soil. The party later re-emerged through the assassination of Bangabandhu. All these facts need to be presented in the textbook," they also said.

"We are frustrated and angry about how leading academicians of the country could come up with compilation and editing of the academic texts with factual errors and lack of details. We demand accountability of those involved in this, and call upon the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to rectify the errors in the textbook, and establish an academic curriculum that revolves around the context of the country's Liberation War history," the statement added.

The signatories of the statement are: Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Hasan Azizul Haque, Anupam Sen, Shamsuzzaman Khan, Ramendu Majumder, Sarwar Ali, Ferdousi Majumdar, Abdus Selim, Mamunur Rashid, Mofidul Hoque, Shafi Ahmed, Nasir Uddin Yousuff, Muntassir Mamoon, Shahriar Kabir, Sara Zaker, Lucky Enam, Golam Kuddus, Shimul Yousuff, Muhammad Samad, Hasan Arif, and Nirmalendu Goon.