Ill-motivated Branding

When a person serving as a schoolteacher is shamelessly exposed of and belatedly charged with sexually exploiting his student, we never say that all the teachers of that school or of the country are rapists.

When a business house is caught cheating half the country's poor and the illiterate by conjuring tales of castles in the air, we never even think of accusing all business houses as fraudulent.

When a cricketer is involved in spot fixing and/or match fixing, we never jump to the conclusion that all the cricketers of the world are cheats.

When a press reporter reverts to yellow journalism to project his provoked outlook, we never condemn the entire journalist community as liars.

When any one newspaper manipulates a photo-story of an international context and publishes it with ill-intent in the context of developments in Bangladesh, we never demand punishment for all the editors of all the newspapers.

When a High Court judge is discovered to have meddled with his examination document, we never consider that every judge has attained such position by stooping so low.

In fact, not even that so-called schoolteacher, that business house, that cricketer, that reporter, that newspaper editor, or that judge does. They all know and understand truth, and to some extent appreciate the acceptance among the people of the right from the wrong, however immoral, unethical, dishonest, crooked and shady they themselves may be.

It has been said that there are a handful of bloggers who have posted anti-Islamic status and have also been supporters of the youth-initiated movement that has congregated at Shahbagh since the life sentence was handed out to Quader Mollah 5 February 2013 for his war-time crimes. The Shahbagh movement did not give birth to any of these bloggers; they existed long before. They joined the Shahbagh movement, yes; not the other way round. But so did thousands of others with all shades of opinion and beliefs, those having a past and hiding a present, those proud of their bygone days and relishing their existence, those remorseful of a crime and those not, the impartial and the prejudiced, the innocent and the sinful…

It is possible that there are a dozen or so bank loan defaulters among those that sit in or support the Shahbagh movement. Someone will now shout, not necessarily based on facts, 'hundreds, thousands…' Does that mean that the entire movement consists of bank 'loan debtors'?

It is possible that a few persons who would cheat in an examination or give false information to get a promotion are also raising their voice at the Shahbagh Chattar. Someone will now shout, not necessarily based on facts, 'hundreds, thousands…' Does that mean that the entire movement consists of cheats?

It is possible that some persons of loose moral character are siding with the unprecedented movement at Shahbagh. Someone will now shout, not necessarily based on facts, 'hundreds, thousands…' Does that mean that the entire movement consists of persons of slack personality?

It is possible that a few rapists dodging the law have visited, are visiting, and will visit the Projonmo Chattar. Does that mean that the entire movement consists of rapists?

It is even possible that there are a few fugitive murderers mingling in the crowd at Gano Jagoronmancha. Does that mean that the entire movement consists of murderers?

It is possible that not only the angels among humans go to pray at a masjid, a mandir, or a girja, or prays at home. Does that mean we will term the entire congregation of seekers of divine blessings or every religious person as hypocrites?

You will find such numbers of bank loan defaulters, murderers, cheats, rapists, persons of loose moral character, and hypocrites in any large gathering, political, social, cultural, and religions.

It is possible that a peaceful and sustained movement as Shahbagh that is bulging with people from all walks of life and cross-section, and where participants are not being admitted by any rigorous screening system will consist of people that have different traits and stigma. In fact, any group, political party, and country in the world consist of such people: the good, the bad, the ugly. But that cannot deny them the right of demanding the punishment for the perpetrators of other crimes, particularly of one as significant as that during the 1971 Muktijuddho.

BUT, if all the teachers of the country are not rapists, if all the business houses are not fraudulent, if all the cricketers of the world are not cheats, if the entire journalist community are not liars, if all the newspaper editors of the country are not guilty of photo-shopping, if all the judges are not stained with deception, if you cannot bracket any group because of a few in the group,

THEN why on earth will anyone accuse, label, and attack those demanding capital punishment for the War criminals as 'atheists' and 'nastik' unless, of course, the attackers are newfound collaborators of the specific killers, arsonists, rapists, and abetters of 1971 war crimes and crimes against humanity?

Guilty as charged. Case dismissed.