Much ado about Rocca

For the last five weeks, we have been screening my documentary "Muslims or heretics ?" (http://www.pinholepictures.com/ahmadiya) in Bangladeshto raise awareness of persecution of Ahmadiyyas. Although government-aligned people attended our various screenings at BRAC, Russian Cultural Center, Chittagong Press Club, etc., government officials never deigned to respond to the issues. Several sensible people within the BNP tried to arrange meetings with relevant ministers to protest the book ban, but these meetings also proved elusive. Yet, Rocca showed up in Dhaka for one day and immediately got a meeting with Jamaat leader Matiur Rahman Nizami.

Why did none of this happen when BANGLADESHI activists pursued the issue over the last six months? Why did the government never respond to the "Demand For Justice" notice filed by ASK and others, challenging the book ban?

I am reminded of my article "Who's Afraid of Bangladesh?", where I quoted Afsan Chowdhury as saying: "If anything is proven, it is that the authorities don't pay us enough attention but only care about foreign media. I don't know whether to be insulted or relieved."

External pressure may force the government to back down on the Ahmadiyya ban, but that will never be a permanent solution. The government (AL or BNP) needs to start listening to, and respecting the work of, Bangladeshi human rights activists.