Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was born on 23 December 1952 in Sylhet of the then East Pakistan.[2][3] His father, Faizur Rahman Ahmed, was a police officer who was killed in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. His mother was Ayesha Akhter Khatun.[citation needed] He spent his childhood in different parts of Bangladesh because of the transferring nature of his father's job. His elder brother, Humayun Ahmed, was a prominent writer and filmmaker.[4] His younger brother, Ahsan Habib, is a cartoonist who is serving as the editor of the satirical magazine, Unmad.[5] He has three sisters - Sufia Haider, Momtaz Shahid and Rukhsana Ahmed.[6]
According to Iqbal, he had always planned to return to Bangladesh. When, around 1992, he began seeking a teaching position at the University of Dhaka, he found the process labyrinthine. He eventually abandoned the idea of working there, and accepted an offer from SUST,[13] where he joined the computer science and engineering department and became its head.[14]
Iqbal served as the vice president of Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad committee until 2024. He played a leading role in founding the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad and popularized mathematics among Bangladeshi youths at local and international level. In 2011, he won the Rotary SEED Award for his contribution in the field of education.[15]
On 26 November 2013, Iqbal and his wife professor Haque applied for resignation soon after the university authority had postponed the combined admission test for the SUST and Jashore University of Science Technology.[16] However they withdrew their resignation letters on the next day after the authority decided to go on with holding combined admission tests.[17]
To make the NCTB text book "easy" and "learner friendly",[18] in November 2017, there was a new revision of the secondary education class 9-10 text books for 2018, whose six books were revised under Iqbal and Mohammad Kaykobad's leadership.[19] He is also the first co-author and chief editor of multiple new NCTB text books of 2023 including class 7's text book "Science (Investigative Study)" where some lines and pictures were plagiarised from different websites including National Geographic Education Resource Library website and in case of Bangla Version of the text book, because of erroneous translation it was alleged that those texts were translated into Bangla "using Google Translate".[20][21] Later he admitted the issue of plagiarism and admitted his fault as the chief editor.[22][23]
Literary
Iqbal started writing stories at a very early age. He wrote his first science fiction short story at the age of seven.[13] While studying at the University of Dhaka, Iqbal's story "Kopotronik Bhalobasha" ("Copotronic Love") was published in the weekly Bichitra. Later he wrote a series of Kopotronik stories and published them as a collection titled Copotronic Sukh Dukkhu.[24]
He wrote numerous books for teenagers, such as novels, science fiction, and adventure books. Several of his books are:
Meku Kahini
Shanta Poribar
Kabil Kohlafi
Dushtu Cheler dol
Nitu o tar bondhura
Dipu number 2
Obonil
Ikarus
Pri
Tritron ekti groher nam
Amar Bondhu Rashed
Haat Kata Robin
Political stance
Iqbal is known for his stance against Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and has spearheaded criticism of its leaders, several of whom were undergoing trial at the International Crimes Tribunal for their role in the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971.[25][26] Iqbal's father was allegedly killed by Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi.[27] He came down heavily on a section of the media for their stand against holding the 10th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, amid a boycott by the main opposition party, alleging that those who were calling for halting the electoral process were actually trying to ensure the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami in the election.[28]
In support of the war crime trials carried out at the premises of the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh, he participated and featured prominently at the 2013 Shahbag protests.[29]
Iqbal survived a stabbing attack in the head on 3 March 2018 in a prize-giving ceremony in SUST campus in Sylhet.[30] Foyzur, the attacker, a 25-year-old male, was arrested after he had been beaten by the students.[31][32] The attacker claimed that he had tried to kill him because the attacker believed he was an "enemy of Islam".[33][34][35]
He has been widely criticized for supporting[36] the current authoritarian regime[37] of Bangladesh. After the 2018 national election he stated[38] that, people gave a grand victory to ruling authoritarian regime but later it was proved to be a staged election.[39]
Iqbal is one of the pioneers of science fiction in the Bengali language.[40] He mainly writes for younger readers. He has also written several non-fiction books on physics and mathematics. He writes columns in mainstream newspapers regularly.[41] Zafar Iqbal also writes storylines for the famous Bengali "Dhaka Comics."
He writes a detective book series titled, Tuntuni o Chotachchu. Chotachchu is a short form of 'Choto Chachchu' which lexically translates to 'Small Uncle'; it means, 'the youngest uncle'.
Tuntuni o Chotachchu (2014)
Aro Tuntuni o Aro Chotachchu (2015)
Abaro Tuntuni o Abaro Chotachchu
Tobuo Tuntuni Tobuo Chotachchu (2018)
Jokhon Tuntuni Tokhon Chotachchu
Jerokom Tuntuni Sherokom Chotachchu (2020)
Jetuku Tuntuni Setuku Chotachchu
Aha Tuntuni Uhu Chotachchu (2022)
Bah Tuntuni Bah Bah Chotaccu (2023)
Kigo Tuntuni Ogo Chotacchu (2024)
Personal life
Iqbal with his wife, Yasmeen Haque
Iqbal married Yasmeen Haque in 1978.[42] She was the Dean of the Life Science Department and Professor of the Department of Physics at SUST.[43] They have a son, Nabil Iqbal, working as a scientist[44][45] at Durham University[46] and a daughter, Yeshim Iqbal, a research scientist at Global TIES for Children at New York University after completing her Ph.D. from the same institution.[47]
He received criticism for endorsing anti-Islamic activities referenced in Shah Ahmad Shafi's open letter named An Open Letter from Shah Ahmad Shafi to the Government and the Public related to the Shahbag protests in 2013.[49] In 2023, under the government's new education policy, changes were made to books of various classes. Zafar Iqbal was a co-author and the chief editor of several new textbooks, including the 7th-grade textbook. However, after the publication of the "Science (Investigative Reading)" textbook, accusations of plagiarism and mechanical translation arose.[50] Later, Zafar Iqbal acknowledged his mistake regarding the book and, in a joint statement with Hasina Khan, stated, "This year the experimental version of the book has been launched, and there is ample opportunity for revision and editing in the next academic year."[51][52]
On July 16, 2024, during the quota reform movement, he expressed his dismay at the slogan 'Rajakar' by writing, "Dhaka University is my university, my beloved university. However, I feel that I will never want to go to this university again. When I see the students, I will think, these might be the 'Rajakars'. And for the rest of my life, I do not want to see the face of any Rajakar. There is only one life, so why should I have to see Rajakars again in that life?" This comment led to criticism on social media, and on the same day, several bookstores in Bangladesh, including Rokomari, stopped selling his books.[53] Additionally, students at SUST declared him unwanted at the institution.[54]
^"Homepage". Unmad Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
^হুমায়ূনের কবরে স্বজনেরা [Relatives at Humayun's grave]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 24 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
^Iqbal, M.Z.; Henrikson, H.E.; Mitchell, L.W.; O'Callaghan, B.M.G.; Thomas, J.; Wong, H.T.-k. (September 1987). "Design and construction of a high pressure xenon time projection chamber". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. 259 (3): 459–465. Bibcode:1987NIMPA.259..459I. doi:10.1016/0168-9002(87)90827-8.
^"War crimes investigator deceived court". bdnews24.com. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2014. That list had such names as Jewel Aich, a famous magician, Shahriar Kabir, a long-time advocate for war crimes trials and Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, a noted writer and university teacher whose father had allegedly been killed, in part due to Sayedee's connivance with the Pakistani Army in Pirojpur.
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