Mukto-Mona

Mukto-Mona
Type of site
blog
Available inBengali
URLhome.muktomona.com mukto-mona.com

Mukto-Mona (Bengali: মুক্ত-মনা lit. 'Free-thinker') is a Bengali language blog for secularists, atheists, and freethinkers. It was founded by Avijit Roy who was subsequently killed by militants in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The attackers are believed to be members of Ansarullah Bangla Team.[1][2]

History

Mukto-Mona, meaning freethinkers in Bengali,[3] was founded by Bangladeshi-American secular blogger Avijit Roy, who was based in Atlanta, United States.[4] He created a Yahoo group titled Mukto-Mona 26 May 2001 which he made into a website next year.[5] The blog gained controversy when Shah Ahmad Shafi, in an open letter, accused it of hosting allegedly anti-Islamic content and called on the government to take action.[6] Avijit was killed in February 2015 in Dhaka, Bangladesh by militants. His wife, Rafida Ahmed Bonya was injured in the attack. Bonya took over the management of the blog after the death of her husband. The blog was awarded The Bobs – Best of Online Activism award by Deutsche Welle in June 2015.[7][8] A number of atheist bloggers associated with Muto-Mona have been targeted and killed by Islamists in Bangladesh.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fresh date fixed for probe report submission in Avijit murder case". Dhaka Tribune. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  2. ^ Laughland, Oliver; Hammadi, Saad (7 March 2015). "Atheist blogger Avijit Roy 'was not just a person … he was a movement'". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Police delay chargesheet for arresting 'five assailants' of writer-blogger Avijit Roy -bdnews24.com". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Obituary: US-Bangladesh writer Avijit Roy". BBC News. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  5. ^ Hussain, Ahmede. "Freethinkers of Our Time". archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  6. ^ White Paper: 400 Days of Fundamentalist and Communal Violence of Hafazat-e Islam & Jamat-e Islami (in Bengali). Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212: Public Commission to Investigate Fundamentalist and Communal Terrorism. 2013. p. 57. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. ^ Hasib, Nurul Islam. "Bangladeshi blog Mukto-Mona receives Deutsche Welle's annual 'The Bobs – Best of Online Activism' award -bdnews24.com". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  8. ^ Atheist, Friendly. "Atheist Group Will Honor Slain Bangladeshi Activist With New Award". Friendly Atheist. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Q&A: Why are bloggers being killed in Bangladesh?". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  10. ^ Mezzofiore, Gianluca (12 May 2015). "Bangladesh: Third secular blogger hacked to death". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 5 June 2018.