For Immediate Release: May 3, 2016

Contact: Paul Fidalgo, Communications Director

press@centerforinquiry.org - (207) 358-9785

Reza Aslan, Sam Harris, Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins, Salman Rushdie, and More Join Center for Inquiry’s Call for Justice

The Center for Inquiry is leading a diverse, international coalition of distinguished scholars, activists, and human rights organizations to condemn Bangladesh government officials for callously blaming the victims of Islamic extremists’ attacks for their own deaths, and urging them to focus on protecting human rights and bringing the perpetrators to justice. Signatories to a joint statement include Reza Aslan, Salman Rushdie, Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins, Maryam Namazie, Maajid Nawaz, Sam Harris, Imran Sarker, Freedom House, the PEN American Center, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, and many others.

Nine people associated with secularism or secular activism have been killed since February 2015, when Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American scholar and secular activist, was hacked to death by militant Islamists at a book fair in Dhaka. Last month, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina castigated the victims for writing “filthy words.” Absolving the government of any obligation to confront the attacks, she said, “It’s not at all acceptable if anyone writes against our prophet or other religions. Why would the government take responsibility if such writings lead to any untoward incidents?”

In the past month alone, four people have been killed in a similar fashion, as well as two additional victims who were Christian and Hindu, respectively. Immediately after the murder of law student Nazimuddin Samad, slain last month for campaigning for secularism on Facebook, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan suggested that it was Samad, newly killed, who would be investigated, “to see whether he has written anything objectionable in his blogs.”

“The world is watching in horror as innocent people are slaughtered in the streets of Bangladesh, and all eyes are now look to see how its leaders will respond,” said Michael De Dora, CFI’s main representative to the United Nations and primary author of the joint statement. “So far, that response has been appalling in its indifference to the lives and the fundamental rights of the people of Bangladesh. To even suggest that these victims brought their deaths upon themselves is to abdicate the most basic responsibilities of a government to its people, and to forsake any pretense to fostering a free, modern society.”

The joint statement, initiated by the Center for Inquiry and endorsed by a diverse group of individuals and organizations, calls upon Bangladesh to “stop citing religion as a justification to refuse the rights of certain Bangladeshis in public statements,” and to categorically condemn violent attacks against all those who exercise their right to free expression. Bangladesh is urged to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to protect the freedoms of religion, belief, and expression for all of its people, including atheists, secularists, and religious minorities.

Public hit lists have been released by militant Islamist groups, singling out particular activists and writers for death, and those not yet killed are scrambling to save themselves, as their government shows no interest in doing so. When targeted individuals have asked for help from their government, they have been told to be quiet, or else go into exile, which many have.

CFI has been deeply involved in this crisis since its beginning, and in response has established the Freethought Emergency Fund, by which writers and activists in countries like Bangladesh who know themselves to be targeted or believe themselves to be in danger can receive assistance to relocate out of harm’s way.

The full text of the statement is available at bit.ly/CFIBangladeshJointStatement. Others may sign their names to the statement by way of the petition at bit.ly/BangladeshPetition.

Complete list of signatories to the Joint Statement:

INDIVIDUALS

Alan Levinovitz , PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion, James Madison University

, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion, James Madison University Amit R. Baishya , PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Oklahoma

, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Oklahoma Amrapali Basumatary , PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi

, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi Ania Loomba , PhD, Catherine Bryson Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania

, PhD, Catherine Bryson Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania Anirban Baishya , PhD candidate, School of Cinematic Arts, University of South California

, PhD candidate, School of Cinematic Arts, University of South California Ann Grodzins Gold , PhD, Chair, Department of Religion, Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Professor of Anthropology, Syracuse University

, PhD, Chair, Department of Religion, Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Professor of Anthropology, Syracuse University Aruni Kashyap , Writer and Translator, Assistant Professor of English, Ashoka University, India

, Writer and Translator, Assistant Professor of English, Ashoka University, India Austin Dacey, PhD, Author and Philosopher

PhD, Author and Philosopher Boris van der Ham , Chairman, Dutch Humanist Association

, Chairman, Dutch Humanist Association Deeyah Khan , Filmmaker and Activist

, Filmmaker and Activist Doranne Jacobson , Research Associate, Columbia University

, Research Associate, Columbia University Elham Manea , PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Zurich

, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Zurich Fariborz Pooya , Host, Bread and Roses TV

, Host, Bread and Roses TV Geraldine Forbes , PhD, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita, Department of History, State University of New York at Oswego

, PhD, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita, Department of History, State University of New York at Oswego Imran H. Sarker , Blogger and Secular Activist, Bangladesh

, Blogger and Secular Activist, Bangladesh Karen Leonard , PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine

, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine Khushi Kabir , Feminist and Human Rights Activist

, Feminist and Human Rights Activist Maajid Nawaz , Author and Activist, Founding Chairman, Quilliam

, Author and Activist, Founding Chairman, Quilliam Madhurima Chakraborty , PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Columbia College Chicago

, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Columbia College Chicago Makiko Kimura , PhD, Associate Professor, Tsuda College Shimin Gaikou Centre

, PhD, Associate Professor, Tsuda College Shimin Gaikou Centre Marieme Helie Lucas , Former Faculty (Social Sciences), Algiers University, Founder, Secularism Is A Women’s Issue

, Former Faculty (Social Sciences), Algiers University, Founder, Secularism Is A Women’s Issue Maryam Namazie , Spokesperson, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All, Producer, Bread and Roses TV

, Spokesperson, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All, Producer, Bread and Roses TV Massimo Pigliucci , K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy, City College of New York

, K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy, City College of New York Michael De Dora , Director of Public Policy; UN Representative, Center for Inquiry

, Director of Public Policy; UN Representative, Center for Inquiry Mitul Baruah , PhD Candidate, Geography Department, Syracuse University

, PhD Candidate, Geography Department, Syracuse University Nigel C. Hughes , PhD, Professor,Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Irvine

, PhD, Professor,Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Irvine P.B. Cliteur , PhD, Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Leiden

, PhD, Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Leiden Ranabir Samaddar , PhD, Distinguished Chair in Migration and Forced Migration Studies, Calcutta Research Group

, PhD, Distinguished Chair in Migration and Forced Migration Studies, Calcutta Research Group Reza Aslan , PhD, Author and Religious Scholar

, PhD, Author and Religious Scholar Richard Dawkins , Emeritus Professor, University of Oxford

, Emeritus Professor, University of Oxford Russell Blackford , PhD, School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle, NSW

, PhD, School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle, NSW Salman Rushdie , Novelist

, Novelist Sam Harris , PhD, Author and Neuroscientist

, PhD, Author and Neuroscientist Sean Dowdy , PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago

, PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago Shelley Feldman , PhD, Professor, Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University

, PhD, Professor, Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University Steven Pinker , PhD, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University

, PhD, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University Susan Wadley , PhD, Director, South Asia Center, Syracuse University

, PhD, Director, South Asia Center, Syracuse University Suzanne Hanchett , PhD, Partner, Planning Alternatives for Change LLC

, PhD, Partner, Planning Alternatives for Change LLC Varuni Bhatia, Assistant Professor, Asian Languages and Cultures Department, University of Michigan

ORGANIZATIONS