John Henry Newman, a renowned American scholar and the first pastor of the Catholic University of Ireland, advocated for the existence of institutions in 1852. It should be a spot where divergent viewpoints, opposing thoughts, and feelings coexist with vigor.
Why, after nearly 200 years, does it still sound relevant to cite Newman’s” The Idea of a University”? Considering that we have n’t yet been able to establish a setting in universities that encourages open and diverse dialogues.
Ho Chi Minh Islam, a trans rights advocate, recently had to resign from his position as speaker after being asked to leave the North South University campus. This was the direct outcome of a group of university students ‘ protest, which exposed the hatred of diverse viewpoints. or suggests that our colleges are becoming more intolerable.
Follow The Business Standard’s Google media network to stay informed.Ho Chi Minh Islam was scheduled to speak at the Women’s Career Carnival 2023, which was held from November 24 to 25, with the goal of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
When a group of NSU students—particularly the” NSU Islam Practitioners” ( a private Facebook group with 1.7k members ) saw the session’s promotional posters, trouble began to erupt. Ho Chi Minh Islam is a well-known Bangladeshi trans rights advocate.
Many of these students began online protests, saying they did n’t want a transgender person “propagating and promoting LGBTQ+ text and speech” on campus. They sent an email to Professor Atiqul Islam, the evil president of North South University, and posted it on their official Facebook page, NSU Islam Practitioners.
Ho Chi Minh Islam told The Business Standard that the organizers of the” Women’s Career Carnival 2023″ decided it would be too much of a risk to continue her session after receiving the email and anonymous threats, especially since the NSU Career and Placement Center ( CPC ) could n’t guarantee her safety and security.
The event was organized by Heroes for All ( HFA ) and I- Social, and it was hosted by CPC.
” I’ve heard there was a heated argument between the organizers and the NSU administration over my conference, which was held there. Following the demands of their students, the university administration did n’t want me there. Ho Chi Minh shared that the organizers were convinced and wanted me to speak at the treatment at any cost.
She continued by saying that Ho Chi Minh’s voice should n’t be silenced, according to Dr. Rehnuma Karim, the creator and leader of Heroes for All, a carnival organizer. On November 23, Rehnuma Karim continued to speak with her over the phone all day. Lastly, at around midnight, Ho Chi Minh became aware of the extreme pressure she was experiencing.
I told her that while I appreciate you standing up for me, I do n’t want to put you in this situation. Ho Chi Minh clarified that he no longer wishes to talk at the conference. ” By this point, challenges were being made against Rehnuma aa and me over the phone and on Facebook.”
The individuals who protested Ho Chi Minh’s speech at their school, of course, do n’t represent the entire student body of NSU, Dr. Rehnuma Karim toldTBS. Even so, they are numerous, and I’m genuinely shocked that students from such a prominent and top university in the nation do respond in that manner.
The International Labour Organization was one of the event’s corporate partners, so the organizers wanted to maintain a discussion-focused session on the importance of providing women from underprivileged communities with reasonable and inclusive working conditions.
Ho Chi Minh was invited to share her knowledge and experience as a trans nurse at the National Institute of Neuro Sciences and Hospital in Dhaka, according to Dr. Rehnuma Karim.
The NSU student body first claimed that Ho Chi Minh had been invited to advance the LGBTQ+ plan. Since I completed my PhD in the West, they have also accused me of encouraging transgender people and faggots by giving people like Ho Chi Minh places and voices, according to Dr. Rehnuma Karim. ” I have no idea how they came up with such thoughts. Did these learners also read the conference title and the occasion schedule?
The kids ‘ message to the vice president was posted on the Instagram page of the NSU Islam Practitioners. The email refers to the topic” Know your rights for a reasonable work” as” legal action inside the campus” and makes reference to” Bangladesh’s Penal Code Chapter 16 Content 377.”
The email also states,” We are forced to inform you that Hochemin Islam, a member of this LGBTQ+ community, has been invited by the Career and Placement Center ( CPC ) of our beloved university. This news comes with deep feelings of wound and hurt.” Additionally, the CPC intends to spread and promote LGBTQ+ language and speech on campus, which is illegal, as we already mentioned.
What is stated by the rules?
On November 11, 2013, in a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladeshi government acknowledged Hijras as having their own identity on official files. The state is required by the Constitution’s Fundamental Principles of State Policy to meet the basic needs of all its members.
Each individual’s right to self-determination and rights to simple welfare provisions are unequivocally established by the Bangladeshi Constitution. All citizens, including Hijras, transgender people, and another female non-conforming communities, are covered by these provisions.
Jubdatul Jabed, a program manager and lawful expert at iProbono, claims that Section 377 deals with sexual activity rather than gender identity.
Whoever voluntarily engages in sexual activity against the natural order with any man, woman, or creature shall be punished with [imprisonment ] for life or with incarceration of either description for a term that may extend to 10 years, and may also be answerable to good, according to Section 377 of the Penal Code, 1860. Penetration is enough to constitute the carnal interaction required for the offense described in this section, according to the description.
Jubdatul Jabed emphasized that Ho Chi Minh’s sexual or gender preference was not the topic of the period in which she was invited as a speaker. The NSU student group asserted that even if the session had been about Ho Chi Minh’s gender identity, it could n’t have been referred to as” criminal activity inside the campus” because Section 377 makes very clear what constitutes a criminal offense.
He added that every member of Bangladesh is guaranteed “freedom of thought, conscience, and speech” under Article 39 of the country’s Constitution. And no person or organization can deny another member this freedom. According to Jubdatul Jabed, only the state has the authority to impose fair limitations on this freedom.
NSU has violated a marginalized person’s right to free speech by deferring to their irrational and false demands and forbidding Ho Chi Minh from speaking during the period, which is unquestionably against human rights, he continued.
Following Jumma prayers on Friday, November 24, the same group of students began protesting with signs in the Plaza area of the NSU school after sending the message to the evil president on the evening of November 23. The opposition was immediately dispersed by the university’s proctorial body.
However, the individuals who were protesting against Ho Chi Minh flooded social media. Their written banners displayed catchphrases like” Trans agenda is against people rights, especially children’s privileges,”” Train are not intersex,” and” Trec free NSU,” among others.
Firdous Azim, a teacher and chairperson in the department of English and humanities at BRAC University, described what was happening on the NSU campus as terrible and terrible.
She claimed that “university is a position where we discover diversity, advance with fresh ideas, and have room for discussion and disagreement.” Students should have been encouraged to engage in a conversation with the presenter if they had any complaints. But most of all, I am astounded by the students ‘ knowledge and narrow-mindedness. What knowledge do scientists impart?
In fact, the college ought to serve as a hub for higher education, encouraging fresh perspectives and fostering sensitivity among individuals. Heterogeneity ought to be the norm on a college campus more than anything.
The second private school in Bangladesh is North South University, which was established in 1992. It is one of Bangladesh’s top secret research institutes, with ratings of 851 by QS World University Rankings and 801 by Times University.
The school failed to foster the thoughts of choices among its students, as evidenced by the hatred and severe reactions of a group of NSU students and the agency’s involvement in stifling an outcast.
Vice-Chancellor of the North South University Professor Atiqul Islam was contacted by The Business Standard, but he never responded to messages.
In the interim, the NSU Public Relations Office issued a press release on November 26th, claiming that the VC was abroad at the time the events mentioned above occurred and the school was not involved in deciding whether or not to cancel Ho Chi Minh Islam’s session at The Womens Career Carnival.
The NSU Career and Placement Center’s chairman, Khasro Miah, declined to offer any commentary. Dr. M. Ismail Hossain, the time pro vice-chancellor, was unavailable.
