Dear Honorable Readers,

Today is 10th December. The World Human Rights Day is being observed
throughout the world today. We have sent the following petition to the
honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia today. People
irrespective of their nationality, religious and political affiliation have
signed the petition. We have kept the personal information of the
signatories confidential and not showed them in the petition as par request
of the signatories.

We would like to draw your attention on the recent reports of Amnesty
International on the attacks on the Hindu community and the arrest of the
journalist, Shahriar Kabir.

http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/ASA130062001?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES\BANGL\
ADESH

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/3600

Our goal for this petition was to voice our protest on behalf of Mukto-mona
(discussion forum) and FFF (Faith Freedom Foundation) against the ongoing
crimes being committed against the weaker religious and ethnic section and
women in Bangladesh and the recent imprisonment of Shahriar Kabir. We,
sincerely, hope that the Government of Bangladesh will take appropriate
action immediately.

Thanking you.

Avijit Roy,
Moderator, Mukto-mona
and General Secretary, Faith Freedom Foundation

courtesy : Ms. Lopa Tasneem (for preparing the report)

==============================================================
Her Excellency Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Monday, December 10, 2001.
Via facsimile: 011-88-02-811-3244


Your Excellency:

We, the members of 'Mukto-mona' - a discussion forum having about three
hundred members who encourage rationalism, humanism and free thinking over
the Net and we, the members of Faith Freedom Foundation (FFF), a non
political organization for promoting freedom of expression, thought, belief,
scientific inquiry, artistic creativity, moral choice, freedom of conscience
and religion, wish to express our deep concern at the recent spate of
atrocities committed against weaker religious and ethnic section and women
in Bangladesh. From the same perspective of the rights of and the safety of
common civilians, we are also deeply disturbed by the recent imprisonment
and prosecution of Shahriar Kabir, a valiant freedom fighter and well-known
journalist, author and human rights activist.

We urge you and your government to acknowledge practically and to show
appreciation of the human and civil rights of its religious and other weaker
groups, including women. We call upon your government to provide protection
for the lives and properties of all citizens irrespective of their religious
beliefs, ethnic origin, and sex. The state must treat all citizens equally
irrespective of their religious, cultural, linguistic and ethnic
affiliation. Because we believe that concept of discrimination between
so-called "Majority and "Minority" is deterrent to human progress on the
planet, we therefore call upon the global community and all states of the
world to do away with this concept of discrimination.

Mukto-mona and Faith Freedom Foundation consider the arrest of Mr. Shariar
Kabir by the Special Branch in 'Gestapo style' at Zia International Airport
(Dhaka), treatments he has received from the police, and his detention at
Dhaka Central jail by the special power act, and charges of anti state
activities- all constitute a gross violation of human rights and freedom of
movement. Since the formal charges of sedition against Mr. Kabir formulated
by the police appear to us politically motivated, we on this Human Rights
Day, urge you, Honorable Prime Minister to drop all charges against him and
release him immediately.

Yours truly,

Mr. Ibn Warraq (*)
Dr. Ali Sina (*)
Ms. Taslima Nasrin (*)
Mr. Fatemolla (*)
Prof. Ajoy K. Roy
Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah
Mr. Abul Kasem (*)
Mr. Anwar Jamal (*)
Mr. Syed Kamran Mirza (*)
Mr. Hashan Chowdhury (*)
Mr. Ray Jahed Akash (*)
Mr. Shabbir Ahmed (*)
Mr. Jamal Hasan (*)
Mr. Eshon Waheed (*)
Ms. Shabnam Nadiya (*)
Mr. Mohammad Nawaz Khan (*)
Mr. Habib Sarwar (*)
Mr. Adnan Khalid (*)
Ms. Susan Stephan (*)
Dr. Audrey Manning (*)
Dr. Kausik Sen (*)
Mr. Avijit Roy (*)
Mr. Sandip Dasverma (*)
Mr. Manab Ghosh (*)
Mr. Bishnu Dey (*)
Mr. Sanal Edamaruku
Mr. Amitananda Das
Mr. A.D.H. Kiran
Mr. Alan Levin
Mr. Ajab Ali
Mr. Alamgir Hussain
Mr. Aman Uddowla
Mr. Aman Ullah
Mr. Amil Tabatabai
Mr. Amir Hussain
Mr. Anwarul Azim
Mr. Satya Shandhani (*)
Mr. Anwar Iqbal
Mr. Asif Saleh
Mr. S. M. Aslam
Mr. A. Hoque
Ms. Bayyina Abdullah
Mr. Santanu Nandy
Mr. Belal Beg
Mr. Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya
Mr. Bijoy Bhushon Mondol
Ms. Kabita Rani Saha
Mr. Biswarup Dasgupta
Mr. Samuel Sarcar
Mr. Bakhtiar Qayyum
Mr. Butcher
Mr. Chandra Mohan
Mr. Ameen Hasan
Mr. Anutosh Chakrabarty
Ms. Mina Farah
Mr. Dhiren
Mr. Dhrubojoti
Ms. Eeshita Azad
Mr. Mohammad Fazlul Kabir
Mr. Mirza Chowdhury
Mr. Farrukh Ahmed
Mr. Hasan Ferdous
Mr. Sadiqi Az-Zindiki
Mr. Mani
Mr. G.Subramaniam
Mr. Habib Sarwar (*)
Ms. Sherry Holmes
Mr. Hasan Mamun (*)
Ms. hzachary
Mr. Ibnul Haque
Mr. Reginald V. Finley
Ms. Nadia Islam
Mr. Javacrucian
Mr. J. Browne
Ms. Julie M.
Mr. Khurshed Ahmed Chowdhury (*)
Mr. Alam Khorshed
Ms. Kanta Mitro
Mr. Kousik Nandy
Ms. Karina
Ms. Lina al Gay
Ms. Sabina Chowdhury
Ms. Lopa Tasneem
Mr. Bulbul Amir
Mr. Manish Paul
Mr. Shashi Aggarwal
Mr. Ashraful Alam
Mr. Bikash Mandal
Ms. Gitte Højland
Ms. R.Kamis (*)
Mr. Muhammad Nabipalsu
Mr. Narayan Gupta
Ms. Nasima Khatun
Mr. Naved Ahmed
Mr. Neelu Hasnat
Mr. New Age Outlaws
Ms. Nishaat
Dr. Nirmal Mishra
Mr. Zakaria S. Khondkar
Ms. Mukul Zaman.
Mr. Paritam Kumar Datta
Mr. Philosopher Knight
Ms. Zakia Sultana
Mr. Raman (*)
Ms. Padma Raman
Mr. Ronie Chowdhury
Mr. Rashedul Chowdhury
Mr. Roy Brown (*)
Ms. Rubaiya Ahmed
Mr. Ryan American
Mr. Rykel Lim
Ms. Sabrina Ahmed
Ms. Shaila Nasmun Nahar
Mr. Mahbubul (Sohel) Karim
Ms. Mitra Jafary
Mr. Subir Kumar Saha
Mr. Soumitra Bose
Mr. Suhash Sarkar
Ms. Titli Sardar
Mr. Tanvir Chowdhury
Mr. Andrew Sullivan
Mr. Utsav Chakrabarti
Mr. Sumel
Mr. Mrityunjoy Chatterjee
Mr. J. Kirishnamurti
Mr. Aparthib Zaman (*)
Mr. Vivek L. Dev
Ms. Simin Hariri
Ms. Marianne Eriksen
Mr. Shamim Huq
Mr. Ruhul Ahmed
Mr. Masud Khan
Mr. Ferdinand Pereira
Mr. S. Ashraf Ahmed
Mr. Saleem R. Noor
Ms. Azam Kamguian
Mr. Mohammad Zaman
Mr. Shami Hussain
Mr. Shiraj Uddin Shopon
Mr. Asif Iqbal (*)
Mr. Roy Parks
Mr. Anisur Rahman
Mr. Rahul Gupta
Ms. Susmita Gupta
Dr. Hrishikesh Chakrabarti
Ms. Taniya Hossain
Mr. Syed N. Wadood
Mr. S. A. Montu (*)
Ms. Rita Lindemann
Mr. Gururaj Deshpande
Mr. Abul Azad
Ms. Sharon R. Cozzolino
Mr. Aporanho Shushmito
Mr. Harsh Kapoor
Mr. Atul Kshirsagar
Mr. Nazmul Ahsan
Mr. Robin Khundkar
Mr. Harry
Mr. Mustafa Jamil

On behalf of Mukto-mona ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona )
and Faith Freedom Foundation ( http://www.faithfreedom.org )
==================================================================

(*) currently associated with FFF.

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp