Sultana Discusses the Political Situation in Bangladesh and Misinformation in The Hill and SCMP

August 30, 2024

South China Morning Post,The Hill

Farhana Sultana

Geography & the Environment Department

Environmental Conflict and Collaboration

South Asia Center

Conflict

Government

Media & Journalism

South Asia

South China Morning Post

The Hill

Farhana Sultana

“Bangladesh’s second independence: A step forward for democracy,” written by Professor of Geography and the Environment Farhana Sultana, was published in The Hill. Following is an excerpt:

There is usually chaos in the power vacuum left after a regime falls. The police force fled their posts for fear of reprisals due to their brutal treatment of student protesters. A country suddenly without a government or a security force faced widespread looting and violence on the night of Aug. 5, mostly against Awami League members.

The democratic movement by students responded immediately and swiftly to restore law and order that very night with the assistance of larger community support. It was nothing short of remarkable.

Students and civilians self-organized into groups to manage traffic, clean waste, guard minority religious institutions, catch culprits and vandals, remove and repair damage and rebuild infrastructure and the country at large. 

Within a short three days of the regime’s fall, at the request of student leaders, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was inaugurated to lead the new interim government. It is poetic justice that Yunus replaced Hasina, who for over a decade persecuted him and filed spurious cases against him. Now, the government cabinet is the most progressive and diverse in Bangladesh’s history.

Sultana was also quoted in the South China Morning Post article, “Misinformation about Hindus being targeted in Bangladesh fuels Islamophobia fears.“

Such disinformation “delegitimizes the actual concerns of minorities, as they have had to counter misinformation” through statements and social media posts to show their homes, businesses and religious institutions are intact, says Sultana.