This tragic murder comes in just about a month following the murder of Bangladeshi-America writer Dr. Avijit Roy in similar manner by suspected Islamic fanatics. Dr. Roy was the founder of Mukto-mona (free-minded, www.mukto-mona.com) website, where ex-Muslim writers such as Abul Kasem, Syed Kamran Mirza, and Ali Sina et al. had initiated the crtical discussion of Islam in 1999.
Bangladesh-American Freethinker and writer Dr Avijit Roy hacked to death by Islam. His wife injured in the attack.
While we were familiar with the work of Dr. Avijit Roy, we knew little about Washikur Rahman, because he wrote in Bengali. Here we publish a satirical essay, translated by a Bangladeshi readers of islam-watch.org (will appear in multiple installments).
By Washikur Rahman
Let us give a jaw-breaking reply to the insulting comments of atheists about Islam.
Insulting comment 1: Muhammad smashed the Pagan idols of the Ka'ba. He banned adoption in Islam, so that he could marry his adopted son's wife. He imposed veil on women.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, certain customs practised in a society doesn't mean they are good. We have to understand that Prophet Muhammad was the greatest social reformer of all times. He abolished many social customs and introduced new ones for the good and progress of society. There lies far-reaching well-being for mankind behind his every step.
Insulting comment 2: Muhammad used to rape captive women. He had multiple wives, concubines and sex-slaves. He married an underage girl. He killed non-Muslims or banished them.
Jaw-breaking answer: This proves that atheists are truly idiots. Well, these customs were all part of the then Arab society. If circumstances demand, what is wrong in following a custom already in practise in a society? In fact, despite being against Islam, atheists know nothing about it.
Insulting comment 3: Raping of war-captives and slave-women is allowed in Islam.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, we must not raise the issue of who did what in the distant past. Muslims are are not raping female slaves any more, are they?
Insulting comment 4: Even today Muslims in many places practise barbaric customs like Hilla Marriage (Temporary Marriage), female genital mutilations etc.
Jaw-breaking answer: If Muslims do wrong things today, why Islam must be held responsible for that. They are not true Muslims. We must see how the prophet and his companions used to practise Islam.
Insulting comment 5: There is no freedom of choice in Islam. One must stick to the religion he/she is born into and must be killed if abandons it.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, abandoning one's religion means betraying one's family and tribe. Do you obtain your fatherland by freedom of choice or by birth? Some matters are beyond dispute. So is religion.
Insulting comment 6: Islam has condemned the followers of other religions to hell-fire. But one can't be held responsible for the religion of one's birth. Then, why must all non-Muslims must burn in hell-fire despite many of them doing good work in life.
Jaw-breaking answer: Why must one stick to one's religion of birth? Doesn't he/she has the sense of judgement? Doesn't he/she understand the difference between good and bad?
Insulting comment 7: There are many objectionable statements about women in hadiths. Women have been compared with horses, dogs, and donkey etc. They have been called a curse for men, and men have been permitted to beat them. Can a prophet of God say such deplorable things about women?
Jaw-breaking answer: See, Allah has safeguarded the holy Quran, not hadiths. Hadiths have been tempered with by men; so there may be errors in them. Moreover, the conspiratorial Jews and Christians have inserted many false information into Hadiths to harm Islam. So, we must focus on the Quran and put Hadiths aside. The holy Quran must be the sole source of Islam.
Insulting comment 8: The Quran has compared women to tilth (field for ploughing).
Jaw-breaking answer: Picking a verse in isolation to find problems with the Quran is not right. We must know in what context the verse was revealed. To know the context, we must read hadiths.
Insulting comment 9: Muslims are very vocal about oppression of Muslims in other countries, but maintain complete silence about the oppression of non-Muslims in their own countries.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, Allah has identified all Muslims as brothers of each other. Brothers should show concerns for brothers, shouldn't they?
Insulting comment 10: If Muslims are brothers to each other, they why are there so much divisions among Muslims? Why so much intra-Muslim violence and blood-bath?
Jaw-breaking answer: See, our holy prophet himself has said that Muslims will be divided into 73 sects. Divisions among Muslims just prove how correct the prophecy of our prophet was.
Insulting comment 11: In Islam, punishment for sex outside marriage or adultery is 80 lashes or stoning to death. When two persons develop physical relations out of liking for each other, why must kill them or punish in such barbaric manner? Isn't in inhuman?
Jaw-breaking answer: See, freedom in sex can never be acceptable. It increases extra-marital affairs. Moreover, it transform women into commodity in the name of freedom.
Insulting comment 12: How can a horrible crime like raping captive women be acceptable?
Jaw-breaking answer: See, the captive women, impressed at the heroism of the Muslim fighters, used to engage in sex with them willingly. Don't you see that it gave pleasures to them as well? And the slave women had to be provided with subsistence. As a result, they found security, and could live their life honorably.
Insulting comment 13: Muslims talk about going back to the Islamic way of life of 13 hundred years ago. It is useless today.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, Islam is a 'complete code of life'. It has answers to every problems of life.
Insulting comment 14: But Muslims are too willing to enjoy the goodness of the modern life devised by non-Muslims.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, Islam is a flexible religion. It allows change.
Insulting comment 15: Muslims engage in blood-bath in reaction to ridicules of Islam or its prophet. Is it acceptable?
Jaw-breaking answer: Ridiculing Islam or its prophet amounts to hurting the feelings of 150 crore Muslims. This is an unpardonable crime.
Insulting comment 16: Muslims also insult other religions. Doesn't that hurt the feelings of non-Muslims?
Jaw-breaking answer: See, must we show respect to belief in false religion? If someone's belief is funny, why can't we make fun of it?
Insulting comment 17: Islam does not encourage exercise of knowledge. It only encourage gaining the knowledge of the Quran and hadith, i.e. Islamic knowledge.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, you have very little knowledge about Islam. The Quran is the mine of all knowledge. And our prophet has said, 'Go up to far-off China for gaining knowledge'. Islam fundamentally is a complete way of life. It has scopes for gaining knowledge about all things. You surely have heard about Ibn Sina, Al Razi et al.
Insulting comment 18: Why then do Muslims in Bangladesh hate Aroj Ali Matubbar, Humayun Azad? Why don't they allow inclusion of Evolution in academic curriculum.
Jaw-breaking answer: See, these people mislead the masses by saying treacherous things. And what is the use of such worldly knowledge? Earthly life is short; afterlife is eternal. Gaining too much knowledge may lead one to atheism and lose the afterlife.
Insulting comment 19: The Quran verse 21:32 says, 'And We made the sky a protected roof, but they, from its signs, are turning away.' Yet, science says, there exist nothing like the sky. How then can the Quran be a book of science?
Jaw-breaking answer: You see, the Ozone-sphere has been symbolically called the sky here. You certainly know that the Ozone-sphere protects us from harmful radiation of the sun. While science has discovered this fact only recently, the holy Quran said it 1400 years ago.
Insulting comment 20: But verse 67:5 of the Quran say, 'And We have certainly beautified the lowest sky with stars...'
Jaw-breaking answer: See, science doesn't believe in the existence of anything like the sky does not necessarily mean that there is no sky. Scientists have not been able to go to the end of the Universe. A vast part of the Universe is still outside our knowledge. So, we can say that the sky exist. And our world and the Universe is situated within the first sky along with all the stars.