Abul Asad is a Bangladeshi writer and journalist. He is the editor of one of the oldest national dailies in Bangladesh The Daily Sangram. He is admired by Islam loving youth of Bangladesh for his thriller series, Saimum Series. He is also known as Islamic thinker and intellectual in Bangladesh. Asad's cultural activities are largely guided by patriotism and devotion to Islamic ideology. He is one of the renowned cultural activists who devoted their intellectual capabilities to nurture cultural and ideological heritage in Bangladesh. He is involved with many socio-cultural and professional organisations. He is the President of Bangla Sahittya Parishad, Chairman of Bangladesh Islamic Centre. He was a director of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha and a member of Bangladesh Press Council. Asad earned good name in the field of journalism. His regular sub-editorial 'Durbin' has been receiving widespread appreciation. Although a successful journalist, Abul Asad is much more known and admired for his thriller series 'Saimum'. Books of this series added a new dimension to Bengali literature. It combines heritage, passion and ideology, and inspires the reader to devote his/her life, deeds and love to Islam. He started this famous series in 1972 and has published 60 novels so far.
Early life and education
Asad was born on 5 August 1942 at village Narashinghpur in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. He started writing articles and stories while he was a student of Class XI. He gradually became involved in journalism. He continued his studies alongside his activities as a journalist. Abul Asad completed his MA in economics from Rajshahi University. His father, A.K Shamsamul Haque was an Islamic scholar from a madrasah at Benaras in India. His mother's name is Mojida Begum.
Journalism
Asad started his career as a writer and journalist during his student life. He worked as a Rajshahi-based journalist in several dailies and weekly publications. While a student, he wrote columns on politics and culture which were popular, and these set him in his career as a journalist. He began his career in journalism from 17 January 1970 as an assistant editor of The Daily Sangram. In 1981, he took over responsibility as the editor of The Daily Sangram. He is also a columnist and essayist.
Literature
Asad has published several books such as “Kaalo Pochish Er Aage O Pore” and “Eksho Bochor Er Raajniti” on regional history and politics. “Amra Shei Sei Jaati” a three-part series of story-based events in a historical context, and an essay based compilation “Ekush Shotoker Agenda”. His most popular literary workup to date has been the “Saimum Series”. This series showcases literary fiction combining suspense, thrill, Islamic knowledge and morality within historical contexts and settings. Till now, 60 books have been published in this popular series. Presently, Abul Asad continues to write novels along with being the editor of the Daily Sangram.
Arrest and persecution
Asad was arrested on 19 September 2011, Monday, by the Bangladeshi paramilitia force Rapid Action Battalion from his residence in connection with his role as editor of The Daily Sangram, which is largely critical of government policies. Police accused him for his alleged connection with street clashes between law enforcers and Jamaat-e-Islami men in Dhaka and elsewhere, and for vandalising vehicles, arson and obstructing the police officers while they are on duty, and he faced charges of 'patronising the violence'. He was granted bail after a police remand and released on 23 September 2011. Former Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the leading opposition party, firmly condemned his arrest and called for the withdrawal of the “trumped-up” charges brought against him. In April 2013, Bangladesh police arrested Mahmudur Rahman, the Editor of Amar Desh newspaper, and shut down its printing facilities. Amar Desh journalists attempted to keep printing their newspaper through the printing facilities of the Daily Sangram, and police arrested 19 employees of Sangram printing press. The Committtee to Protect Journalists, a New York based non-profit, condemned this police harassment of the Daily Sangram staff and its Editor Abul Asad.
Mob-Lynching by pro-government group and subsequent arrest in 2019
On 13 December 2019, a group of pro-government activists under the banner of Muktijoddha Monch gathered and seized the office of Daily Sangram. They burnt several copies of the newspaper, vandalised dozens of computers and other office equipments and furnitures and dragged the Editor to the street and tried to force him to apologise in front of the TV cameras on the street for describing an executed jamaat leader convicted for war crimes as a 'martyr'. After the pro-government group assaulted and harassed him, police took over and took him to the police station. He is in prison since then, facing the charge of high treason, under the draconian Digital Security Act 2018. Asad faces 14 years of imprisonment under the act if the authorities deem his views defamatory or subversive, or 10 years of imprisonment for spreading propaganda on Bangladesh's Liberation War of 1971.
