In May 1995 a Channel 4 documentary ‘Bangladesh, War Crimes File’ directed by David Bergman made allegations of the involvement of three British Bangladeshis in the genocide committed in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971.
Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin
Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, one of those individuals named in the documentary, was alleged to have been instrumental in plotting the assassinations of intellectuals, journalists and students with the al-Badr death squads, assisted by the Jamaat-e-Islami. The program included eyewitness accounts directly linking Mueen-Uddin to the murders of two men; Dr. M H Choudhaury, a professor at the University of Dhaka, and Najmul Huq, a journalist.
Channel 4 received a letter from Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin’s lawyers and very little of that documentary has been heard of since. Until today, when Delwar Hossain re-opened the discussion on the Bangladesh War Crimes and Mueen-Uddin’s involvement in them in an article on CiF:
A Channel Four documentary from 1995 made allegations of involvement by British Bangladeshis in the genocide. Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, director of Muslim Spiritual Care Provision in the NHS, who was until recently vice-chairman of the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre and was involved in setting up the Muslim Council of Britain, is one of the most prominent people to be accused of having carried out war crimes.
Mueen-Uddin is alleged to have been part of a group that abducted and “disappeared” people. Witnesses at the time describe seeing him kidnapping a university professor and a journalist in Dhaka during the war. Mueen-Uddin told the documentary makers “all the accusations being made against me are … utterly false and malicious, and either politically motivated or instigated otherwise”.
Having left the newly created country of Bangladesh for London, Mueen-Uddin, along with other members of JI set up Islamic Forum Europe, an avowedly Islamist organisation connected to the East London Mosque.
Being an extremely litigious sort of individual, published reports which recounted these allegations have almost always been silenced by a swift libel notice from Mueen-Uddin’s lawyers and it is very likely that the Guardian might also be forced to retract that article in a similar manner.
An article on the Channel 4 documentary contained this eyewitness account of how Mueen-Uddin was recognised by the relatives of one of his victims:
Another of Jamaat and Al-Badr’s tasks was to supply women as prostitutes for the Pakistani army. ‘They didn’t differentiate between Hindus or Muslims or anything,’ says Syeda Jebunessa Hoque, who worked at a tea garden in Sylhet. ‘They just grabbed any girl they could find and raped them. They raped girls in front of their fathers. Jamaat and Al Badr took thousands of women this way.’ But when Abu Sayeed is confronted with this evidence, he just claims it to be ridiculous.
In Dhaka, Al-Badr’s Operations-in-Charge was Chowdhury Mueen Uddin, who is now the Vice Chairman of the East London Mosque. At the time, Mueen worked as a journalist. ‘He was the first person to mention the formation of Al-Badr, before any other newspapers had any idea,’ says colleague Atiqur Rahman. Mueen was relatively new in Dhaka but was already well known in Feni. ‘We had informers who told us of his frequent visits to Al-Badr headquarters,’ says Professor Joynal Abedin, a member of the Mukti Bahini charged with reporting on Al-Badr and Jamaat. Another freedom fighter, Giasuddin Ahmed Nanu says, ‘We were given a list of ten or twelve people whom headquarters believed to be Al-Badr collaborators; Chowdhury Mueen Uddin was on the top of that list.’
During the final days of the occupation, the Pakistani army was on the verge of collapse, having been soundly beaten back by the Mukti Bahini and Indian army which was now fighting on their side. This culminated in Al-Badr’s last effort at destroying what would be the new country of Bangladesh, the infamous massacre of intellectuals in Rayerbazaar. Dolly Chowdhury recounts the day her husband, Moffazel Hyder Chowdhury, was taken away by Al-Badr. ‘They stormed into the house brandishing guns and with gamchas over their faces. While being taken away, my husband pulled down the gamcha from one of the men’s faces, I recognised him immediately. It was Chowdhury Mueen Uddin; I knew him because he used to come to our house to study.’
The website GenocideBangladesh has an impressive catalogue of references, articles and citations on Mueen-Uddin’s alleged crimes. It reference this report on Mueen-Uddin from a New York Times article from January 1972:
[T]o his fellow reporters on the Bengali-language paper where he worked, Chowdhury Mueenuddin was a pleasant, well-mannered and intelligent young man…there was nothing exceptional about him except perhaps that he often received telephone calls from the leader of a right-wing Moslem political party. But, investigations in the last few days show that those calls were significant. For Mr. Mueenuddin has been identified as the head of a secret, commando like organization of fantatic Moslems that murdered several hundred prominent Bengali professors, doctors, lawyer and journalists in a Dhaka brick yard. Dressed in black sweaters and khaki pants, members of the group, known as Al-Badar, rounded up their victims on the last three nights of the war…Their goal, captured members have since said, was to wipe out all Bengali intellectuals who advocated independence from Pakistan and the creation a of a secular, non Moslem state.
Mueen-Uddin hasn’t done too badly for himself since coming to the UK after the Bangladeshi genocide. Here is his bio in his own words:
Director – Muslim Spiritual Care Provision in the NHS (2005 – now)
Formerly Deputy Director: the Islamic Foundation, Markfield, Leicestershire (1995 – 2005).
He is a graduate ( B.A ) from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and is married with 4 children.
Chowdhury Mueen-uddin has served as a member of the Multi Faith Joint National Working Party (MFJNWP) since its inception in 1998 and became a member of of its successor organisation the Multi Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy (MFGHC). He has over 25 years of experience working with the community organisations and served and on the Board of a number of distinguished charities. These include among others Board member and vice chairman – As Shahada Housing Association, Board member Labo Housing Association and currently Gateway Housing Association,
Chairman – Muslim Aid (at present board member ,
Vice Chairman – East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre,
Chairman – Governing Body, the London East Academy ( a private secondary school).
He served as the Secretary General of the Council of Mosques UK and Eire for 2 terms (1984 – 1988) and was involved in setting up the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
He occassionally contributes to news papers and journals and some of his articles were published in journals in housing releated sector such as ‘Regeneration’ and ‘Planning’.
Delwar Hussain calls for the prosecution of the war criminals of East London for which he must be applauded.
Among the numerous ways in which consecutive Bangladeshi governments have lagged behind public opinion, the inaction with regard to trying the alleged war criminals is the least forgivable for many. Undeterred, Bengali civil society has continued to be vociferous in making sure this issue does not disappear.
Unless trials are seen to be free and fair, they will be perceived as political point-scoring by the Awami League. It is incumbent on the British Bangladeshi community, together with wider British society, to join the demands to bring the Bangladeshi war criminals to justice. It is also time to rethink a period of history which has continuing ramifications for today.
Until these allegations are cleared up once and for all, the British government should discontinue any further dealings with the MCB. And politicians should think carefully before they patronise East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre in the credulous assumption that they symbolise quasi-democratic spiritual establishments representative of the Bangladeshi community of East London. Delwar Hussain’s article should be distributed to any politician, such as Boris Johnson and Lord Phillips, who have been foolish enough accept invitations from these establishments or are thinking of doing so.
78 Comments
“Oh dear looks like Abu Faris is belitlling the genocide of Bengalis.”
No, that would be Inayat Bunglawala and the MCB. Oh and you, of course.
Effendi
Since you focus on the Jews, treating the loss of their lives as somehow worse than others and opposition to their racist state as the worst thing possible- thats pretty rich.
Since you focus on the Jews treating the loss of their lives as somehow worse than others and opposition to their racist state as the worst thing possible- thats pretty rich.
“Somehow worse”. Curious phrase. The only person who *focuses* on Jews on this thread is you, and your staunch avowal to deny the Holocaust because of the “Zionist Lobby”.
“Oh dear looks like Abu Faris is belitlling the genocide of Bengalis.”
Efendi
Its you that opposes making the Bengali genocide (and incidentally there was a British made genocide in 1940s Bengal you dont much mention) equal to all others by having a genocide rather than exclusivist Holocaust Memorial Day.
No cigar I’m afraid, Bleh. I am not in the business of denigrating or denying genocides (quite the opposite, actually).
Unfortunately, your desire to meaninglessly point-score has yet again collided with your woeful comprehension skills to deliver silliness. Now, do try to keep up.
I take it you don’t much like Jews, Bleh?
You mean like members of the MCB like Dawud Abdullah and Inayat Bungawala who had nothing to do with the 1971 war – who spitoon of course focus on because they are pro-Palestinian
Abu Faris
yeah its the new anti-semitism – believing non-Jewish lives are equal to Jewish ones.
Are you high on something, Bleh?
.
So, you believe that Jewish lives are not equal to non-Jewish lives?
It was a famine, not a genocide. Big difference. But what do you care – it was only Bengalis who died.
Haha, nice try. But have you read the original post?
No it’s the old anti-semitism. Just new anti-semites .
Gosh, Bleh’s gone. Must be the end of breaktime. Not sure if I approve of letting Year 10 use the internet when they are doing detention; but there we go.
I would love to kick the Jamatis out of East London Mosque.
Or just kick them in the knack shack.
Effendi
Oh boo hoo.. whoah is me ..I am a victim (even though I wasnt born at the time). Spare us your pathethic victimhood and contempt for Bengalis. I care because I care about the suffering of Muslims.
Since it was Muslims who suffered why do you care? You dont give a shit about their sufferings elsewhere – you dont even give a shit about Bengali Muslims suffering given your contemptous dismissal of the genocidal British famine and the fact you spend a great deal of your time demonising British Bengali Muslims and attacking their major institutions. And your head Douglas Murray wants to ban Bengali Muslims from entering the UK. Yet you potray yourself as defenders of Bengali Muslims – give me a break.
Faisal Gazi (aka effendi) isnt even from Sylhet where 99% of British Bengalis hail from originally- so how is he a representative of them? Then again neither is someone we could genuiniely say does represent them – their local MP George Galloway
Effendi
Thats rich given you Spittoon , harrys place , Douglas Murray and all your cohorts are purveyors of the new anti-semitism – Islamophobia
“Spare us your pathethic victimhood and contempt for Bengalis. I care because I care about the suffering of Muslims.”
By denying that a genocide of Bengalis ever happened and by defending the perpetrators of the genocide?
That’s the Islamist way of showing you care about the suffering of Bengali Muslims. You have learnt well from Inayat Bunglawala.
Ducked out of double Woodwork on a toilet pass, eh Bleh?
So Faisal Ghazi is claiming to represent sylhetis now. What is this Islamist obsession with representation
I notice that in Bleh’s whataboutery list of genocides and mass murders (that we must mention if we are to ever mention any genocide), he is careful to avoid mention of recent events in Darfur. Events that are a prima facie case of Islamist violence, rapine and mass murder against fellow Muslims.
“Events that are a prima facie case of Islamist violence, raping and mass murder against fellow Muslims.”
Ooh yes, more of that please!
Faisal Gazi (aka effendi) isnt even from Sylhet where 99% of British Bengalis hail from originally- so how is he a representative of them? Then again neither is someone we could genuiniely say does represent them – their local MP George Galloway
The only people I represent is me, myself and I.
I remain revolted by the callous indifference embodied in Bungle’s response to this story.
However, am I mistaken if I also detect an attempt on the part of Mr Bean to distance himself from Mueen Uddin? Bungles has an alibi – he was not there, honest guv – he’s a British-born Islamist whose parents, contingently, happen to come from what was East Pakistan. Further more, he has been far too busy to take notice of the fact that he may have been working bloody-hand-in-glove with an alleged war criminal and murderer.
You can almost hear, the shuffling of Bungle’s shiny, black, patent slip-ons as he edges further and further away from Mueen Uddin.
Off-topic:
Inayat’s family is Bengali? With a name like Bunglawala, I thought they were Gujarati (or thereabouts.)
You are quite right. My bad:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/07/bangladesh-war-crimes?commentid=8c0a35c2-0ef9-4d58-940e-0141fec3253e
Apologies to Inayat.
“During the final days of the occupation, the Pakistani army was on the verge of collapse, having been soundly beaten back by the Mukti Bahini and Indian army which was now fighting on their side”
Give it was East Pakistan at the time how could the Pakistani army be occupying its own country? you make it sound like they were the invaders not the Indian army.
Unless you believe Bangladesh belongs to India
Oh, please! You could argue that about any army of occupation conducting military operations against a subject people.
Confession of a Pakistani soldier from 1971: