JOINT PRESS RELEASE
US Bangladesh Advisory Council (www.usbac.org)
Bangladesh Development Initiative (www.bdiusa.org)
USBAC - BDI Joint Statement on the Terrorist Attack in Mumbai
WASHINGTON, DC, January 12, 2009: The recent events that occurred in Mumbai, India on November
26, 2008, were an outrage that shocked the entire world. People across national and political
demarcations, outside of government and its official agencies, have uniformly expressed their sorrow
and their anger over this appalling episode that represents an affront to the very idea of a peaceful,
tolerant, and prosperous community.
It is therefore particularly surprising to note that there has hardly been any response from civil society in
Bangladesh regarding this event. There has been no statement, public demonstration, or protest
condemning what happened in Mumbai and unequivocally declaring Bangladeshi peoples opposition
to and vigilance against extremist thinking and terrorist violence in any form, anywhere, including in their
midst. This lacuna is particularly distressing to observe in light of the fact that even in the country
suspected by many to be the home of the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage, Pakistan, there have
been vociferous protests and public processions from social groups vigorously reproving the deed and
its authors.
We hope that members of Bangladeshi civil society will also recognize the importance of taking an
explicit stand on this issue and make clear in as public and visible a manner as possible that
Bangladesh is a humane, tolerant, and progressive nation and will never accommodate extremist
thinking and irrational violence as a solution to any issue or cause. There is an occasion at this
auspicious moment in the country’s history, when it is embarking on a healthy new political life, to affirm
what the values of its peoples are, and taking a determined stand against the kind of political and
criminal behavior perpetrated in Mumbai
US Bangladesh Advisory Council (www.usbac.org)
Bangladesh Development Initiative (www.bdiusa.org)
USBAC - BDI Joint Statement on the Terrorist Attack in Mumbai
WASHINGTON, DC, January 12, 2009: The recent events that occurred in Mumbai, India on November
26, 2008, were an outrage that shocked the entire world. People across national and political
demarcations, outside of government and its official agencies, have uniformly expressed their sorrow
and their anger over this appalling episode that represents an affront to the very idea of a peaceful,
tolerant, and prosperous community.
It is therefore particularly surprising to note that there has hardly been any response from civil society in
Bangladesh regarding this event. There has been no statement, public demonstration, or protest
condemning what happened in Mumbai and unequivocally declaring Bangladeshi peoples opposition
to and vigilance against extremist thinking and terrorist violence in any form, anywhere, including in their
midst. This lacuna is particularly distressing to observe in light of the fact that even in the country
suspected by many to be the home of the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage, Pakistan, there have
been vociferous protests and public processions from social groups vigorously reproving the deed and
its authors.
We hope that members of Bangladeshi civil society will also recognize the importance of taking an
explicit stand on this issue and make clear in as public and visible a manner as possible that
Bangladesh is a humane, tolerant, and progressive nation and will never accommodate extremist
thinking and irrational violence as a solution to any issue or cause. There is an occasion at this
auspicious moment in the country’s history, when it is embarking on a healthy new political life, to affirm
what the values of its peoples are, and taking a determined stand against the kind of political and
criminal behavior perpetrated in Mumbai
U.S. Bangladesh Advisory Council
