Muslim Zionist continues struggle against Islamist foes
By Seth Mandel
April 11, 2008
On March 18, anti-Islamist, pro-Israel Muslim journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury was blindfolded, kidnapped, isolated, interrogated, and charged with a bogus crime on planted evidence after being called a "Zionist spy and agent of the Jews."
That's an insult where he comes from, because Choudhury runs a newspaper in
Choudhury, however, isn't out to pacify anyone, and has been both a fierce critic of political Islamism and a steadfast friend of
In November 2003, Choudhury, the editor-in-chief of The Weekly Blitz, was arrested and tortured by the Bangladeshi authorities while trying to board a plane to Tel-Aviv. What should have been a simple passport violation turned into a saga of repeated physical violence, intimidation, imprisonment, and censorship that is now in its third year. Choudhury is still on trial for espionage, sedition, treason, and blasphemy, though after Chicago-area friend Dr. Richard Benkin got involved and enlisted the willing support of Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and others, the Bangladeshi authorities have been careful to keep Choudhury alive -- at least for now.
The March 18 episode, carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), ended with Benkin, Kirk, and other members of the U.S. Congress, including Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) sternly voicing their displeasure with the Bangladeshi consulate.
"People in RAB custody have been known to ‘disappear'," Benkin wrote in an email to supporters the night of the incident, "and RAB does not carry out actions such as today's without serious consequences."
Rothman told The Jewish State that he's been part of a bipartisan group keeping an eye on Choudhury's condition.
"We felt that Mr. Choudhury was a man of great strength and courage in the Muslim world, who had taken it upon himself, in the face of tremendous bigotry and zealotry, to stand up for moderation and tolerance," Rothman said in a phone interview. "He did so in the face of death threats, both to himself and his family members, and we wanted to make sure that he knew that people on both sides of the isle in the United States Congress were there to help him and very much appreciated his efforts."
From here, Rothman said, the Bangladeshi authorities have been put on notice that the success of their attempts to insinuate themselves into the good graces of the world's democracies will depend largely on how Choudhury is treated.
Rothman and Kirk sit on the House appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations -- the body that recommends all foreign aid originating in the House of Representatives. It is that body that
"We made it clear to them that we expect them to be respectful of the rights of Mr. Choudhury and those who share his point of view, if they want to be considered a friend to the United States and a moderate nation in the Muslim world," Rothman said, adding that he and his colleagues will be "analyzing not just the words, but the actions of the Bangladeshi government on a day-to-day basis."
Choudhury is fighting back, lodging a formal complaint with the chief of
"Yes, we are publishing the newspaper, and will continue our publication under any circumstance," Choudhury said. "We know we are at war against Islamists and radical Islam." Those insidious elements may enlist their own allies to step up the pressure, he said. "But our cause is noble, and we have support from God and my millions of friends, supporters, brothers, and sisters around the world."
Choudhury's next trial date is set for April 15. The round-the-clock police protection he once enjoyed is gone, replaced with an overnight watch. The RAB, he said, continues to harass him and his family, but he puts his safety in God's hands and only grows bolder with each day of his unique interfaith advocacy.
"We shall continue to fight as we fought for the past five years," Choudhury told The Jewish State. "And we shall win."