News of rape incidents is becoming common, but why is it so? Are soft Bengali minds turning cruel and if so, why? We silently observe that an increasing number of not only women, but children are now starting to wear hijabs. We talk about where our secular life style IS heading to and where it will lead to.
The nation is now in a state of shock, except for the very few, who have perverted enough minds to commit rapes or permit rapes to take place.
The time has come out to rethink our recruitment policies in educational institutions, in selecting our public representatives and most importantly appointing the police.
“To kill yourself is to accept defeat. I will not do that. Rather I will stay alive and punish the one who caused me to suffer. And through punishing him, I will make an example of him, so that other perverts like him may learn a lesson. He will get such a punishment which will teach others. I will give him the toughest punishment Insha Allah.”
Those are the words of Nusrat Jahan Rafi from a letter he wrote to her friends, but her life was cut short before she could send it. Imagine the anger and pain she was going through much ahead of the time she was torched allegedly on the orders of her madrasa headmaster.
Why set her on fire? Just because she refused to withdraw a case she earlier filed for molestation against the headmaster or because she did not allow the perverted headmaster to have sex with her. It is a reflection of the ferociousness of a few minds which were once alien to this land.
Madrassa headmaster Siraj-ud-Dowla taught Islam and the Koran, which talks of love and peace to mankind. This teacher just did the opposite. He also over-ruled his creator’s instructions to respect women.
From Dowla, his students have learned to disrespect women and eventually torched Nusrat to death.
The madrassas must be probed to find out why and who were destroying our innocent children sent their by the parents to be good citizens by accepting all that is good in what the Koran says about life. But instead why so many were coming out as nothing less than monsters? This needs answering.
A thorough background and character check of all the teachers and staffs of madrassas is now a must without delay. Those unfit must be sacked and banned from all educational institutions.
Other educational institutions also must check their teachers and staffs in a similar way without any fear or bias.
Influential people or those with all the money in the world must be exposed if they try to help or save anyone found to be problematic. A number of people, including a ruling party man, have been found to be linked to the murder. Public figures should face public flogging so that they never repeat their offences. To commit a crime and to abate it is the same, and wrongdoers must face maximum punishment.
The police are almost always found to take sides of the powerful, because in the region they are known to take hefty bribes to facilitate criminals. We still see traffic men taking bribes from truckers and bus drivers, and sometimes the rickshaw pullers also do this, even after getting pay hikes along with other perks from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Thus taking sides and bribes to allow a crime to take place demands exemplary punishment.
In many cases, young boys are raping young girls which was unheard when those in my age group were growing up. It is the effect of rampant abuse of drugs and easy avaibility of pornographic material. Many of these young boys rob, steal or borrow to “show off” with girls when parents can’t afford to meet their extra demands.
Nusrat has left for her eternal abode, but she has left behind a nation in shame and a message to all women --- stand up against these men now instead of shying away.
The society must stand up against the criminals and perverted males of all ages. They must extend their help and support.
The Prime Minister has met Nusrat’s family and consoled them. That is our hope in getting justice for Nusrat and that is our hope of seeing urgent actions to stop crimes against women.
It is also a warning to the perverts by those who have taken to the streets to protest Nusrat’s killing and the demand for the punishment of those who perpetrated the heinous crime.
Subjects explaining male and female relationship based on mutual respect, but not seeing women as a sex object is a must learn subject. Sex education is also necessary.

Nadeem Qadir is the Consulting Editor, Daily Sun and a UN Dag Hammarskjöld fellow.