In a move that has sparked outrage across human rights circles, a private university in Bangladesh has dismissed two professors amid allegations of blasphemy. The Paris-based Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has strongly condemned the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) in Dhaka for this decision, labeling it a grave threat to academic freedom in the South Asian nation.
The firings occurred on January 18, when UAP officials abruptly terminated the services of Assistant Professor Layeka Bashir and Associate Professor ASM Mohsin, both from the Basic Sciences and Humanities Department. Mohsin served as the department head. This action came under intense pressure from extremist student protests and organized mob demonstrations, without any transparent investigation or opportunity for the accused to defend themselves.
JMBF highlighted that the dismissals blatantly violate Bangladesh’s constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, fundamental principles of justice, and academic freedoms. The group expressed deep concern over the arbitrary nature of the decision, especially since an inquiry committee was still probing the blasphemy allegations at the time.
Renowned French human rights activist Robert John Paul Simon, chief advisor to JMBF, described the episode as a dangerous precedent. ‘Labeling teachers as Islamophobic for expressing personal opinions on social media, inciting mobs against them, issuing threats, and ultimately engineering their dismissal through administrative fiat sets a perilous example,’ Simon stated. He accused the university administration of prioritizing appeasement of organized violence over protecting its faculty’s rights and safety.
This incident extends beyond the two professors; it poses a systemic risk to Bangladesh’s education sector and freedom of expression. JMBF warned that yielding to mob pressure in such cases would stifle free thought, research, and open discourse in academia moving forward.
The organization has demanded the immediate revocation of the dismissal orders, the formation of an independent, impartial, and transparent international-standard inquiry commission, and assurances for the professors’ safety and dignity. As global watchdogs turn their gaze to Dhaka, the university’s response could define the future of intellectual liberty in Bangladesh.