by JACK MYERS In the United States of America, freedom of speech, expression, and assembly are rights held dear and ensured by the First Amendment of the Constitution. In some parts of the world, however, these rights are not guaranteed nor are they protected. Central student Ahnaf Rabbani ‘21 knows this all too well. Only a few years ago, Rabbani lived in Bangladesh, a small yet populous country in South Asia. Unfortunately, Bangladesh has a government that no longer upholds the principles of democracy. The Rabbani family lived in a nice home and had the ability to travel abroad annually. However, this life of luxury crumbled in the wake of political corruption. Ahnaf’s father was active in politics, but his political ideology differed from the ruling government, which many consider to be corrupt. The government retaliated with violence. In Bangladesh, there are two main political parties: the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), which currently holds power of the nation, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Bangladesh claims be a republic, but corruption plagues the nation. Golam Rabbani, Ahnaf’s father and a former lawyer at the Bangladesh Supreme Court, ran for mayor of Chauddagram, a city in the Comilla district. However, the government controlled by the BAL ordered the police to harass and commit acts of violence against the Rabbanis. “Police would come raid our house, even in the middle of the night, because they were ordered to,” remembers Ahnaf. “Police attacked my father at a political rally and broke his left arm into four pieces. I am certain the absolute goal of the Bangladesh Awami League was to kill my father because they did not like him running for mayor of Chauddagram.” In another incident, Mrs. Rabbani* remembers, “police came to our house at three in the morning to find my husband, even though he wasn’t there. They broke a lot of our furniture, and my daughter, who was two at the time, was very scared because of what was going on. We thought
Pictured is Ahnaf Rabbani ‘21’s family while they lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Although they reminsce their previous lives, they are thankful to be alive. “If you don’t live, what is the meaning of anything else?” Mrs. Rabbani said. “So I am alive, my husband is alive, and I dream of my kids. I want them to pursue a good education.”
Photo: courtesy of A. Rabbani
they were going to kill us.” The Rabbanis decided to flee Bangladesh. However, they were not able to leave immediately due to legal documentation requirements. “My family and I had to stay away from our house for about a year before we were able to leave Bangladesh and come to the United States because police would have found and attacked us within our own home,” Ahnaf said. “We would move from one place to another or stay at my dad’s friends’ houses.” After this traumatic series of events, the Rabbani family arrived in America. Before coming to Michigan, they lived in New York City. “We came to Michigan because we had
“Police would come raid our house, even in the middle of the night, because they were ordered to.” a friend that had an empty apartment in Port Huron,” Mrs. Rabbani said. Eventually, the Rabbanis found their way to Traverse City via Justice For Our Neighbors, an organization that helps people in the process of legal immigration. Living in America has exposed Ahnaf to new people and a different culture. Although adapting to societal differences presented a few challenges, he has largely enjoyed his time in America. “My experience in the United States has been majestic, and I grow to enjoy it more everyday.” According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the current prime minister and leader of the BAL, Sheikh Hasina, and forty-six other members of the BAL have been accused of murdering members of rival
political parties. “If there is one thing I could do to improve Bangladesh today, I would pick a new leader,” Ahnaf said. Though Golam was a lawyer in Bangladesh, he also worked as a social worker and researcher. He helped to introduce social work activities in politics and founded a social organization in Bangladesh known as International Migration Foundation. But the ruling government did not like his political activities and threatened to kidnap Ahnaf from school. Before fleeing, Mrs. Rabbani, Ahnaf’s mother, was the chief executive officer for an organization known as National Youth Forum of Bangladesh (NYFB) which taught leadership and job skills to young adults around the country. According to Mrs. Rabbani, “the organization helped young people of Bangladesh, so they would be able to get good jobs or be able to start their own business. We also partnered with universities to host a national event known as Bangladesh Youth Parliament, which had kids come from all over the country.” Mrs. Rabbani also wishes to return to Bangladesh one day and hopes for it to be a safer place. However, she has no desire to permanently live in Bangladesh again. “In the past few years my kids have become accustomed with American culture and the education system. If we were to permanently move back there, it would be tough for them to go to school there because both of the countries’ education systems are quite different.” While the Rabbanis desire to return to Bangladesh, they continue to face obstacles; the BAL continues to hold political control of Bangladesh. This means rights like freedom of speech, expression and assembly, rights many of us here in the United States take for granted, are largely non-existent in Bangladesh. And unless the political landscape changes, a return to Bangladesh for the Rabbanis is unlikely. //