More on Salah Choudhury

Janet Albrechtsen, The Australian, tells Choudhury's story:

From his home in Dhaka he told The Australian he watched, with apprehension, the massive expansion of what he calls kindergarten madrassas. "I discovered they were teaching almost the same thing that was being taught in the other madrassas, spreading the message of religious hatred and jihad." He is talking about children as young as five to up to 18 from both poor and affluent families being indoctrinated with Islamist revolution and the implementation of sharia law.

When mainstream newspapers refused to carry his investigative reports, he set up The Weekly Blitz. From May 2003, his newspaper, handed out in local markets and published online to an international audience, carried reports on the rise of Islamic militancy in Bangladesh and the propaganda campaign waged against Jews. Choudhury pressed for inter-faith dialogue between Jews and Muslims. Soon enough he started receiving threats from local radicals on a daily basis.

He has been arrested and beaten and his family threatened. His trial for sedition has been deferred until January. Choudhury believes Al Qaeda is moving into Bangladesh. We need to pay attention.

Rep. Mark Kirk has intervened on his behalf to get him released from jail, but will tomorrow introduce a resolution in Congress to have the charges dropped.

Previous post here.