Bangladesh Slipping Toward Islamic Extremism, Muslim Zionist Says
By Edmund DeMarche 
August 3, 2007
New York Sun
Original Source: http://www.nysun.com/article/59743
When the Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Muslim who edits the Weekly Blitz, an English-language newspaper in Bangladesh, set out for the airport to fly to America last Sunday, his wife asked him whether she should pack two suitcases: one for if he was allowed onto the plane, a second containing a set of clothes for prison, in case he was arrested for attempting to leave.
Mr. Choudhury is famous in Bangladesh. When he arrived at the airport to board a plane to America, an immigration official saw his name and asked why he had been prevented from leaving the country in the past.
Mr. Choudhury thought it best to lie. Because I didn't have enough money, he said, and he was allowed to board the plane.
Mr. Choudhury served 17 days in jail in 2003 when he tried to travel to Israel to attend a religious conference. He was put in isolation, beaten, and harassed.
When members of the government saw me leave, I bet they said, ‘Good, one less headache,' Mr. Choudhury told members of the American Jewish Committee Thursday. But when I go back on Sunday, they are going to have twice the headache.
I am proud to be a Muslim Zionist, Mr. Choudhury said. My family raised me to be tolerant of other religions.
Mr. Choudhury said Bangladesh is swiftly moving in favor of Islamic extremists. He spoke of the increase in financial support from Saudis for Muslim financial and educational institutions in Bangladesh.
If someone wanted to build a school in Bangladesh, they would be faced with all kinds of bureaucracy, Mr. Choudhury said. But if they wanted to build a madrassa, they could do so with ease.
According to Mr. Choudhury, the people of Bangladesh are not critical of America. The government, however, which he described as extremely radical, harbors deep resentment towards America.
He is currently awaiting trial, which has been postponed five times in the past seven months. His lawyer, Irwin Cotler, said that over that time Mr. Choudhury has endured nine major violations of his pretrial rights guaranteed by the Bangladeshi Constitution.
His government says that he is a member of Mossad, Mr. Colter, who defended a leading Egyptian advocate of democracy, Saad Iddin Ibrahim, said. That is the universal vernacular when the government does not have any substantiating evidence.
The American Jewish Committee has been pursuing similar cases to those faced by Mr. Choudhury for 100 years, and has lent its support to Mr. Choudhury. It has urged the Bangladesh government to drop all unwarranted charges against him.
We need more people in the world with the courage Mr. Choudhury has displayed, the executive director of the committee, David Harris, said.
Instead of being criminalized, he should have been given a medal for all he has done for Bangladesh, Mr. Cotler said.