B'desh continues to erase role of Hasina's father Mujib, now from textbooks

New Bangladeshi textbooks for primary and secondary students have reportedly removed the title 'Father of the Nation' for Mujibur Rahman

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Bangladesh has introduced new textbooks stating that Ziaur Rahman declared the country's independence in 1971, replacing earlier versions that credited founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, with the declaration, news agency PTI reported on Thursday, citing a local media report.

 

The new textbooks for primary and secondary students include several changes, according to Bangladeshi publication The Daily Star. The textbooks have also removed the title "Father of the Nation" for Mujibur Rahman.

 

The free textbooks for the 2025 academic year will state that "on March 26, 1971, Ziaur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh, and on March 27, he made another declaration of independence on behalf of Bangabandhu," The Daily Star quoted Prof AKM Reazul Hassan, chairman of Bangladesh's National Curriculum and Textbook Board, as saying. He added that this information has been incorporated into the textbooks where the issue of the declaration is discussed.

 

According to the report, writer and researcher Rakhal Raha, who participated in revising the textbooks, stated that the goal was to eliminate "exaggerated, imposed history". The report further noted that the revisers determined there was no factual basis for the claim that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sent the wireless message declaring independence while being arrested by the Pakistani army, leading to its removal.

 

Earlier, textbooks for classes one to 10 were revised to reflect the preferences of the ruling government regarding who made the Declaration of Independence, the paper reported.

 

Supporters of the Awami League widely believe that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made the announcement, while Ziaur Rahman, then an army major and later a sector commander in the Liberation War, merely read out the declaration under Mujib's instructions.

 

Separately, Bangladesh recently decided to begin phasing out old currency notes bearing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s image as part of a process to replace them.

 

The decision followed the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter, as prime minister on August 5. Statues and murals depicting his image were attacked as Hasina fled to India.

 

Additionally, the interim government cancelled the national holiday on August 15, which had commemorated Mujibur Rahman’s assassination.