Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad
Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad (Bengali: পাক সার জমিন সাদ বাদ pāk šar jomin šād bād from Urdu: پاک سرزمین شاد باد pāk sarzamīn shād bād "Blessed be the Sacred Land") is a 2004 Bangladeshi novel,[1] written by Humayun Azad. The novel is based on an imagined Islamic fundamentalist political party that wants to make Bangladesh a Sharia law based Islamic state.
_by_Humayun_Azad.jpg) | |
| Author | Humayun Azad |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Samar Majumdar |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Language | Bengali |
| Subject | Religious fundamentalism |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Agamee Prakashani, Dhaka |
Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 112 |
| ISBN | 984-401-769-6 |
| OCLC | 808109497 |
Title and synopsis
The book title is a reference to the national anthem of Pakistan written in heavily Persianized Urdu by the Pakistani poet Hafeez Jullundhri in 1952. The first stanza of the song is as follows:[2]
| Urdu lyrics | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|
|
|
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The main protagonist character of the novel is a member of a fictitious Islamist political party. The protagonist's views are expressed in his monologue, "We aren't alone. Our brothers all over the world are doing their work. If they fly a plane into a building somewhere, if cars crash into a hospital or a hotel, or if a bomb blast kills 300 people in some recreational center, then we know it's the work of our brothers; in other words, it is our work. This is Jihad."[3]
The main male protagonist falls in love with a Hindu girl and later leaves the fundamentalist political party, he also removes extremist thoughts from his mind.[3]
Controversy
Pak Sar Jamin Saad Baad, this novel was a criticism against the Bangladeshi Islamist fundamentalist political party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.[4][5] On 27 February 2004, Azad came under a vicious attack by unidentified assailants, it was assumed that the attackers were Islamic fundamentalists; Azad received threats after publishing this novel in the newspaper The Daily Ittefaq in 2003.[4][6] The imaginary political party created by Azad in the novel was titled as "Jama'-e-Jihad-e Islam Party", this party, it's ideologies and activities written in the novel were believed to be a metaphor of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.[3]
In late July 2004, Azad wrote a moving letter to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and other political leaders calling on them to restore freedom in Bangladesh and pleading for protection to himself and his family.[3] Azad died in August, 2004 in Germany following his recovery from ill-health, he died on the night of 11th of the month, the day he reached there.[7]
Criticism
Bangladeshi novelist, filmmaker and dramatist Humayun Ahmed called the book "so vulgar that anybody would be hurt after reading it. He doesn't have to be a fundamentalist."[8]
References
- "Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad". WorldCat. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
- "Information of Pakistan". Infopak.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
- Ahmed Hussain (12 March 2004). "Everything Falls Apart". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Sayedee remanded in Humayun Azad case". Bdnews24.com. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- "JMB men to be grilled in Humayun Azad case". Bdnews24.com. 8 March 2010.
- "JMB directly involved in attack on Prof Humayun Azad: Shaekh tells interrogators". Bdnews24.com. 7 March 2006.
- "Sayedee shown arrested in Humayun Azad murder case". Bdnews24.com. 11 July 2010.
- Bashar, Reazul; Ahmed, Mustak (20 July 2008). "Humayun Ahmed draws flak from literati". Bdnews24.com. Retrieved 7 February 2017.