Had Begum Rokeya been alive to see the name “Oborodhbasini”, the platform through which female students are challenging these restrictions, perhaps she would have recognized the continuity before she noticed the novelty.
Is coercive moral policing becoming normalized in Bangladesh’s public sphere?
If a hostile landlord evicts us from our rented housing, or if an institution terminates our employment based on proven discrimination, we will be able look toward our Constitution with hope for reassurance and justice.
Incorporating constitutional education into all faculties could play a significant role in developing informed, responsible, and constitutionally aware citizens.
Bangladesh’s citizens face a crucial choice: Will they allow the state to bypass constitutional limits, pressure institutions, and control the vote, or will they insist that the Constitution not the government remains the ultimate authority?
We don't need a new constitution, we need targeted reforms to preserve and improve it. And 2024 was not a repudiation of 1971 -- it was a continuation of its ideals.
The only meaningful item remaining on the reform agenda is whether an Upper House should be based on PR or not. Everything else can be sorted out without difficulty. We are closer to consensus than you think.