Fact Sheet on Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin last updated by Ehab on MARCH 30, 2008 in WAR CRIMINALS AND COLLOBORATORSThis note summarises the evidence and references published so far to establish that Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin (1) – a citizen of UK, the vice-chair of East London Mosque and Treasurer of Muslim Aid – was involved in war crimes during the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence. Background: After the independence of India in 1947, Pakistan was divided into two wings – East and West Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan – who were predominantly Bengali – increasingly felt economically and culturally oppressed by West Pakistan. In 1970, the political party, the Awami League, which represented the aspirations of those in East Pakistan who sought greater autonomy won the elections for the whole of Pakistan. However, the West Pakistan leaders refused to establish the parliament, and on the night of 25 March 1971 its army initiated a military crackdown named “Operation Searchlight” in Dhaka, killing thousands of people in the city including students in Dhaka University campus(2). This was the beginning of the war that resulted in the creation of Bangladesh out of what was East Pakistan. It is known as the Bangladesh Liberation War or War for the Independence of Bangladesh. During the war, there were widespread killings of the civilians and other atrocities(3). Towards the end of the War, a section of the intellectual community of East Pakistan were murdered, allegedly by the AL-Badr force, the militia wing of local collaborators of the Pakistani army(4). Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin’s role in Bangladesh Genocide: In March 1971, Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, a journalist at the Daily Purbodesh, was an active member of the Islami Chaatra Sangha (ICS) – the student wing of the Jammat-I-Islami which actively opposed Bangladesh liberation war and aided the Pakistani military. In August 1971, the Jamaat-e-Islami, according to its own newspaper the Daily Sangram(5), set up the Al-Badr Squad comprising members of the ICS to violently combat the forces supporting Bangladesh’s liberation. Mueen-Uddin became a member of the Al-Badr. Evidences: A. In 1995, in a Channel 4 documentary(6), researchers presented a series of evidence and eyewitnesses that directly implicated Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin as the leader of the gang in at least two disappearances and killings, and one attempted disappearance. *Watch the documentary here* dailymotion/playlist/x1cffz_WarCrimesBD_war-crimes-files-channel-4/1#video=xdq815 War Crimes File – A Documentary BY Twenty Twenty Television 1. Abduction and disappearance of Mofazzal Haider Chaudhury, Dhaka University Professor of Bengali: A family member present at the scene states: “they stormed into the house brandishing guns and with gamchas over their faces. While being taken away, [Prof Chaudhury] pulled down the gamcha from one of the men’s faces, I recognised him immediately. It was Mueen-Uddin; I knew him because he used to come to our house to study (7).” 2. Abduction and disappearance of Serajuddin Hossain, Journalist Serajuddin Hossain’s wife identified Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin as one of the men who took her husband(8). 3. Attempted Abduction of Ataus Samad, BBC Journalist It is known that Mueen-Uddin was involved in attempting to abduct BBC journalist Ataus Samad. Two tenants were woken up by a gang of men and saw the faces of the leader. After independence, when a photograph of Mueen-Uddin’s face was published they both recognised him as the man leading the abductions, that night(9). B. Case Filed in Bangladesh with subsequent case statements by the intelligence agency: Farida Banu, younger sister of Professor Giasuddin Ahmed, filed a case in this connection with Ramna Police Station in Bangladesh on September 24, 1997 against two Al-Badr cadres–Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman–for killing her brother on December 14 in 1971(10), resulting in a police investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The investigation report named Mueen-Uddin as one of the prime accused in relation to abduction and disappearance of eight Dhaka University professors on that night including Prof Ahmed(11). According to the case statement, on 14 December 1971, Al-Badr members Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman picked up Giasuddin Ahmed from Muhsin Hall premises, blindfolded him and whisked him in a microbus to an undisclosed location. He never came back. C. Newspaper reports immediately after the intellectual killings naming Mueen-Uddin as the prime suspect based on confessions by captured Al-Badr leaders. Bangladesh Obsever reported on December 29th, 1971, “Chowdhury Mainuddin, a member of the banned fanatic Jamaat-e-Islami, has been described as the “operation-in-charge” of the killing of intellectuals in Dhaka by Abdul Khaleq, a captured ring leader of the Al-Badr and office bearer of the Jamaat-e-Islami.” New York Times reports on 2 January 2 1972 – “to his fellow reporters on the Bengali-language paper where he worked, Chowdhury Mueenuddin was a pleasant, well-mannered and intelligent young man…there was nothing exceptional about him except perhaps that he often received telephone calls from the leader of a right-wing Moslem political party. But, investigations in the last few days show that those calls were significant. For Mr. Mueenuddin has been identified as the head of a secret, commando like organization of fantatic Moslems that murdered several hundred prominent Bengali professors, doctors, lawyer and journalists in a Dhaka brick yard. Dressed in black sweaters and khaki pants, members of the group, known as Al-Badar, rounded up their victims on the last three nights of the war…Their goal, captured members have since said, was to wipe out all Bengali intellectuals who advocated independence from Pakistan and the creation a of a secular, non Moslem state.” Mueen Uddin’s Post Independence Rehabilitation in the United Kingdom: Soon after the war, Mueen-Uddins’s involvement in the intellectual killings came to light and several newspapers including the New York Times published articles alleging that he was the Operation-in-Charge of the killings(12). Although the authorities sought Mueen-Uddin’s arrest in connection with these allegations, he however managed to evade arrest and investigation, and travelled to the UK where he ultimately obtained residence and nationality without disclosing his past antecedents. Once in London, along with other members of the Jamaat-e-Islami who had escaped to London, he set up the Dawatul Islam(13) which was in effect the UK front of the Jamaat(14). A split subsequently took place amongst the leadership of Dawatul Islam, and Mueen-Uddin then established Islamic Forum Europe, which continues to be the UK front of the Jamaat-e-Islami(15). As recently as November, 2007, Islamic Forum Europe invited the head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Matiur Rahman Nizami, another alleged war criminal, from Bangladesh to their events as special guests. Mueen-Uddin’s base was however East London Mosque – and he became its Vice Chairman in the 1990s(16). Till this day he is Vice-Chair of this mosque. Mueen-Uddin also became active as Treasurer (former Chairman) of Muslim Aid UK(17) [See Annexe-II]; Deputy Director of Leicester based Islamic Foundation; and the Special Editor of Weekly Dawat(18). Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin’s rehabilitation continued as Government decided to engage with Muslim Council of Britain in the name of engaging with Muslims. In 2003, Prince Charles visited Islamic Foundation headed by Mueen-Uddin(19).
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 20:02:54 +0000
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