By Anna Romandash
What is like to live in a country, where atheists are being killed? In Bangladesh, a country, where in 2015, four atheist bloggers were killed, non-Muslim bloggers fear persecution. We spoke with BOBS-award winning, who uses penname Nastiker Dharmakatha (“Religious Speech of an Atheist”) about his film “Razor’s Edge” on religion-based persecution in his home country.
What is your project all about?
I have been blogging in Bangladesh for a long time, writing about my atheism and religious discrimination in the country. In the recent years, it grew much bigger, with bloggers being persecuted and beaten simply because they were atheists and spoke about it openly. 2015 was especially horrifying year, when the fellow bloggers I knew were killed; some were murdered on the street, and one was killed in his house. All of these people simply defended their beliefs online.
I was writing about atheism, too, so I got terrified after the incidents. The company I worked for helped me leave the country. I decided to collect the stories of the victims of persecution when I left Bangladesh. So with help of the other activists, I interviewed the parents of the killed bloggers and some active bloggers. The final result is the movie “Razor’s Edge” about the situation with free-spirited bloggers and radical attacks on them in Bangladesh.
What is the next step?
I cannot come back to Bangladesh. Although I never use my real name, there were times, when I was less careful, so I am afraid I may be recognized back home. So for now, I will stay in Europe and try to spread the word about the horrors taking place toward the bloggers. It is not just atheists, but also Christians and other religious minorities. The same happens to people, who differ from the majority. I wish my film helps the world to see what is happening in Bangladesh. So my main goal is to tell the story, and also improve the conditions of the bloggers in Bangladesh.
