Name Sayed Islam Role Politician | Parents Syed Nazrul Islam Party Bangladesh Awami League | |
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Residence Dhaka, Bangladesh and London, UK Political party Bangladesh Awami League Spouse(s) Sheila Thakur (Married date:Unknown) Similar People Syed Nazrul Islam, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Abdul Hamid Khan Bha | ||
Sayed Ashraful Islam (born 1952) is a Bangladeshi politician of the Awami League. He is a Member of Parliament and Minister of Public Administration of the Government of Bangladesh. Islam served for a time as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.
Contents
- Early life
- Political career
- Controversy
- Criticism of Muhammad of Yunus
- Criticism of American diplomats
- References
Early life
He was a Mukti Bahini member during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. He was involved in politics from the student life. He became the General Secretary of greater Mymensingh District Chhatra League and assistant publicity secretary of the central unit. He also worked as the Acting General Secretary of Awami League after the arrest of its general secretary, Abdul Jalil. Now he is working as the spokesman of Bangladesh Awami League Party. He is the eldest son of Syed Nazrul Islam, acting president of the Mujibnagar government in 1971. He served as General Secretary of the Awami League.
Political career
In 1975, following the killing of Islam's father in prison along with three other national leaders, he immigrated to the United Kingdom and lived in London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Whilst living in Tower Hamlets, he was involved in Bangladeshi community activism and played an important role in formation of Bangladesh Youth League (BYL). He was elected as an Education Secretary of Federation of Bangladeshi Youth Organisation (FBYO) and worked at an education project based at Montefiore Centre in Tower Hamlets. Before immigrating to the United Kingdom, he completed Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) in 1973 from Mymensingh Zillah School. He returned to Bangladesh in 1996 and was elected Member of Parliament (MP) from his home constituency, Kishoreganj Sadar, in the 7th national elections of Bangladesh. He was elected an MP in the 2001 election as well. He worked as a member of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign ministry. His electoral pledges include building up developed road and rail link from Dhaka to his home town, Kishoreganj. He is part of a committee to study the judicial pay scale.
Controversy
He questioned the role of Bangladesh in the Saudi lead military alliance against terror. He has criticised Bangladesh Bank and the Finance Ministry for the high rate of interest.
Criticism of Muhammad of Yunus
Islam is known for his attacks on Nobel laureate and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus. In 2012, while was addressing a program for farmers of cooperatives, he verbally attacked Nobel laureate and Grameen Bank founder:
His (Yunus's) basic subject is economics and he introduced microcredit programme, but did not get Nobel Prize in economics, ... He (Yunus) got Nobel Prize for Peace. But which war has he stopped with his activities and in which continent has he established peace through his microcredit program?
Criticism of American diplomats
Islam has also criticised American diplomats. In the same gathering where he criticised Muhammad Yunus, he criticised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a TV program on ATN Bangla, alleging that she and the moderator, Munni Saha, were "attempting to undermine Bangladesh."
In 2014, in a meeting in Khulna, Islam called the US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal, who was on an official visit to Bangladesh, "a minister of two pennies," and added that said she "cannot change the power in Bangladesh." On the same occasion, he belittled the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Dan Mozena, calling him "maid Marzina."