Another outspoken atheist has been brutally murdered by Islamists in Bangladesh

For the first time this year, an atheist had been brutally murdered for their beliefs by radical Islamists, which has become a recurring tragedy in the country.

According to Patheos, last year saw the execution of an atheist roughly every other month in Bangladesh, which included Dr. Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman, Ananta Bijoy Das, Niloy Neel, and Faisal Arfin Dipon. 

Nazimuddin Samad, 28, is the latest victim of butchery on the part of fanatics because he was “promoting” atheism in the county. Reports say he was attacked with machetes by three assailants while walking home from university classes with another man. Nazim’s friends said that he was an outspoken atheist who campaigned for secularism on Facebook and was openly critical of Islamic extremism.

Before his death, he had expressed concerns regarding law and order in his country in a Facebook post.

A police investigation found that Nazim was intercepted by his killers on motorcycles and they shot him once while on the ground to make sure he was dead. Locals told the police that the murderers were chanting “Allahu Akbar” during the incident.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union has provided insight into the kind of values Nazim believed in and spoke for before his murder:

In earlier [Facebook] posts, Nazimuddin responded to a cleric’s violent speech against women which referenced the Quran, contrasting his speech with the claim that “Islam is the highest honor given to women!” He asked for justice for a girl known as Tonu, who had been raped and killed in the military area of ‘Cantoment’, Comilla.

Nazim was also openly critical of the prime minister of Bangladesh and the influence radical Islam has on the nation:

“Please let’s have Sharia Law for just five years in Bangladesh. Rule the country with Medina Law. I guarantee you, after this 5 years, no Muslim of Bangladesh will ask for Islamic law! The loss and damage we will have after five years, it will take 1400 years to restore us to a modern country,” Naim wrote in one post.

Mutko-Mona, a site where many Bangladeshi freethinkers write, suggests that these attacks are connected. There have been rumors circulating for years that the terrorist group Ansarullah Bangla Team has a hit list of nearly 100 people. Many of those on it have been murdered since the list began to circulate.

Featured image via Facebook

Isadora Teich

Isadora Teich is a freelance writer and digital nomad who has worked in web marketing, digital branding, entertainment, and news. When not writing or traveling she is probably doing yoga, learning Spanish, or experimenting in the kitchen.

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