A Facebook public event asking people to burn literary works of Muhammed Zafar Iqbal created criticism though the event did not exist now on the social media platform.
The Facebook event, created by Md Ali Naqvi, named 鈥楳uktamanche Zafar Iqbaler Boi Porano Karmasuchi鈥� was announced to burn down Zafar鈥檚 book on August 27 at 5:00pm at Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh.
Before the event disappeared, over 20,000 people gave their reactions as interested and 330 others as going.
The event created huge reactions among netizens.
The critics refused the proposal and came up with different programmes to express their dislike for Zafar Iqbal for his stand against students during the quota reform student movement that ousted government led by Sheikh Hasina on August 5.
Former professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University Anu Muhammad in a Facebook post expressed his concern and strongly protested at the news of burning books of Zafar Iqbal despite his support to the ousted government.
鈥榃ords are answered by words, opinions by opinion, writing by writings. No violence can be supported for opinions or beliefs鈥�,鈥� he said, adding that the event should be stopped.
鈥楾he only programme that can be held is with books鈥攏ot by burning books, but by reading books,鈥� he said.
Zafar Iqbal is a science fiction author, physicist, academic, activist and former professor of computer science and engineering at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
鈥楢s a small participant in the anti-fascist July uprising, I would like to strongly say that burning book is completely against the spirit of the uprising and only the enemies of the uprising can do this kind of work,鈥� said Azfar Hussain, summer distinguished professor of English and Humanities at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.
He also asked all to resist it as book burning was a shameful fascist act.
Poet and art critic Shakhawat Tipu said that books should not be burnt for someone鈥檚 political ideology because books were intellectual property.
鈥楶eople might criticize ones鈥� literary works or read good books as part of protest not burn,鈥� he said.
Playwright and poet Asadul Islam believed that the event was opened from the organisers鈥� emotion to Zafar Iqbal and their hate for him for his comment regarding the latest student-led mass uprising.
He said that literary works could not be blamed for one鈥檚 heinous activities because books were symbol of knowledge, love and creativity.
He feared that the conspirators of the uprising might do things to make the achievement questionable.
