A Tribute to Avijit Roy, a man for freedom of speech and Founder of Mukto Mona

PRESS RELEASE

Avijit Roy was a software engineer by career, but writing and blogging were his calling. And he did not speak alone. Roy founded the religion-critical blogMukto Mona, which served multiple writers. He called it “an Internet congregation of freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics, atheists and humanists mainly of Bengali and South Asian descent who are scattered across the globe.”

“Avijit Roy known for his critique of religious extremism was hacked to death in the university area (Dhaka, Bangladesh) by machete-wielding assailants, who attacked the Bangladeshi-origin writer as he was returning from the book fair with his wife on Thursday.” Times of India. “Free thinking in Bangladesh has become a great danger, all the free thinkers are at great risk,” writer-journalist Shahriar Kabir said.

Mike Ghouse, president of world Muslim congress and the Foundation for Pluralism adds, “Bangladesh has ratified the United Nations Humans rights and must take the responsibility to hunt down the criminals who violated the treaty and punish them accordingly to restore trust and safety of her citizens. The criminals have also violated Islamic values of freedom of speech laid down in Quran, and Muslim have an obligation to record straight and punish the criminals.

Hasan Mahmud is a co-founder and advisor of Mukto Mona. “I am witness of how a positive change in young generation of a nation can be initiated if led by a talented person like Avi.” Mahmud is also an advisor with World Muslim Congress, a Dallas based think tank committed to pluralism in Islam.
We are pleased to invite those who love freedom to join us to pay a tribute to Avi.

Dinner Event: A Tribute Avijit Roy, the freedom fighter
Date and time: 7:00 PM on Saturday, March 14, 2015
Place: Spicy Cuisine, 1800 Valley View Ln, Irving, TX 75061

Mike Ghouse (214) 325-1916

Supporting Organizations: Foundation for Pluralism, World Muslim Congress, Human Rights Center for Bangladesh, South Asian Democracy Watch and other organizations