Shafiur Rahman Farabi

Shafiur Rahman Farabi
শাফিউর রহমান ফারাবী
Farabi in 2025
Born (1986-05-29) May 29, 1986
Brahmanbaria District, Bangladesh
Other namesFarabi Shafiur Rahman
OccupationsBlogger, Activist, Writer
Known forIslamist activism, controversial writings
SpouseNazmun Nahar Eva
Parents
  • Ferdousur Rahman (father)
  • Umme Salma Sheli (mother)
Websitehttps://farabiblog.com/

Shafiur Rahman Farabi (Bengali: শাফিউর রহমান ফারাবী; born on 1986)[1] is a Bangladeshi Islamist blogger, activist, and writer.[2][3][4] He is an alleged member of Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh.[5][6][7] He has used his online presence to write counter-blogs, criticizing and refuting the claims of individuals accused of blasphemy against Islam and criticizing Islam.[8][9][10]

Early life

Farabi was born on 1986 in Borovila Kumarshil More, Kalishreepara village, Sadar Upazila, Brahmanbaria District.[11] his father is Ferdousur Rahman and his mother is Umme Salma Sheli.[12][13] He completed his primary education from Railway Government Primary School in Kishoreganj District in 1996, SSC from Kendua Joyhari Sprite Government High School in 2001, and HSC from Notre Dame College, Dhaka in 2005.[14] His studies were disrupted for two years due to mental health problems.[15] He was admitted to the Physics Department of Chittagong University in the 2005-2006 academic year. At the time of his arrest in 2015, he was a fourth-year student.[15][16]

Blogging and activism

While studying at Chittagong University, Farabi became involved in student activism.[11] In 2010, along with 24 other students, he was arrested during protests against fee hikes and spent a month in jail before being released on bail.[15] He became known for provocative online posts targeting secular and atheist bloggers. During interrogation, he admitted to authorities that he had gained a significant following by writing about his interpretation of Islamic ideology and actively opposing bloggers whose views he considered atheist and anti-Islam.[17][18] His online targets included Thaba Baba (blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider), Asif Mohiuddin, Avijit Roy, Taslima Nasrin and others.[15]

He described then former Fascist Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as an atheist in 2012.[19]

Personal life

Farabi married Nazmun Nahar Eva on September 18, 2025.[20]

Books

After being released from imprisonment, Farabi published the following books:[21]

Title ISBN Reference
Farabi Rochona Shomogro 1st Part 9789849056683 [22]
Farabi Rochona Shomogro 2nd Part 9789849056690 [23]

Arrests and imprisonment

Farabi was arrested for posting celebratory and provocative comments on Facebook after the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.[15][24][25]

Farabi was arrested on March 2, 2015, as the main suspect in instigating the murder of writer-blogger Avijit Roy, which occurred on February 26, 2015.[26][27][28][29][30][31] Before his arrest, he had threatened Roy in numerous Facebook posts, one of which stated, "Avijit lives in America. It is not possible to kill him now. But he will be killed if he returns to the country."[32][33][34] He publicly posted a picture of Roy with his wife and daughter on Facebook.[15] He also ran a campaign against online bookstore Rokomari.com for selling Roy's books and threatened the company until the books were removed from the website.[1][35][36][37]

On February 16, 2021, a special anti-terrorism tribunal sentenced five militants to death and Farabi to life imprisonment for his role in instigating the murder of Avijit Roy.[38][39][40] He was also accused in the murder of another blogger, Ananta Bijoy Das, but was acquitted of those charges in March 2022.[41][42] On January 30, 2023, he was sentenced to a separate 7-year prison term under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act for making threats.[43][44]

Support and release

After the change of government in Bangladesh in August 2024, various Islamist groups and student movements began demanding the release of Farabi and others they considered political prisoners. Protests demanding his release were held in December 2024 and May 2025.[45][46][47][48]

Prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmadullah argued that imprisoning Farabi for threats was unjust, especially when Avijit Roy, whom he had threatened, allegedly used offensive language against Islamic figures.[49] In April 2025, interim government's law advisor Asif Nazrul stated that after requests from Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh leaders, the government was working to ensure justice for individuals like Farabi.[50] On July 31, 2025, the High Court granted him bail in the Avijit Roy murder case.[51] The state appealed against this decision, but on August 10, 2025, the Appellate Division's Chamber Judge issued a "no order" and upheld the bail.[52]

Farabi was released from Kashimpur Central Jail on August 22, 2025, after almost a decade of imprisonment.[53][54]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Who is this Farabi, what is his mission!". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 3 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  2. ^ Allchin, Joseph (2019). Many Rivers, One Sea: Bangladesh and the Challenge of Islamist Militancy. Oxford University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-84904-874-3. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Bangladesh police arrest suspect in blogger's murder". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  4. ^ "روزنامہ دنیا :- دنیا میرے آگے:-بنگلہ دیش میں امریکی بلاگر کے قتل کا مرکزی ملزم گرفتار". Roznama Dunya: روزنامہ دنیا :-. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Who is Farabi". Jagonews24. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Гуманисты потрясены убийством светского активиста и писателя Авижита Роя". Humanists International. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  7. ^ "В Бангладеш приговорили к смерти пятерых экстремистов - MigNews - Новости Израиля и Мира на русском языке". MIGNEWS.COM - MigNews - Новости Израиля и Мира на русском языке (in Russian). 17 February 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  8. ^ "A Brief Sketch of Shafiur Rahman Farabi: Bangladesh's Online Jihadist Troll". jamestown.org. Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  9. ^ Allchin, Joseph (2019). Many Rivers, One Sea: Bangladesh and the Challenge of Islamist Militancy. Oxford University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-84904-874-3. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Bangladesh Avijit Roy murder: Five sentenced to die for machete attack on blogger". BBC. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  11. ^ a b Eller, Jack David; Khazaal, Natalie (2024). Nonbelievers, Apostates, and Atheists in the Muslim World. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-040-10213-8. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Who is Farabi?". Dhaka Tribune. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Deposition of Shafiur Rahman Farabi" (PDF). Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  14. ^ "Who is Shafiur Rahman Farabi? Why is there a demand for his release from various quarters?". Face The People YouTube Page. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Who is Farabi?". www.kalerkantho.com. March 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Why Farabi was not hanged". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 16 February 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  17. ^ Shaffer, Ryan (2019). "Islamist attacks against secular bloggers in Bangladesh". Violence in South Asia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 209–223. doi:10.4324/9780429316845-14. ISBN 978-0-429-31684-5. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  18. ^ Eller, Jack David; Khazaal, Natalie (2024). Nonbelievers, Apostates, and Atheists in the Muslim World. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-040-10213-8. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Blogger Shafiur Rahman Farabi called Hasina an atheist a decade ago! Shafiur Rahman Farabi". YouTube. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Farabi starts new life after marriage; seeks blessings from countrymen". Bangla News 24. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Shafiur Rahman Farabi Books - List of Books by Shafiur Rahman Farabi". Rokomari.com. Rokomari. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  22. ^ "Farabi Rochona Shomogro 1st Part — Shafiur Rahman Farabi". Rokomari.com. Rokomari. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Farabi Rochona Shomogro 2nd Part — Shafiur Rahman Farabi". Rokomari.com. Rokomari. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  24. ^ Shajahan, Sadril. "Social media and the culture of online public opinion: A study on the bloggers of Bangla blogosphere". reposit.library.du.ac.bd. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  25. ^ Alam, Shahidul (2015). "Tolerating Death in a Culture of Intolerance". Economic and Political Weekly. 50 (12). Economic and Political Weekly, 11-14, 2015: 11–14. JSTOR 24481930. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  26. ^ "শফিউর রহমান ফারাবীর সাত বছরের কারাদণ্ড" [Shafiur Rahman Farabi sentenced to seven years in prison]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  27. ^ "Bangladesh police arrest suspect in blogger's murder". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  28. ^ Hammadi, Saad; Tran, Mark (2 March 2015). "Bangladesh authorities arrest man over atheist blogger's murder". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Another blogger murdered in Dhaka". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  30. ^ Mickolus, Edward (2016). Terrorism, 2013-2015: A Worldwide Chronology. McFarland. p. 344. ISBN 978-1-4766-6437-8. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  31. ^ "Bangladesh arrests suspect in murder of American blogger Avijit Roy". CBS News. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  32. ^ Manik, Julfikar Ali; Najar, Nida (2 March 2015). "Bangladeshi Police Arrest Suspect in Blogger's Killing". The New York Times.
  33. ^ "Arrest made in slaying of Bangladeshi American blogger Avijit Roy". Los Angeles Times. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  34. ^ "Arrest in Bangladesh over blogger murder". Deutsche Welle. 2015-03-02. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  35. ^ Mazumder, Nirjhar. "Constructing terrorism a Critical Discourse Analysis on the construction of terrorism in Bangladeshi English-Language newspaper editorials" (PDF). Diva portal. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  36. ^ "Silencing the Minority through Domination in Social Media Platform: Impact on the Pluralistic Bangladeshi Society". ssrn. SSRN 3326478. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  37. ^ Wolf, Siegfried O. (March 2015). "The Killing of Avijit Roy: Silencing free-thinking and progressive conscience in Bangladesh". South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF). Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  38. ^ "Avijit Roy murder: 5 get death, 1 life term". The Daily Star. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  39. ^ "5 to die for killing Avijit". The Business Standard. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  40. ^ "Bangladesh arrests main suspect in US blogger murder". The Telegraph. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  41. ^ "Ananta Bijoy murder: The reason for Farabi's acquittal" (in Bengali). No. Bdnews24. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  42. ^ "Farabi admits of threats to kill Avijit: Rab". The Daily Star. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  43. ^ "Who is Farabi?". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  44. ^ "Third blogger murdered in Bangladesh". ایرنا (in Persian). 12 May 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  45. ^ "Release political prisoners in false cases | SHAFIUR RAHMAN". Bangladesh Pratidin. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024 – via YouTube.
  46. ^ "'Shafiur Rahman Farabi was punished on false grounds' | Farabi Shafiur Rahman". Samakal. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024 – via YouTube.
  47. ^ "Protest march towards Shapla Chattar demanding release of blogger Farabi". ajkerpatrika.com (in Bengali). 10 May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  48. ^ "Militant drama: Demand for release of prisoners including Shafiur Rahman Farabi by Anti-Discrimination Prison Release Movement". Daily Inqilab. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  49. ^ "Demand for release of Shafiur Rahman Farabi brother • Shaikh Ahmadullah waz 2021• Deen Network". As Sunnah Foundation. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  50. ^ "Asif Nazrul assures withdrawal of harassment cases against Hefazat leaders". www.banglatribune.com. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  51. ^ "HC grants bail to Farabi in blogger Avijit Roy murder case". The Business Standard. 2025-07-31. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  52. ^ "No legal bar to release Farabi as SC upholds bail". New Age. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  53. ^ "Blogger Farabi released from jail after nearly a decade". Dhaka Tribune. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  54. ^ "Blogger Farabi finally released from jail". Bangla News 24 (in Bengali). 22 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
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