Building a world free from communality

Economist Professor Abul Barkat has authored a book on fundamentalism. It has been published by Muktobuddhi Prokasana. It is the 7th publication of the publishing house. This book titled 'Fundamentalism in Bangladesh: External and Internal Dimensions of the Political Economy of Militancy (21st February, 2018),' discusses different aspects including roots, strengths and limits of fundamentalism and militancy, religion-based fundamentalism, political economy of fundamentalism, economics of militancy, evolution of Islam in East Bengal, political Islam, liberal Islam and the possible areas of militancy in this globe.

Professor Barkat dedicates this book to who dreams of society free from discrimination, inequality and communality. To write this research-based manuscript, he used analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, theory of abstraction, history of materialism and theory of dialectics.

The author mentions that 'Fundamentalism' is a term coined by the western media.

Professor Barkat has discussed the market economy and neo-liberalism. He says global rent-seekers or corporate grabbers and their grand alliance have created the phrase "war on terror". But actually it means the "war of terror", that means to terrorise the world. He points out how super-genocide and corporatocracy took place in different countries like Myanmar, Syria, Congo, Rwanda, Western Sahara, Libya, Eastern Africa, Cambodia, Indonesia, Australia, Grenada, Uganda, South America etc in the name of terrorism, land development, oil extraction, mining and commercial cultivation.

Mentioning the 'Rotten Apple Theory the author tells us how agents of neo-liberalism want to infringe the primary strategic resources through a freethinking conceptual framework. Global resources are land, water, energy and minerals as well as space resources. The global alliance wants not just access to those resources but also absolute ownership, command and control.

This treasure of knowledge-a guideline for intellectual stimulation and collection of 'inclusive thoughts'-is an appreciable addition to the politico-economic literature. This would be helpful for the people who are fighting for building a beautiful world for the people.

 Shishir Reza is Associate Member of Bangladesh Economic Association.

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