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Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib

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Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib
শেখ ফজিলাতুন্নেছা মুজিব
Personal details
Born
Begum Fazilatunnesa

(1930-08-08)8 August 1930
Tungipara, Bengal, British India
Died15 August 1975(1975-08-15) (aged 45)
Dacca, Bangladesh
Manner of deathAssassination by firearm
Resting placeBanani graveyard
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1938)​
Children
RelativesSee Tungipara Sheikh family

Begum Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib[1] (Bengali: শেখ ফজিলাতুন্নেছা মুজিব; 8 August 1930[2][3] – 15 August 1975[3][4]), commonly known as Begum Mujib;[1][5] and also known by her nickname Renu (Bengali: রেনু),[6] was the wife of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh. She is the mother of Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the Awami League from 2009-2024. She was killed along with her husband.[7]

Early life and marriage

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Sheikh Fazilatunnesa was born in 1930, to the Bengali Muslim Sheikh family in the village of Tungipara, Gopalganj in 1930.[8] Her father was Sheikh Zahurul Haque and her mother Sheikh Husne Ara Begum.[9] Her paternal grandfather Sheikh Kashem, was grandson of Sheikh Ekramullah, who was descended from Sheikh Abdul Awal Darwish, a dervish who had come to preach Islam in Bengal during the early 18th century.[10][11] Her father, Sheikh Zahurul Haque, and mother, Husne Ara Begum, died when she was three years old. Her elder sister's name is Sheikh Jinnatunnesa.[12]

Fazilatunnesa with Mujib, in 1955

Fazilatunnesa was a paternal cousin of her husband Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. When Fazilatunnesa was only 3 and Sheikh Mujib was 13, their marriage had been fixed by elders in the family.[13] Renu was only 8 years old when she was married to her husband, who himself was just 18, in 1938.[13] The couple later had two daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, as well as three sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel.[13] Fazilatunnesa Mujib was under house arrest during Bangladesh Liberation War until 17 December.[14]

Death

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Main article: Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

On 15 August 1975, a group of junior army officers attacked the presidential residence with tanks and assassinated Mujib, his family and personal staff. Only her daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who were visiting West Germany, escaped. They were banned from returning to Bangladesh. Others killed included Fazilatunnesa's 10-year-old son Sheikh Russel, two other sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Parveen Jamal Rosy (who was also her cousin’s daughter), brother Abdur Rab Serniabat and brother-in-law Sheikh Abu Naser, nephew Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani and his wife Arzoo Moni.[15] The coup was planned by disgruntled Awami League colleagues and military officers, which included Mujib's colleague and former confidant Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, who became his immediate successor. Lawrence Lifschultz has alleged that the CIA was involved in the coup and assassination, basing his assumption on statements by the then US ambassador in Dhaka, Eugene Booster.[16]

Mujib's death plunged the nation into many years of political turmoil. The coup leaders were soon overthrown and a series of counter-coups and political assassinations paralysed the country. Order was largely restored after a coup in 1977 gave control to the army chief Ziaur Rahman. Declaring himself President in 1978, Ziaur Rahman signed the Indemnity Ordinance, giving immunity from prosecution to the men who plotted Mujib's overthrow and assassination.

Legacy

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See also: List of artistic depictions of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Fazilatunnesa Hall in Islamic University, Bangladesh

Bangabandhu Memorial Trust in partnership with Malaysian hospital chain KPJ Healthcare built the Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Memorial KPJ Specialised Hospital and Nursing College in her memory.[17] The hospital was inaugurated by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.[18] A dormitory in Eden college is named after her.[19] Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall is a female dorm in Rajshahi University.[20] Govt. Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Mohila College is located in Tangail.[21] Lastly, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Science and Technology University (BSFMSTU) is situated in Jamalpur.

Portrayals

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Television

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  • In 2007 Bangladeshi television film on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, "Palashi Theke Dhanmondi" (From Palashi to Dhanmondi) was released. Fazilatunnesa is portrayed by Laila Hasan.[22]

Films

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Begum Fazilatunnessa Mujib . . . woman of moral power". The Business Standard. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Fazilatunnesa Mujib's birthday today". Daily Sun. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Begum Mujib: A tribute". The Daily Star. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib's 81st birth anniversary today". The Daily Star. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  5. ^ "BUP observes birth anniv of Begum Mujib". New Age. 9 August 2023.
  6. ^ Asamapta Atmajibanee. The University Press Limited, Penguin Books and Oxford University Press. 2012. ISBN 9789845061100.
  7. ^ "Cabinet Pays Homage to Bangladesh's Founding President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman". New Age. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Begum Mujib: A tribute". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Renowned personality". Gopalganj District. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh". barristersheikhtaposh.info. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Sheikh Mujib – My Father". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Begum Fazilatun Nesa: Sheikh Mujib's flame of inspiration". The Business Standard. 8 August 2023.
  13. ^ a b c "6 lesser known facts about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib's 81st birth anniversary today". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  15. ^ Mahbub, Sumon. "Bangladesh plunges into mourning Bangabandhu on his 40th death anniversary". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  16. ^ "In Mourning, In Rage". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  17. ^ "PM to take all treatment at home". Dhaka Tribune. BSS. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Hasina, Malaysian PM unveil plaque". The Daily Star. UNB. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Eden College dormitory emptied as it develops cracks after earthquake". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  20. ^ "9th RU convocation held". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  21. ^ "Schoolgirls get karate training". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  22. ^ পাণ্ডে, গৌতম (11 August 2016). "সেলুলয়েডে বঙ্গবন্ধু". দৈনিক জনকণ্ঠ. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  23. ^ ২৫ ডিসেম্বর মুক্তি পাচ্ছে 'টুঙ্গিপাড়ার মিয়া ভাই' (in Bengali). Voice TV. 9 December 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  24. ^ 'চিরঞ্জীব মুজিব'-এর মুক্তি বগুড়ার মধুবনে. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 23 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  25. ^ মুক্তি পেল 'বঙ্গমাতা'. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 8 August 2023. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  26. ^ Chowdhury, Rishita Roy (22 January 2021). "Shyam Benegal's India-Bangladesh film Bangabandhu goes on floors". India Today. No. 22. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
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