Artist have always been attacked for the views that they possess. Whether they are painters, writers, directors, or any other sort of artists, there is always a group of people out there who will challenge the truth that they have spoken, and, unfortunately, sometimes artists are attacked or even killed for the work they have produced. John Lennon was assassinated for the belief that he had been a phony, inspired by J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye. Recently, in Bangladesh, a writer has been killed for expressing his own viewpoints.

According to the article “Secular Bangladeshi writer murdered in the street” written by Sugam Pokharel, Ivan Watson, and Yuli Yang and published by CNN, in the capital of Bangladesh recently, writer Nazimuddin Samad was attacked by attackers wielding machetes and was ultimately killed from the attack. According to the article “Samad, described by Bangladesh police as a master’s student at Jagannath University, is the sixth secularist writer or publisher to have been murdered in Dhaka in the last 14 months. Police called the murder a pre-planned attack.

When interviewed, Nurul Amin, the Senior Assistant Police Commissioner of the Dhaka Police reported that, on his way home from evening classes at his university, Samad was enclosed by a group of three to four people. Reportedly, after attacking him with the machetes he was wielding, one of the members of the group proceeded to shoot Samad, ultimately killing him in the process. After the group was finished with Samad, the immediately fled the scene, leaving the police force with no leads as to who killed Samad.

The attack on Samad had ties to religious views. According to the article, “The murder is certain to add to fears among intellectuals and writers who have dared to challenge religious thought in Bangladesh, a majority Muslim country with a sizable Hindu religious minority.” Furthermore, “The constitution in Bangladesh defines Islam as the state religion. But it also includes a clause promising to defend the ‘principal of secularism.’” According to Imran Sarker, the leader of an activist and blogging network, said that Samad was extremely vocal in various social issues occurring in the country, and as a very secular activist. Reportedly, Samad vocalized his views on such topics as war crimes, corruption, religious fundamentalism, the unfair treatment of women, accordingly expressing these viewpoints on various social media pages for the public to view.

Unfortunately for Samad, he stands as an artist that, when fighting for the greater good of society, ultimately found the backlash that comes with it, and experienced unjustified and extreme reactions, ultimately leading to his death. Although Samad’s story is discouraging, as he is one of the many who has been attacked for his actions, he stands for the freedom of standing up against others who have died for expressing the things that need to be expressed, and he should stand for the fight against corruption. He spirit should never be forgotten, and, even though dangerous, it should ultimately be repeated.