Petition for Expression of Solidarity Background of Petition: a) In 1971, horror ensued in Bangladesh. It was a liberation war that witnessed about 3 million deaths, 200000 rapes and countless being homeless. The genocide of the Bengali people started in March 1971 by the Pakistan Army and its local collaborators, the ‘Razakar’, ‘Al-Badar’ and members of the Jamaat-e-Islami. The military-sanctioned massacre continued for nine months until the Pakistan military surrendered in December. Just before the surrender, occupant Pakistani army singled out over two hundred intellectuals of Bangladesh and killed them in one night. From the ashes of a war, millions of dead people choking its rivers, hundreds of thousand women raped and segregated - the new country of Bangladesh emerged. The collective anger of a nation, simmering for over 40 years below the surface, finally erupted in February 2013 when a man named Abdul Quader Mollah pronounced guilty of war crimes, accused of raping and shooting 344 civilians to death during the 1971 war was not awarded the maximum punishment of the state - the death sentence. Within hours of the judgement, which was handed down on February 5, ordinary students and bloggers used Facebook and Twitter to rally their contacts. Soon an impromptu gathering of hundreds, then thousands and soon hundreds of thousands collected at Dhaka’s Shahbag square. For last 30 days, the young segment of the population have been there and they have kept their movement peaceful. The protesters want the government to appeal the decision of the tribunal and seek maximum punishment for Abdul Quader Mollah and all war criminals in Bangladesh. In addition, they want a ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami which took active part and acted as a collaborator of the Pakistan army in orchestrating the genocide of 1971. b) The peaceful uprising of the general mass at Shahbag has been fueled by the utmost regard of the youth of Bangladesh for her long history of independence whose highlights were the Language Movement of 1952 and the War of Independence of 1971. This wake up call to protest against injustice will hopefully help build a better Bangladesh in foreseeable future. Likewise the students of Islamic University Technology (IUT) who come from a diverse multinational and multilingual background should be given an opportunity to derive inspiration from their own history and be allowed to pay tribute to their own struggle for independence, culture and language. This opportunity can act as a constant reminder of the fact that they have to give back to their country and thereby to the Muslim Ummah at large. Although IUT observes cultural night every year to nurture the multicultural environment within its scope but it does not have any provision to observe National days such as Independence Day# of respective countries. Like Bangladesh many member states of OIC hold a long and painful history of gaining independence and getting established as sovereign state. Many students observe Independence Day of their respective countries to pay homage and respect to their nation during their stay at IUT by hosting small programs. But there is no infrastructure or monument at IUT where students can show their symbolic respect to their nation during independence day or to observe international observance such as International Mother Language Day# to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism. Objective of Petition: As students and alumni of our beloved alma mater IUT and Bangladeshi Nationals, we forward this petition to draw attention of OIC to this matter. Our expectation is that OIC will consider the following demands and take necessary actions at an earliest possible time. To, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu Secretary General Organisation of Islamic Cooperation We, the undersigned, want OIC to - - Express Solidarity to the demand of the Bangladeshi people for maximum punishment of the war criminals of 1971 - Recognize the Expression of Solidarity to the demand of maximum punishment of the war criminals of 1971 by the Islamic University of Technology Alumni Association. - Establish a common monument to observe Independence day of all Nations at IUT which went through bloody Liberation - Establish a monument to observe International Mother Language Day on 21st February