Adviser Farida Akhter explains her Facebook post on ‘flippancy’ regarding Valentine’s Day
Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter has been facing intense criticism following a Facebook post regarding the celebration of Valentine’s Day.
In the post, made on Tuesday night, she wrote, “Out of respect for the martyrs and the injured of July-August, let there be no flippancy of Valentine’s Day this year.”
Following her statement, widespread criticism ensued, with numerous comments, expressing disapproval of it. Eventually the comment section of the post was disabled. The post received 695 comments, was shared 1,600 times and garnered a total of 7,400 reactions, including 5,700 ‘ha-ha’ reactions.
Speaking to Prothom Alo on Wednesday morning regarding her post, Farida Akhter clarified, “There is no government restriction on this matter. It was simply an appeal from my side. A request was made to me on behalf of a martyr’s family and I personally feel this way. I sincerely believe that Valentine’s Day is not a part of our culture. You can express love throughout the year. There has already been much debate surrounding Valentine’s Day. I strongly feel that it is not a part of our culture.”
Farida Akhter further stated, “We will celebrate Falgun, we will observe 21 February. However, this year presents a unique situation and it is not at all joyful. We can never forget the numerous martyrs and injured individuals.”
“On this day, everything tends to be excessive. My appeal was simply to ensure that it does not turn into a ‘frivolousness’,” the fisheries and livestock adviser remarked.
In response to Farida Akhter’s post, one commented, “Apa, 14 February has long been observed as the Autocracy Resistance day. This year marks its 42nd anniversary.
P.S: Apa, my concern is that your comment might have provided legitimacy to the mob of a particular group. If anyone wishes to celebrate this day with his/her partner as an expression of love and they are assaulted on the grounds of being ‘Anti-July uprising’, who will take responsibility for such incidents?”
When asked whether her remarks could incite a mob, Farida Akhter responded, “How is this related to incitement? I simply called for people to pay their respects. No restrictions have been imposed on anyone. Do you believe that, following my statement, someone will attack them? There is no reason to perceive Bangladesh in such a negative light. If mob incitement occurs, then the responsibility lies with those who engage in such actions.”
Another comment on the Facebook post stated, “If someone wishes to celebrate Valentine’s Day and the government or any group obstructs them, that too would be fascist behaviour, Apa.”
One more individual wrote, “Birth, death, revolution, injury, loss, conflict, mourning and joy - all are integral parts of life. Everyday someone loses a loved one. In Syria, Palestine and Ukraine, people are dying daily. Even in this country, tragedies occur regularly. Does that mean no one should celebrate in the world? Should we mourn forever? I believe grief and celebration can coexist. Those who wish to mourn should mourn and those who wish to celebrate should do so. Why should anything be imposed?”
One individual commented, “Valentine’s Day is not a national observance. It is a day celebrated globally, either personally or socially, as an expression of love. While we may critique it, the state has no legitimate authority to engage in moral policing by interfering in personal expressions of love. That would be oppression.”
Regarding such comments, Farida Akhter stated, “I am surprised by the reaction from those who wish to celebrate this day. I am truly astonished that people can have such a narrow mindset. Even when asked to pay respect to martyrs, there is backlash. This is beyond our comprehension. Does this mean they do not wish to honour those who were martyred in the July uprising? If so, they should say it outright. Through such remarks, they are disrespecting the martyrs of July and August. I still stand by what I have said.”