Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
Template:Short description Template:Other people5 Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Muhammed Zafar Iqbal (Template:Langx; {{#invoke:IPA|main}}; born 23 December 1952) is a Bangladeshi science fiction author, physicist, academic, activist, former professor of computer science and engineering, and former head of the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). He achieved his PhD from University of Washington. After working 18 years as a scientist at California Institute of Technology and Bell Communications Research, he returned to Bangladesh and joined Shahjalal University of Science and Technology as a professor of Computer Science and Engineering. He retired from his teaching profession in October 2018.
Early life and educationEdit
Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was born on 23 December 1952 in Sylhet of the then East Pakistan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His father, Faizur Rahman Ahmed, was a police officer who was killed in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. His mother was Ayesha Akhter Khatun.Template:Citation needed He spent his childhood in different parts of Bangladesh because of the transferring nature of his father's job. His elder brother, Humayun Ahmed, was a prominent writer and filmmaker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His younger brother, Ahsan Habib, is a cartoonist who is serving as the editor of the satirical magazine, Unmad.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He has three sisters - Sufia Haider, Momtaz Shahid and Rukhsana Ahmed.<ref name=palo>Template:Cite news</ref>
Iqbal passed the SSC exam from Bogra Zilla School in 1968 and the HSC exam from Dhaka College in 1970.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He earned his bachelor's and master's in physics from the University of Dhaka in 1973 and 1974 respectively and then went to the University of Washington where he earned his Ph.D. in 1982.<ref name="sustprofile">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
AcademicEdit
After obtaining his PhD degree, Iqbal worked as a post-doctoral researcher at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from 1983 to 1988 (mainly on Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He then joined Bell Communications Research (Bellcore), a separate corporation from the Bell Labs (now Telcordia Technologies), as a research scientist.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He left the institute in 1994.
According to Iqbal, he had always planned to return to Bangladesh. When, around 1992, he began seeking a teaching position at the University of Dhaka, he found the process labyrinthine. He eventually abandoned the idea of working there, and accepted an offer from SUST,<ref name="na1Jan2006">Template:Cite news</ref> where he joined the computer science and engineering department and became its head.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Iqbal served as the vice president of Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad committee until 2024. He played a leading role in founding the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad and popularized mathematics among Bangladeshi youths at local and international level. In 2011, he won the Rotary SEED Award for his contribution in the field of education.<ref name=rotary>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 26 November 2013, Iqbal and his wife professor Haque applied for resignation soon after the university authority had postponed the combined admission test for the SUST and Jashore University of Science Technology.<ref name="resigned">Template:Cite news</ref> However they withdrew their resignation letters on the next day after the authority decided to go on with holding combined admission tests.<ref name="resigned cancelled">Template:Cite news</ref>
To make the NCTB text book "easy" and "learner friendly",<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> in November 2017, there was a new revision of the secondary education class 9-10 text books for 2018, whose six books were revised under Iqbal and Mohammad Kaykobad's leadership.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is also the first co-author and chief editor of multiple new NCTB text books of 2023 including class 7's text book "Science (Investigative Study)" where some lines and pictures were plagiarised from different websites including National Geographic Education Resource Library website and in case of Bangla Version of the text book, because of erroneous translation it was alleged that those texts were translated into Bangla "using Google Translate".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later he admitted the issue of plagiarism and admitted his fault as the chief editor.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
LiteraryEdit
Iqbal started writing stories at a very early age. He wrote his first science fiction short story at the age of seven.<ref name="na1Jan2006" /> While studying at the University of Dhaka, Iqbal's story "Kopotronik Bhalobasha" ("Copotronic Love") was published in the weekly Bichitra. Later he wrote a series of Kopotronik stories and published them as a collection titled Copotronic Sukh Dukkhu.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
He wrote numerous books for teenagers, such as novels, science fiction, and adventure books. Several of his books are:
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Political stanceEdit
Iqbal is known for his stance against Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and has spearheaded criticism of its leaders, several of whom were undergoing trial at the International Crimes Tribunal for their role in the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971.<ref name="BDN-1254">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DT-123">Template:Cite news</ref> Iqbal's father was allegedly killed by Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi.<ref name="BDN-256">Template:Cite news</ref> He came down heavily on a section of the media for their stand against holding the 10th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, amid a boycott by the main opposition party, alleging that those who were calling for halting the electoral process were actually trying to ensure the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami in the election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In support of the war crime trials carried out at the premises of the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh, he participated and featured prominently at the 2013 Shahbag protests.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Iqbal survived a stabbing attack in the head on 3 March 2018 in a prize-giving ceremony in SUST campus in Sylhet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Foyzur, the attacker, a 25-year-old male, was arrested after he had been beaten by the students.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The attacker claimed that he had tried to kill him because the attacker believed he was an "enemy of Islam".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Iqbal has been widely criticized for supporting<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the current authoritarian regime<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> of Bangladesh. After the 2018 national election he stated<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> that, people gave a grand victory to ruling authoritarian regime but later it was proved to be a staged election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2025, an attempted murder case was filed against Iqbal over a student of Alia Madrasa getting injured in Old Dhaka during protests against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
WorksEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Iqbal is one of the pioneers of science fiction in the Bengali language.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He mainly writes for younger readers. He has also written several non-fiction books on physics and mathematics. He writes columns in mainstream newspapers regularly.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Zafar Iqbal also writes storylines for the famous Bengali "Dhaka Comics."
He writes a detective book series titled, Tuntuni o Chotachchu. Chotachchu is a short form of 'Choto Chachchu' which lexically translates to 'Small Uncle'; it means, 'the youngest uncle'.
- Tuntuni o Chotachchu (2014)
- Aro Tuntuni o Aro Chotachchu (2015)
- Abaro Tuntuni o Abaro Chotachchu
- Tobuo Tuntuni Tobuo Chotachchu (2018)
- Jokhon Tuntuni Tokhon Chotachchu
- Jerokom Tuntuni Sherokom Chotachchu (2020)
- Jetuku Tuntuni Setuku Chotachchu
- Aha Tuntuni Uhu Chotachchu (2022)
- Bah Tuntuni Bah Bah Chotaccu (2023)
- ogo Tuntuni kigo Chotacchu (2024)
Personal lifeEdit
Iqbal married Yasmeen Haque in 1978.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was the Dean of the Life Science Department and Professor of the Department of Physics at SUST.<ref name=star>Template:Cite news</ref> They have a son, Nabil Iqbal, working as a scientist<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> at Durham University<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a daughter, Yeshim Iqbal, a research scientist at Global TIES for Children at New York University after completing her Ph.D. from the same institution.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
AwardsEdit
- Agrani Bank Shishu Shahitto Award (2001)
- Quazi Mahbubulla Zebunnesa Award (2002)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Khalekdad Chowdhury Literary Award (2003)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Sheltech Literary Award (2003)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Uro Child Literary Award (2004)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Md. Mudabber-Husne ara literary Award (2005)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Marcantile Bank Ltd. Award (2005)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- One of the 10 living Eminent Bengali (2005)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- American Alumni Association Award (2005)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Dhaka University Alumni Association Award (2005)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Sylhet Naittamoncho Award (2005)
- Bangla Academy Literary Award (2005)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Best Playwright Meril Prothom Alo Awards (2005)
- Uro Child Literary Award (2006)<ref name="sustprofile" />
- Rotary SEED Award (2011)<ref name=rotary/>
- National ICT Award (2017)
Controversies and criticismEdit
He received criticism for endorsing anti-Islamic activities referenced in Shah Ahmad Shafi's open letter named An Open Letter from Shah Ahmad Shafi to the Government and the Public related to the Shahbag protests in 2013.<ref name=":WP">Template:Cite book</ref> In 2023, under the government's new education policy, changes were made to books of various classes. Zafar Iqbal was a co-author and the chief editor of several new textbooks, including the 7th-grade textbook. However, after the publication of the "Science (Investigative Reading)" textbook, accusations of plagiarism and mechanical translation arose.<ref name="pro">Template:Cite news</ref> Later, Zafar Iqbal acknowledged his mistake regarding the book and, in a joint statement with Hasina Khan, stated, "This year the experimental version of the book has been launched, and there is ample opportunity for revision and editing in the next academic year."<ref name="ban">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On July 16, 2024, during the quota reform movement, he expressed his dismay at the slogan 'Rajakar' by writing, "Dhaka University is my university, my beloved university. However, I feel that I will never want to go to this university again. When I see the students, I will think, these might be the 'Rajakars'. And for the rest of my life, I do not want to see the face of any Rajakar. There is only one life, so why should I have to see Rajakars again in that life?" This comment led to criticism on social media, and on the same day, several bookstores in Bangladesh, including Rokomari, stopped selling his books.<ref name="tbs">Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, students at SUST declared him unwanted at the institution.<ref name="obs">Template:Cite news</ref>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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