The Bangladeshi Americans have expressed their disappointment over the letter written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, urging her to 'end the harassment' facing Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.

The Bangladeshi Americans expressed dissatisfaction through a counter letter written to Cory Booker, US Senator in New Jersey on 25 January, 2024.

The full text of the Bangladeshi Americans letter appears below:

25 January, 2024

Honorable Cory Booker Us Senator, New Jersey

717 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510

Phone: (202) 224-3224

Dear Cory Booker,

We, the undersigned Bangladeshi Americans, are writing to express our disappointment with the letter you signed, along with eleven other Senators, to Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed on January 22, 2024.

The letter concerns the case of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi citizen facing charges brought against him by employees of his business firm who claim that he violated their employment rights under the country's labor laws. However, the letter shows a need for more respect for the office of the Prime Minister of an independent nation, as it addresses her starting with no greetings but a baseless accusation that goes against the minimum etiquette of addressing a head of sovereign government.

The letter also displays a need for more understanding of the ongoing judicial case in a foreign land, as it appears to be influenced by rage rather than logic. We are concerned that our nation's lawmakers are attempting to intervene in a civil court matter and are not respecting the court of law but soliciting external influence to crush the court verdict.

We urge you and the other Senators to research the subject matter's merit and respect the office of the Prime Minister. We also encourage you not to take the side of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a powerful corporate chief and instead support the poor and helpless ordinary employees/laborers deprived of their legal and financial rights.

It is important to note that Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been charged with violating labor laws, not providing a 5% dividend to Grameen Telecom workers, not regularizing 101 staff, and not compensating workers for public holidays. The government of Bangladesh has invited international experts and lawyers to assess the legal proceedings and examine documents involving the charges against Yunus. There are not hundreds of individual cases that he has to face; rather, the fact is that there are hundreds of affected employees who brought the same charges, and one verdict of guilty or not guilty will satisfy all cases, which is similar to a class action lawsuit. Some other charges involve alleged corruption and fund embezzlement with Grameen Telecom.

Unfortunately, in your latter, we witness the reflection of what the U.S. mainstream media, CBS News, predicted in their online news when they stated, "As Yunus is known to have close connections with political elites in the West, especially in the United States, many think the verdict could negatively impact Bangladesh's relationship with the U.S.CBS News

We also want to emphasize that Dr. Yunus's identity as an internationally acclaimed Nobel laureate should not excuse him from violating labor law, nor should his relationship with influential Western leaders and his appointed lobbying companies influence the merit of this court verdict.

We hope our leaders and lawmakers will refrain from using their private relationships to hinder our amicable relationship between two friendly nations. Our national interest should be the determining factor in forging solid and good relations with our geo-strategic partners in South Asia and worldwide. Bangladesh has played a vital and strategic role in bringing peace, prosperity, and a strong partnership in the war against terrorism to that region and in curbing transnational militants as a reliable U.S. partner for over fifty years.

In conclusion, we request that you and the other Senators verify the facts of the allegations brought against Dr. Yunus by his employees, not the government of Bangladesh. If necessary, we urge you to send international experts and lawyers to Bangladesh to assess the legal proceedings and examine documents involving the charges against Yunus. We also encourage you to withdraw your names from this letter, which we consider defamatory and based on unsubstantiated facts.

Sincerely,

Undersigned Bangladeshi Americans

Mahammad Ali Siddique, Chairman, Congress of Bangladeshi Americans Inc. Contact Email: [email protected] and Tel: 347-837-5937

Shamim Chowdhury, Chief Advisor, Congress of Bangladeshi Americans Inc. Contact Email: [email protected], Tel: 240-483-2104

Md. Monzur Chowdhury, Secretary General, Congress of Bangladeshi Americans Inc. Email: [email protected], Tel: 646-961-8569

Dr. Pradip Ranjan Kar, Advisor, Congress of Bangladeshi Americans Inc. Email: [email protected], Telephone: 212-203-5444

Shah Md. Boktiar, Director, Congress of Bangladeshi Americans Inc. Email: [email protected], Tel: 917-251-0459

Shahidul Islam, Director, Congress of Bangladeshi Americans Inc. Email: [email protected] , Tel: 718-300-8592

Mohammad Zahidul Islam, Director, Congress of Bangladeshi Americans Inc. Email: [email protected] , Tel : 914-207-5156

Dr. Dilip Nath Morshed Alam Dara M Billah

Dr. Masudul Hassan Dr. Dilip Nath Morshed Alam

Dara M Billah

Dr. Masudul Hassan

Dr. Dhananjoy Shaha

Dr. Md. Siddique

Engr. Farasath Ali

Md. Sakhawat Ali

Syed Mohammed Ullah

 Belal Beg

Dr. Robi Alam

Dr. Mohsin Ali

Dr. Nuran Nobi

Dr. Khandaker Monsur

Khalid Hasan

Dr. Mohammad Ali Manik

Dr. Syed Abu Hasnat

Iqbal Yusuf

Muhammad Hanif

Refayet Chowdhury

Abdur Rahim Badsha

Kazi Kayes Ahmed

Md. Farid Alam

Misbah Ahmed

Kaikobad Khan

Mrs. Jahanara Hasan

Kazi Monir Hossain

Mrs. Shahana Hanif

Md. Yusuf Chowdhury