Staff Reporter: Five journalists have been criticized for arranging awards for the non-existent Bismillah Radio (FM786) in New York. Various reactions are going on among the expatriate media workers about this. It has been alleged that Bahari name ‘US Presidential Election Award’ won of the radio station. Muhammad Shahidullah the proprietor of the radio has a channel called ‘Islamic TV’ but he has created controversy by awarding the award in the name of radio.
Five journalists from the non-existent Bismillah Radio (FM786) in New York were awarded the US Presidential Election Award for collecting and covering election news from mid-October to November 4 in the run-up to this year’s US election 2020. The awardees are: Nazmul Ahsan, Editor of New York-based weekly Parichoy, Ibrahim Chowdhury residential editor of Prothom Alo North America, Hasanuzzaman Saki, special correspondent of Samoy TV, Shamim Al Amin, special correspondent of Ekattar TV and Shah J Ahmed, editor of Awaaz BD. Except for two of them, the other three had no role in collecting and distributing election news. There has been a backlash among Bengali media workers in New York over the award given to journalists by this obscure and non-existent radio station. At the same time, Rokeya Haider, head of the Bangla section of the Voice of America, and Farid Hossain, press minister of the Bangladesh embassy in India, have joined the non-existent ‘Bismillah Radio’ virtual program. The award was announced in a virtual ceremony on the evening of December 15.
A senior journalist who has been involved in journalism in New York for more than two decades said on condition of anonymity that looking at the awardees and the type of award, it seems they have been hungry for the award for a long time. There is no such radio station in New York in which the award is given. I have been a journalist for two decades and I have never heard the name of this radio. The radio has been nominated for the US Presidential Election Award. The award will be given by the American media or the organization or the US administration. But why did the so-called Maulana, who runs ‘Islamic TV’, reward him with Radio FM786 without using the name of his TV? He mentioned that he did not use the name “TV” just because the word “Islamic” was used.
A journalist of newspaper published from New York said, “I know the person who gave this award very well.” He works with the Hajj caravan. The United States arranges everything for expatriates who wish to go on Hajj. He is running an Islamic TV. But suddenly I was shocked to hear about his radio. If he had to pay the reward he could have used the name of his TV, then the matter would have been more important. He seems to have dropped it just for the Islamic word. Moreover, the word ‘Bismillah’ is hidden behind the name of his ‘FM 786’ radio.
A journalist living outside of New York City said he could not help but laugh at the news of the awarding of five New York journalists because the country house of the award-winning journalist was in the same area as that of Muhammad Shahidullah, the owner of Islamic TV and Radio FM. Together they started Islamic TV in New York and are still involved. This proves that the arrangement of this sorted award is pre-planned. Other than the two had no role in collecting and disseminating news of the US election. He mentioned that it was not right for Rokeya Haider, the head of the Bangla section of the Voice of America, and Farid Hossain, the Press Minister of the Bangladesh Embassy in India, to take part in the virtual program without knowing the details of such a non-existent and all-encompassing Bismillah Radio (FM786). This has not increased their respect but they have become very controversial.
A journalist living in New York wrote on his own Facebook that the Maulana who taught Milad in New York is also giving awards! Again, some media workers are writing about the medal, I wonder what they will do if they get the medal with proper evaluation? award in the name of Bahari. It would seem that the US government is paying. No one seemed to hear the name of the award-winning organization. And the one who beat the drum with the award – he was one of the members of an organized fraud ring in Bangladesh. The main ringleader of that cycle has been in jail for several years. He escaped and escaped. He is the son-in-law of the daughter of the first party Khatib of a mosque in Jamaica.
Muhammad Shahidullah, the owner of Bismillah Radio (FM786), was asked about FM786 Radio in an email message on December 17, 2020. When was the radio station established? Who listens and what is the number of listeners? After waiting for the last 10 days, no good answer was found.
BP/SM
