Xulhaz Mannan ( bn, জুলহাজ মান্নান; 12 October 1976 – 25 April 2016) was an employee of the United States embassy in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

and the founder of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

's first and only

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

-themed magazine, '' Roopbaan''. He was killed in his apartment along with another LGBT activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy in a machete attack by Islamist extremists.

Early life and education

Mannan's mother is a retired education ministry officer, and his father, who died several years ago was actively involved with the Bangladeshi independence movement in 1971. Mannan was born on 12 October 1976. He completed his SSC and HSC (1993) at Dhaka Residential Model College. He was involved in cultural activities from junior school. He then completed his

B.Com A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanma ...

at City College, Dhaka. Later he studied at

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

and finished with honors in International Relations. In 2003 he received a master's degree of Social Sciences in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Career

He started his career in MGH group, and later joined the US embassy, Dhaka, as a protocol officer of the ambassador till 2015 and then switched to US Aid in September 2015. He was involved in many activities outside work. He was a script writer for a NTV production at the very beginning. Photography, travel, hiking, event organizing were some of his hobbies. Mannan was founder and publisher of '' Roopbaan'', the only magazine for the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...

in Bangladesh launched in 2014. He had worked in the human rights sector especially for the LGBT community in Bangladesh. He successfully arranged a " rainbow rally" in Dhaka in April 2014, however the rally was canceled in 2016 on police instruction as Islamic groups threatened to kill anyone taking part. On 27 April 2016, Bangladeshi prime minister

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister ...

criticized his writings by comparing them with adult content.

Death

He had received

death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a deat ...

s after trying to organise a youth LBGT "Rainbow Rally" in early April 2016. Mannan was killed in his apartment along with LGBT activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy in a stabbing attack shortly after he had posted pictures of himself on the Internet and openly declaring he was gay. It is believed it was the open declaration of his sexuality which gave the go ahead for the extremist group that killed him. A witness reported five men leaving the scene chanting "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is Great").

Ansar al-Islam Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan ( ku, ئەنسارولئیسلام له کوردستان),Chalk, Peter, ''Encyclopedia of Terrorism'' Volume 1, 2012, ABC-CLIO simply called Ansar al-Islam ( ku, ئەنسارولئیسلام), also nicknamed the Kurdi ...

, an

Al-Qaida Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countri ...

-linked group claimed responsibility for the murders stating as he had himself confirmed his sexuality he needed to be killed according to shariah law. In May 2019, eight extremists were charged by Bangladesh police for the murders. Four of the eight are in custody and police are still searching for the others. In August 2021 the court sentenced six people to death for the murder.

Reactions

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

, following Mannan's death published a statement calling him "a dedicated and courageous advocate for human rights". * The

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

told to Reuters, "We are outraged by the barbaric attack on Mr Xulhaz Mannan, a beloved member of our embassy family and a courageous advocate for LGBTI rights. Human rights, actually". *

US ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...

Marcia Bernicat Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat (born 1953) is an American diplomat who is the current Director General of the Foreign Service. She is a former United States Ambassador to Bangladesh. She served as Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau from 2008 ...

condemned the killing by saying "We abhor this senseless act of violence". *

US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

phoned prime minister

and urged the arrest of Mannan's killers. *On the 5-year anniversary of his death

issued a statement remembering Mannan and demanding that his murderers be brought to justice *Also on the 5-year anniversary

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American government official and diplomat serving as the 71st United States secretary of state since January 26, 2021. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and ...

issued a statement remembering his 9 years at the embassy before joining USAID *In France, various NPOs together award the "Out d'Or" prize to people who have made an outstanding contribution to the visibility of LGBT people. The prize is awarded in seven categories. In the categor
"foreign press" it is called "Prix Xulhaz Mannan
.

Xulhaz Mannan Memorial Award of Diversity

Equal Networks started Xulhaz Mannan Memorial Award of Diversity in honour of Xulhaz Mannan who has died, so that he will be remembered.

References