Abu Dhabi: The decades-old struggle for Bengali language was a contribution towards promoting mother languages of all citizens of the world, the Bangladeshi Ambassador to the UAE said yesterday at a function to commemorate Martyrs Day.
The day has also been proclaimed International Mother Tongue Day by Unesco showing the international acceptance of the value of mother tongue, Mohammad Nazmul Quaunine said.
As the third-largest expatriate community in the UAE, Bangladeshis have to learn Arabic for better interaction with local community, he said.
Quaunine hoisted the national flag to half mast on the embassy premises in the presence of community members and pupils and teachers of Bangladeshi School in the capital. The pupils sang the national anthem and patriotic songs.
The people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), whose main language is Bengali, started protesting the decision of Pakistan central government that Urdu would be the only official language for West and East Pakistan.
On February 21, 1952, students called for a strike and some were killed during shooting by police. People of Bangladesh have been observing this day since 1952 as Martyrs Day and it gave inspiration for the freedom movement in the late 1960s that led to the war of Independence which culminated in the formation of Bangladesh in 1971.
In recognition of the Language Movement Day of Bangladesh and to promote the linguistic and cultural diversity, February 21 was proclaimed as the "International Mother Tongue Day" by the Unesco on November 17, 1999.
