Bangladeshi photographer returns honorary degree from UK university, in solidarity with pro-Palestine protests

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - In solidarity with the pro-Palestine movement across the world, a Bangladeshi renowned photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam returned the honorary doctorate degree he had received from the University of the Arts London (UAL), according to a press release on Sunday.

He received the award in 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall in London "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of photography/activism," the press release said.

“He (Alam had) happily accepted the degree from UAL Chancellor Grayson Perry because of the university's commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression,” it read. 

UAL students who have joined pro-Palestine protests have stressed how they have been “stifled, stereotyped, and ignored,” it also said.

The release added that the students also claimed that UAL, “through its partnerships with ... Israeli or Israel-affiliated companies and institutions ... is a willing accomplice in Israel’s regime of occupation, apartheid, and ongoing genocide.” 

The press release also noted that Alam had said he could no longer continue to remain associated with the university, and he officially informed the university that he was returning his honorary degree.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed some 1,200 people.

More than 36,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its onslaught nearly eight months ago. The majority of those killed have been women and children, with over 82,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid Israel's crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.