Sharmeen Murshid
Bangladeshi activist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sharmeen Soneya Murshid is a Bangladeshi activist and former adviser of the interim government. She served as an adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Ministry of Social Welfare.[1] during the interim government of Bangladesh under noble laureate Muhammad Yunus.[2] She was chief executive officer of human rights organization Brotee which has been working for the rights of marginalized groups, especially the indigenous people since 2001.[3] Murshid is also a former Commissioner of the National River Conservation Commission.
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Sharmeen Murshid | |
|---|---|
শারমিন মুরশিদ | |
Murshid in July 2025 | |
| Adviser for Social Welfare | |
| In office 9 August 2024 – 17 February 2026 | |
| President | Mohammed Shahabuddin |
| Chief Adviser | Muhammad Yunus |
| Preceded by | Dipu Moni |
| Adviser for Women and Children Affairs | |
| In office 22 August 2024 – 17 February 2026 | |
| President | Mohammed Shahabuddin |
| Chief Adviser | Muhammad Yunus |
| Preceded by | Simeen Hussain Rimi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nabinagar, Chittagong, Bangladesh |
| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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Early life
Murshid's parents were Khan Sarwar Murshid and Nurjahan Murshid.[4][5][6] Her father was a member of the planning commission of Mujibnagar government and confidante of Tajuddin Ahmed and her mother was a member of parliament.[7] Her brother is Khan Ahmed Sayeed Murshid, former director general of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.[7][8] Her elder sister is Tazeen Mahnaz Murshid, senior lecturer of King's College London.[7][9] Her another brother Kumar Murshid is a leftist politician in the United Kingdom who was formerly Labour Party.[7][10]
Career
In 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War, Murshid was a member of the Bangladesh Mukti Sangrami Shilpi Sangstha which created propaganda songs for the Mukti Bahini.[11] She was a student of grade 10 in 1971.[12] Tareque Masud and his wife Catherine Masud made a documentary of the group called Muktir Gaan.[11] She identifies herself as a freedom fighter and has spoken for greater recognition of female freedom fighters.[13][14] She had question Why Pakistan Army surrendered to the Indian Army after the war and not to the Bangladeshi people?[12]
In 2008, Murshid was the general secretary of National Alliance for Election Monitoring for the 9th parliamentary election of Bangladesh.[15]
In August 2012, Murshid signed a statement along with 57 other women leaders asking the government to leave Grameen Bank alone after its founder Muhammad Yunus was forced to resign by Bangladesh Bank.[16] Other signatories included Farida Akther, Hameeda Hossain, Khushi Kabir, Maleka Begum, Rasheda K. Chowdhury, Rokia Afzal Rahman, Sara Hossain, Sultana Kamal, and Syeda Rizwana Hasan.[16]
In 2014, she said the Election Commission had failed to hold a fair and free 10th parliamentary election.[17]
Murshid was the general secretary of Uttarsury Nurjahan-Sarwar Murshid Cultural Centre,[18] which oversaw the secretariate of the National Celebration Committee for the Birth Centenary of Khan Sarwar Murshid.[19] It also provides Uttarsury-Nurjahan Murshid Smrity Padak awards.[18]
Murshid is the Chief Executive Officer of Brotee, an election observation group.[20] She told Shakhawat Liton of The Daily Star in 2018 that the space for election monitoring was decreasing due to lack of funding and Bangladesh Election Commission ignoring respected observers.[20]
In 2020, Murshid was a member of the National River Conservation Commission, a quasi-judicial commission responsible for protecting rivers.[21] In October 2021, she signed a statement panning a culture of impunity when it comes to attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh.[22] In 2023, she signed a letter criticizing the government treatment of Khaleda Zia, warning it could lead to a political crises, and asking the government to send her abroad for treatment.[23] Other signatories included Ali Imam Majumder, Asif Nazrul, CR Abrar, Farida Akhtar, Hafizuddin Khan, Naila Z Khan, Nur Khan, Rahnuma Ahmed, Shahdeen Malik, Shahidul Alam, Shireen Huq, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and Tofail Ahmed.[23]
Murshid was critical of the 2024 Bangladeshi election describing it as one-sided election by one party which party members stand against each other.[24] She was critical of the government using violence against quota reform protestors.[13]
Murshid was appointed an advisor in the Muhammad Yunus led interim government.[25] She was placed in charge of the Ministry of Social Welfare.[26]
