Professor Muhammad Yunus – Bangladesh’s Nobel Peace Laureate who utilised the concept of micro-financing to support the work of women in his country. He was once a man who was a celebrated national hero, earning the love and respect of many across the world. But caught in a political vendetta with Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Yunus is being forced to resign from his own company, the Grameen Group, with Bangladeshi news reporters insisting that the Founder and CEO had been embezzling aid money for personal use. Certainly, this claim was fortified when a Norwegian documentary built upon this allegation. However, Norwegian government officials found no indication that this was done.
This news was first shared to me by my mother, who in near tears, spoke of how Yunus became a corrupt figure. Money drives people to power, and those with power instantaneously become corrupt. I had met and befriended Prof. Yunus in February 2010, and I found it incredibly hard to believe that a man so soft-spoken, so polite, and so passionate about his work would be stealing money away from the people he had been working tirelessly to help. As someone from Bangladeshi origin, I feel truly passionate about the work Prof. Yunus had started, and fully endorse him and his efforts to anyone that is willing to listen. Naturally, it hurts to see what some are doing to tarnish his image.
With £50 in his pocket, Prof. Yunus started the bank by lending to the country’s poorest and most vulnerable. For once, women were able to seek funds to start up small projects of their own, without permission from their husbands or having to turn to banks that were charging insane amounts of interest. Everyone is now aware of the role of micro-financing in the empowerment of women. The same model has been replicated in countries all over the world with similar positive results, and any tools of female empowerment - I strongly support.
In an effort to stop this smear campaign against Prof. Yunus, I call upon you all to sign the petition below and revive his reputation amongst the Bangladeshi community. We sincerely hope that the Government of Bangladesh and its leaders will take necessary action to stop this smear campaign and give Prof. Yunus the respect he deserves. Show your support and do what you can.
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