Julfikar Ali Manik is a Bangladeshi journalist and writer known for his reporting on Islamic extremism in Bangladesh. [1] [2] He has written for The Daily Star, [3] Dhaka Tribune, [4] The New York Times, [5] Mint, [6] The Seatle Times, [7] The Orange County Register, [8] South Asia Citizens Wire, [9] and The Business Standard. [10]
Manik's parents were AM Ataul Haque, the first Chief of the Bangladesh Navy, and his mother was Begum Fazilatunnessa. [11] He has six brothers and three sisters. [11] His elder brother, Enamul Haque Md. Al Mamun, disappeared on 10 August 2006. [11]
Manik started working as a journalist in 1990. [12]
Manik received awards from the Bangladesh Press Institute and Transparency International Bangladesh in 2001. [12]
In 2004, Manik started working as a stringer for The New York Times. [12] From 2004 to 2013, he worked at The Daily Star. [12] [13] Manik became a Dart Asia Fellow in 2013. [12] He was critical of Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006, being used to target journalists and leading to self-censorship. [14] He was awarded the Gerald Loeb Award for his reporting on the Rana Plaza collapse. [15]
Manik was a planning consultant for Boishakhi TV. [16] He supported hiring Tashnuva Anan Shishir as the first transgender anchor in Bangladesh at Boishakhi TV. [17]
After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, about 1000 journalists were targeted after being "deemed too secular". [18] [19] Manik has also been targeted for his reporting against Islamic extremism and terrorism. [18] Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit sought information on his bank accounts along with 26 other journalists and media professionals. [20]