Mohammed Fazle Rabbee
Encyclopedia
Dr. Mohammed Fazle Rabbee (occasionally spelled Rabbi) (September 21, 1932-December 15, 1971), was a renowned cardiologist and a published medical researcher. He was the joint professor of Cardiology and Internal Medicine at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital
. Rabbee was not a man of ordinary intellect. He was noted for his progressive thinking and unconventional beliefs for a modern Bengali society. The combination of his intellect, personality, and humanity were recognized by all those who knew him. Rabbee was brutally murdered in the intellectual killing during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh by Pakistani army and its local collaborators, the Jamaat-affiliated Al-Badr
militia.
, Bangladesh
. Since Mohammed Fazle Rabbee was a child, he had been an exceptional student. In 1948, he passed matriculation from Pabna Zila School and I.Sc from Dhaka College in 1950. Afterwards, Rabbee went to Dhaka Medical College and finished his MBBS in 1955. He received a gold medal for achieving highest marks on the examination in all of Pakistan. At Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, he became an assistant surgeon on December 15, 1956.
Mohammed Fazle Rabbee and Dr. Jahan Ara Rabbee were married on January 8, 1957. Jahan Ara Rabbee had been a student attending Dhaka Medical College at the time. They raised four children, but the youngest died soon after his birth.
Rabbee became Registrar of Medicine in 1959 at Dhaka Medical College. In March, 1960, he traveled to England to earn higher education, where he earned an MRCP in cardiology
and another one in internal medicine
. Rabbee received these two post-graduate degrees in record time by 1962. In lieu of obtaining his MRCP from London, he worked at the Hammersmith Hospital
. Upon graduation, he worked at Middlesex Hospital
with Sir Francis Avery Jones, an eminent British gastroenterologist. After Rabbee finished his studies, he returned to Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) on January 1, 1963, where he became an associate professor of medicine at the Dhaka Medical College. He was soon promoted as Professor of Medicine and Cardiology in 1968 and was the youngest MRCP staff member to achieve this promotion in Dhaka Medical College at the age of 36.
in 1952 opened his eyes to the tyranny and repression of the Islamist Pakistani government against its Bengali speaking citizens. The Pakistani government thought the Bengali-speaking East Pakistanis were not proper Muslims because of their language, culture, and secular philosophy. Rabbee did not believe that religion should be used to perpetrate violence and repression of ordinary people. In fact, he believed in humanism
which affirms the dignity and worth of all people. The martyred intellectuals believed in the struggle for freedom of Bengalis, but their path forward was a non-violent one. Their conviction in truth and justice was more powerful than the massive military force of the Pakistani government, which was ultimately defeated.
Professor Rabbee, a humanitarian, believed in Ganamukhi Chikitsha and provided free medical care to thousands of poor patients. In 1969, at the post-graduate Institute of Medicine in Dhaka, he laid out his vision for a classless society. He believed that no society can progress when so many people are left behind, as was the case with East Pakistan. He urged everyone to be self-reliant, but also to help each other out of helpless situations. The speech by Pakistan's topmost professor in medicine evoked strong emotions from the students and colleagues. The captivating speech inspired everyone to provide good medical care for free to those who couldn’t afford it. The Pakistani government took him in for questioning after the speech. The army charged that Rabbee was too popular.
In 1970 when the repression of East Pakistanis reached a peak, Professor Rabbee received the Pakistan best professor award which he refused to accept. On March 27, 1971 he became very disturbed when he visited Dhaka medical college (his workplace) with his wife and saw the extent of the massacre committed by Pakistani army on innocent civilians and the faculty of Dhaka university. Both he and his wife became completely engaged in the liberation war. They helped and protected countless freedom fighters and their families from death and disaster. They provided medical care, surgery, money, shelter and transportation cost to refugee camps to families of those who were killed, as well as for survivors of torture and rape. They stood firm in Dhaka during the war (March 1971-December 1971) and surrounded their friends of all religions who were artists, scientists, professors, bankers, and students. They believed in a progressive and secular society. Towards the end of the war, Rabbee's dream was to build a country where the constitution would reflect the core values of all religions: equality (gender, religion, class), tolerance, secularism, human dignity and honor.
Rabbee also did research on medicine, and has had his research-based articles published in British Medical Journal
and Lancet. His publications include Spirometry in Tropical Pulmonary Eosinophilia and A Case of Congenital Hyperbilirubinaemia (Dubin-Johnson Syndrome) in Pakistan.
Late Jahan Ara Rabbee (Professor Rabbee's wife) talked about his death:
The president of Pabna Drama Circle and a leading cultural activist, Gopal Sanyal, said, “When the occupation forces realized that Bangladesh was about to become independent, they killed off the intellectuals who were the greatest minds of the country. These great human beings never got to see the sun rise over the independent Bangladesh.”
Dhaka Medical College and Hospital
Dhaka Medical College and Hospital , established in 1946 during the British colonial rule, is the top medical college in Bangladesh. Situated at the heart of the city in the academic zone along with University of Dhaka and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka Medical College...
. Rabbee was not a man of ordinary intellect. He was noted for his progressive thinking and unconventional beliefs for a modern Bengali society. The combination of his intellect, personality, and humanity were recognized by all those who knew him. Rabbee was brutally murdered in the intellectual killing during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh by Pakistani army and its local collaborators, the Jamaat-affiliated Al-Badr
Al-Badr (East Pakistan)
The Al-Badr was the paramilitary wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh that collaborated with the Pakistan Army against the Bengali nationalist movement in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The present chief of the Jamaat, Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami headed the Al-Badr organisation as the...
militia.
Life and education
Rabbee was born on September 21, 1932, in Pabna DistrictPabna District
Pabna District is a district in north-western Bangladesh. It is the southern most district of Rajshahi Division. Its administrative capital is eponymous Pabna town.-Geography:Pabna forms the south-east boundary of Rajshahi Division...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Since Mohammed Fazle Rabbee was a child, he had been an exceptional student. In 1948, he passed matriculation from Pabna Zila School and I.Sc from Dhaka College in 1950. Afterwards, Rabbee went to Dhaka Medical College and finished his MBBS in 1955. He received a gold medal for achieving highest marks on the examination in all of Pakistan. At Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, he became an assistant surgeon on December 15, 1956.
Rabbee became Registrar of Medicine in 1959 at Dhaka Medical College. In March, 1960, he traveled to England to earn higher education, where he earned an MRCP in cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
and another one in internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
. Rabbee received these two post-graduate degrees in record time by 1962. In lieu of obtaining his MRCP from London, he worked at the Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
. Upon graduation, he worked at Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital
The Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, United Kingdom. First opened in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally closed in 2005. Its staff and services were transferred to various sites...
with Sir Francis Avery Jones, an eminent British gastroenterologist. After Rabbee finished his studies, he returned to Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) on January 1, 1963, where he became an associate professor of medicine at the Dhaka Medical College. He was soon promoted as Professor of Medicine and Cardiology in 1968 and was the youngest MRCP staff member to achieve this promotion in Dhaka Medical College at the age of 36.
Personal beliefs and political movements
Rabbee was a man of science with a progressive philosophy. The Language MovementLanguage Movement
The Bengali Language Movement, also known as the Language Movement , was a political effort in Bangladesh , advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of Pakistan...
in 1952 opened his eyes to the tyranny and repression of the Islamist Pakistani government against its Bengali speaking citizens. The Pakistani government thought the Bengali-speaking East Pakistanis were not proper Muslims because of their language, culture, and secular philosophy. Rabbee did not believe that religion should be used to perpetrate violence and repression of ordinary people. In fact, he believed in humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
which affirms the dignity and worth of all people. The martyred intellectuals believed in the struggle for freedom of Bengalis, but their path forward was a non-violent one. Their conviction in truth and justice was more powerful than the massive military force of the Pakistani government, which was ultimately defeated.
In 1970 when the repression of East Pakistanis reached a peak, Professor Rabbee received the Pakistan best professor award which he refused to accept. On March 27, 1971 he became very disturbed when he visited Dhaka medical college (his workplace) with his wife and saw the extent of the massacre committed by Pakistani army on innocent civilians and the faculty of Dhaka university. Both he and his wife became completely engaged in the liberation war. They helped and protected countless freedom fighters and their families from death and disaster. They provided medical care, surgery, money, shelter and transportation cost to refugee camps to families of those who were killed, as well as for survivors of torture and rape. They stood firm in Dhaka during the war (March 1971-December 1971) and surrounded their friends of all religions who were artists, scientists, professors, bankers, and students. They believed in a progressive and secular society. Towards the end of the war, Rabbee's dream was to build a country where the constitution would reflect the core values of all religions: equality (gender, religion, class), tolerance, secularism, human dignity and honor.
Research
Professor Rabbee was an exceptional clinician, as well as a medical researcher. Throughout the subcontinent, people sought him out to diagnose difficult cases that could not be diagnosed or treated by local physicians. Rabbee combined a holistic approach towards health with cutting-edge science. For his poor patients, this popular doctor, gave free medical treatment, medicine, transportation and hospitalization costs. He was extremely well liked by child and elderly patients, because he took the time to interact with them and to understand the root causes of their clinical symptoms.Rabbee also did research on medicine, and has had his research-based articles published in British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
and Lancet. His publications include Spirometry in Tropical Pulmonary Eosinophilia and A Case of Congenital Hyperbilirubinaemia (Dubin-Johnson Syndrome) in Pakistan.
Death
On December 15, 1971, Mohammed Fazle Rabbee was brutally killed when the Bangladesh Liberation War was ending. The Pakistan occupation army and those that conspired with them took Rabbee from his home. He was taken to Mohammedpur Physical Training Institute and then to Rayer Bazar along with other intellectuals where they were martyred.Late Jahan Ara Rabbee (Professor Rabbee's wife) talked about his death:
The president of Pabna Drama Circle and a leading cultural activist, Gopal Sanyal, said, “When the occupation forces realized that Bangladesh was about to become independent, they killed off the intellectuals who were the greatest minds of the country. These great human beings never got to see the sun rise over the independent Bangladesh.”