On 17 September 2026, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman hosted an official reception to honour four Bangladeshi Quran reciters who had won awards at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Holy Quran Competition in Saudi Arabia. The ceremony was held in the Cabinet Division’s conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka, where the Prime Minister congratulated the winners and presented them with books and other gifts.
Among the books was Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, written by Israeli historian and openly gay author Yuval Noah Harari. The book traces the history of information and communication networks from ancient civilisations to the age of artificial intelligence and examines the influence of information on human societies. During the ceremony, the Prime Minister praised the participants’ international achievements and expressed the government’s commitment to recognising accomplishments based on merit and talent.
After photographs of the Prime Minister presenting books to the winners were published, the choice of Nexus and its author began attracting attention on social media. By 18 September, the discussion had grown into an online controversy accompanied by negative campaigns against the book and its author. Right-wing and anti-LGBTQ activists, supporters of conservative political ideologies, and religiously conservative groups criticised the decision to present the book to the Quran reciters. The criticism focused particularly on Harari’s openly gay identity, his views on religion, and his other published works. Critics questioned why a book by an openly gay author had been chosen as a gift for winners of an international Quran competition.
The backlash also included allegations that Harari’s writings were incompatible with Islamic beliefs and values. Some critics cited the author’s sexual orientation, alongside the book’s perceived ideological content, as grounds for opposing its selection. Questions were also raised about how the book had been chosen for an official government ceremony. An online report published on 18 September documented the growing criticism on social media. Within a day of the reception, what had begun as a government initiative to recognise the achievements of Bangladeshi Quran reciters had become an online controversy centred on the author’s sexual orientation, his publicly expressed views, and allegations that his writings conflicted with religious beliefs.
References
17 September 2026 — Official Reception and Book Presentation
- The Daily Star — PM honours four Hafez for success in Saudi Quran competition. Read the Daily Star report
- United News of Bangladesh (UNB) — PM accords reception to winners of international Quran competition. Read the UNB report
- Sarabangla English — PM honours Bangladesh’s Quran competition winners. Read the Sarabangla report
- Channel S — Report on the Prime Minister’s statement that the government will recognise good achievements. Read the Channel S report
- NTV — Report on the Prime Minister’s statement that future generations will benefit from proper recognition of talent. Read the NTV report
- Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — Govt to recognize all achievements based on merit, talent: PM. Read the BNP report
18 September 2026 — Emerging Online Controversy
- The Financial Express — Govt to recognise all achievements based on merit, talent. Read the Financial Express report
- Daily Sun — Govt to recognise all achievements based on merit, talent: PM. Read the Daily Sun report
- Al-Firdaws — Report alleging that Tarique Rahman presented Quran competition winners with Nexus, a book said to conflict with Islam, 18 September 2026. Read the Al-Firdaws report
