Rafiqul Islam (16 July 1950 – 20 November 2013) was a Bangladeshi-born Canadian language activist. He played a major role in achieving recognition of February 21 as the

International Mother Language Day International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. First announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999, it was formally reco ...

, proclaimed by the General Conference of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in November 1999. He was awarded

Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...

posthumously by the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

in 2016. He was a member of Vancouver-based organization The Mother Language Lovers Of The World which was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 2001 for the same cause.

Death

Rafiqul Islam had lived in Canada for 18 years until he died of leukaemia on 20 November 2013 in Vancouver General Hospital in Canada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafiqul Islam 1950 births 2013 deaths People from Comilla District University of Dhaka alumni Bangladeshi activists Recipients of the Independence Award Bangladeshi emigrants to Canada