On January 18, 2026, the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) dismissed professor Layeqa Bashir, an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Basic Sciences and Humanities, following student allegations of religious blasphemy.
On December 10, 2025, Bashir posted a personal commentary on Facebook regarding religious head coverings, writing that she found full face coverings to be “rude.” After students complained, UAP launched an investigation, gathering additional complaints via an anonymous Google Form. The allegations claimed that Bashir had harassed Muslim students and “insulted religion.” While Bashir apologized for the Facebook post, she denied the harassment charges and stated that the complaints had incited an online defamation campaign against her. UAP did not complete its investigation before firing Bashir, notifying her of the loss of her position by phone. Human rights organizations have denounced Bashir’s dismissal, as well as the simultaneous dismissal of colleague A. S. M. Mohsin, for the lack of transparency in the investigations (see related report).
In the wake of the unrest, the UAP administration announced an indefinite closure of academic activities on January 19, 2026.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the dismissal of a tenured professor without following proper due process and under political pressure. Higher education authorities have an obligation to ensure due process, transparency, and fairness when engaging in disciplinary action. University officials should adhere in principle and practice to established policies for challenging and removing tenure; policies which are designed to guard against bias, ideological interference, or other improper motives. Failure to strictly adhere to such policies directly undermines academic freedom and undermines democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.banglatribune.com/educations/930849/এশিয়া-প্যাসিফিকের-দুই-শিক্ষককে-পুনর্বহালের-দাবি
https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/jaqan8nqmm
https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/3ddc4be52cb8
https://www.bbc.com/bengali/articles/czr411661k6o
https://www.jmbf.org/2026/01/bangladesh-alert-dismissal-of-two.html#more
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/bangladesh-woman-human-rights-defender-layeqa-bashir-faces-arbitrary-dismissal
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/2-uap-teachers-terminated-amid-student-protests-4086461