What Nazrul wrote on facebook before his arrest and execution in Saudi Arabia
Source: Facebook
Nazrul Islam Mahin, an expatriate from Brahmanbaria who was executed in Saudi Arabia, had written about the struggles and regrets of middle class life on Facebook before his arrest. After his old posts resurfaced, many people expressed their grief on social media.
According to Nazrul’s Facebook profile, he wrote on May 3, 2023, “Children from middle class families have to think even to reduce their worries.” Before that, he had also shared various posts about his life abroad and his family’s financial difficulties when he went to Saudi Arabia.
Hoping to restore his family’s financial stability, Nazrul moved to Saudi Arabia in November 2022 after taking out a loan of around Tk 700,000. On November 13 that year, he shared a photograph taken at the airport as he left the country. He bid farewell and asked everyone to pray for him.
Even after arriving in Saudi Arabia, he continued to write about his lifestyle and the realities of life in a middle class family on Facebook. In a post on November 29, 2022, he identified himself as a child of a middle class family. In February of the following year, he also made a post about the importance of money.
Nazrul later found work as a cleaner at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. On March 8, 2023, he posted a photograph of himself in his work uniform in front of the Holy Kaaba and expressed gratitude to the Almighty. Many people are now expressing grief and condolences in response to that post as well.
According to family members, about six months after arriving in Saudi Arabia, Nazrul and another person were arrested by Saudi police over allegations of immoral activities with a young woman at a mosque in Makkah. After spending more than three years in prison, he was executed on October 14, according to his family.
Nazrul was the eldest of four siblings and a resident of Birampur village in Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila. After hearing the news of his execution, his aunt Abeda Begum died of a heart attack that same night.
Nazrul’s mother, Rahima Begum, said her son used to speak with the family every Sunday while he was in prison. However, the family was not informed before his execution. They first learned about it through reports published in the media and on social media.
Nazrul’s father, Abdul Bashir, said he had borrowed Tk 700,000 to send his son abroad. He sent Nazrul to Saudi Arabia in the hope that he would support the family. However, his son ended up in prison within six months of arriving there. During that time, Nazrul managed to send only Tk 150,000 to his family.
