View source for Farid Uddin Chowdhury

{{short description|Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami politician}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Farid Uddin Chowdhury
| office = Member of [[Jatiya Sangsad]] ([[Sylhet-5]])
| term_start = 2001
| term_end = 2008
| primeminister = [[Khaleda Zia]]
| predecessor = [[Hafiz Ahmed Mazumder]]
| successor = [[Hafiz Ahmed Mazumder]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|12|25}}
| birth_place = [[Kanaighat Upazila|Kanaighat]], [[Sylhet District]], [[East Bengal]], [[Dominion of Pakistan]]
| alma_mater = [[Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah]]<br/>[[Murari Chand College]]
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| party = [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]]
| bodyclass = 
| mainwidth = 
}}
'''Farid Uddin Chowdhury''' ({{lang-bn|ফরিদ উদ্দিন চৌধুরী}}; born 25 December 1947) is a teacher, politician and businessman. He was the former Member of Parliament for the [[Sylhet-5]] constituency from 2001 to 2008, representing the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]] party.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sylhet 5 constituency: Long-standing coalitions might collapse in six-way fight for seat |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/election/2018/10/12/sylhet-5-constituency-awami-league-expects-victory-many-islamist-parties-in-the-running |accessdate=11 October 2019 |work=Dhaka Tribune |date=12 October 2018}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Chowdhury was born on 25 December 1947 into a [[Bengali Muslim]] family in Talbari village, [[Kanaighat Upazila|Kanaighat]], [[Sylhet District]] in [[East Bengal]]. His father, Abdul Haq Chowdhury, was a [[Mawlana]]. Chowdhury completed his secondary education (dakhil) at the [[Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah]] in 1959. He remained in the [[madrasa]] where he finished his ''alim'' course in 1963, ''fazil'' in 1965 and ''Kamil'' degree by 1967. He then moved on to study at the [[Murari Chand College]], where he earned his [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[Bengali language]] in 1971.

==Career==
Chowdhury began his career as an [[imam]] at the Gohorpur Mosque in [[Balaganj]]. He later became the principal of the Shahjalal Jamia School in Mirabazar, [[Sylhet]]. He is also a noted businessman in Sylhet, serving as the vice chairman of Al Hamra International Shopping Centre and the chairman of An-Noor Properties Limited.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailynayadiganta.com/more-news/404214/-কানাইঘাটে-আন-নূর-টাওয়ারের-যাত্রা-শুরু|title=কানাইঘাটে আন-নূর টাওয়ারের যাত্রা শুরু|website=[[Daily Naya Diganta]]|lang=bn|date=2019-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhorerkagoj.com/print-edition/2018/12/08/225288.php|title=হাফিজের আয় মামুনুরের ঋণ বেশি : সিলেট-৫|website=[[Bhorer Kagoj]]|date=2018-12-08|lang=bn}}</ref> 

===Politics===
During his time at the Murari Chand College, Chowdhury became the president of the Islami Chatra Sangha, the student-wing of the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]] party, and was also a member of its Central Executive Council.

Chowdhury stood up as a Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate for the elections of [[1986 Bangladeshi general election|1986]], [[1991 Bangladeshi general election|1991]] and [[1996 Bangladeshi general election|1996]] but was unsuccessful. During the [[2001 Bangladeshi general election]], he was elected to parliament for the [[Sylhet-5 ]] constituency.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Siddiquee |first1=Iqbal |title=BNP-Jamaat at odds over nomination in Sylhet-5 |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2006/08/12/d60812070397.htm |accessdate=11 October 2019 |work=archive.thedailystar.net |publisher=The Daily Star}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Till death, I would like to remain in close touch of people, work for country: Saifur |url=https://bdnews24.com/politics/2006/06/11/till-death-i-would-like-to-remain-in-close-touch-of-people-work-for-country-saifur |accessdate=11 October 2019 |work=[[Bdnews24.com]]}}</ref>

Transferring to the [[Jatiya Party (Ershad)|Jatiya Party]], Chowdhury lost his seat in the [[2008 Bangladeshi general election]]s.

==Controversy==
In 2008, Chowdhury was investigated by the [[International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)|International Crimes Tribunal]] and was accused of being a commander of the [[Al-Badr (East Pakistan)|Al-Badr]] paramilitary force. In 2010, he ranked 24th on the list of 40 top war criminals during the 1971 [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. A list was given to the Immigration Police by the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (Bangladesh)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] which also mentioned Chowdhury's name. The [[Government of Bangladesh]] also sent lists to various embassies with Chowdhury's name among 40 war criminals.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://samakal.com/todays-print-edition/tp-khobor/article/1812738/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%AB%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F|title='বদর কমান্ডার' ফরিদ ফের আলোচনায়|date=4 December 2018|website=[[Samakal]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190625214841/https://samakal.com/todays-print-edition/tp-khobor/article/1812738/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%AB%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F|archive-date=25 June 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Farid Uddin}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Kanaighat Upazila]]
[[Category:Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami politicians]]
[[Category:8th Jatiya Sangsad members]]
[[Category:20th-century Bengalis]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam]]
[[Category:21st-century Bengalis]]
[[Category:Murari Chand College alumni]]
{{Bangladesh-politician-stub}}