Mohammad A. Arafat

Mohammad A. Arafat (born 2 May 1973) is a Bangladeshi academic, social-advocate, politician and member of parliament and the current Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting.

Arafat is a faculty member at the Canadian University of Bangladesh’s School of Business. His academic interests include, among others, small businesses and their relations with economic growth, capital, connectivity etc.

Arafat is also the Chairman of the Dhaka-based not-for-profit social-advocacy organisation, the Suchinta Foundation. The foundation has, among others, done extensive advocacy work in poverty eradication in Bangladesh through entrepreneurship development.

Arafat is a two-times Member of Bangladesh Parliament, having been twiceelected from the Dhaka-17 constituency as an Awami League nominee in the 11th and 12th parliaments respectively. He is also a member of the Awami League's central working committee. Over the years, he has been key asset for the Awami League, in particular as regards the party's political communications and foreign relations functions.

Arafat holds advanced business degrees from Texas A&M University at Prairie View and the Oklahoma State University. He is a well-recognised voice in the Bangladeshi late-night talk-show arena, popular for his sharp wit and reasoned arguments. He is also a popular face in social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. His uncompromising views and stances on Bangladesh's founding history, and advocacy for justice for crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War, endeared him to a large section of the Bangladeshi youth population.

The Rajshahi-born Arafat is a syndicate member and Chief Advisor to the board of trustees of the Canadian University of Bangladesh. He is the founder of Suchinta Foundation. He endorsed Annisul Huq for the North Dhaka Mayor election.

Arafat has called for stronger ties with India and allowing transshipment of goods. He wrote positively about Harsh Vardhan Shringla visit to Bangladesh and described it as "promising".

Arafat called Reza Kibria, son of former Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria, a traitor for complaining about the human rights situation in Bangladesh to the United States. He criticized the United States for placing sanctions on Rapid Action Battalion and described Gano Adhikar Parishad as a none threat to the Awami League government.

The United States sanctioned Rapid Action Battalion under the Magnitsky Act for extrajudicial killing with specific reference to the killing of Ekramul Haque.

In September 2022, the Government of Bangladesh dismantled the existing trustee board of Manarat International University alleging it had links with Islamist militants and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Mayor of North Dhaka and Awami League politician, Atiqul Islam, was appointed chairman and Arafat was appointed a member of the newly created Trustee board.

Arafat was made a member of the Central Working Committee of the Awami League in December 2022.

Arafat married Shomi Kaiser, actress and daughter of Shahidullah Kaiser and Panna Kaiser, on 24 July 2008. They divorced in 2015.