Mohammad A. Arafat

Mohammad A. Arafat (born 2 May 1973) is a Bangladeshi academic, politician, parliamentarian 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. He was a former senior lecturer at the School of Business, Independent University, Bangladesh.

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-time member of the Bangladesh Parliament, having been elected from the Dhaka-17 constituency as an Awami League nominee in the 11th and 12th parliaments respectively in the space of 5 months and both times without any competition from major opposition parties. He is also a member of the Awami League's central working committee.

Arafat holds advanced business degrees from Prairie View A&M University and the Oklahoma State University. He is a well-recognised voice in the Bangladeshi late-night talk-show arena.

Career
Arafat was born on 2 May 1973 to Habibun Nisa and Mohammad Setab Uddin.

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.

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.

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