The academic community of Bangladesh and the United States is in mourning following the tragic death of Afifa Rahman Naima, an Assistant Professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Afifa, who was pursuing her PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the United States, passed away due to severe complications during childbirth. Her sudden demise has sent shockwaves through the hearts of her family, colleagues, and the wider Bangladeshi student community abroad. The news was confirmed by her close relatives and faculty members through verified social media updates on Friday.
According to family and close sources, Afifa had been battling critical health issues following an emergency C-section. She spent several days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) under constant medical supervision. Despite the best efforts of the medical team at the US facility, her condition deteriorated to the point where she was declared clinically dead on Friday afternoon, US time. Her passing leaves behind two young children, including a toddler only eighteen months old and a newborn, who are now left without their mother’s embrace.
Colleagues and former teachers have taken to social media to pay tribute to the brilliant mind that Afifa was. Zahidul Islam, a former BUET faculty member, expressed his deep sorrow, noting that Afifa was an exceptional student and teacher in the Department of Water Resources Engineering. He highlighted that her loss is not just a personal one for her family but a significant loss for the academic field of engineering in Bangladesh. Tributes poured in from those who remembered her as a soft-hearted, helpful, and incredibly brilliant researcher dedicated to her field.
Shibbir Ahmed, a close friend and neighbor in Urbana-Champaign who is also a PhD student, shared poignant memories of the last four years they spent as neighbors. He mentioned that Afifa’s husband, Md. Iftekhar Islam Sakib, is also a faculty member at BUET and a fellow PhD student at UIUC. The couple was building their future together in the US while contributing to higher research. The news of her deteriorating health had kept the local Bangladeshi community in a state of prayer, but the outcome has left everyone in profound grief.
Afifa Rahman Naima was known not only for her intellectual prowess but also for her kind nature and helpful disposition toward fellow students. Many in the community have cited the religious significance of her passing during childbirth, offering prayers for her soul and wishing for her the status of a martyr. The BUET community is expected to hold memorial services as the details regarding her burial and the return of her remains are finalized. Her passing serves as a somber reminder of the fragility of life, even as one reaches for the highest peaks of academic excellence.
