Former MTSU economics professor, Nobel laureate named Bangladesh prime minister

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Muhammad Yunus, former assistant economics professor at Middle Tennessee State University and Nobel laureate, recently became the interim prime minister of Bangladesh.

Born in Chittagong, Bangladesh, the 84-year-old Yunus is known for his activism across the South Asian nation, specifically for helping women in poverty receive financial help. As a practitioner and proponent of microfinance, Yunus became the worldwide advocate of making capitalism the mechanism for attacking poverty in the world.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Nobel laureate, former MTSU economics professor, interim prime minister of Bangladesh — Dr. Muhammad Yunus

He moved into his leadership role in Bangladesh after the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India amid widespread unrest about the country’s government and accusations of rampant corruption.

Yunus studied economics at the University of Dhaka for both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees before receiving the Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States and earn his Ph.D. in economics at Vanderbilt University, according to Nova News.

While studying at Vandy, Yunus began teaching economics at MTSU and continued to do so after graduating as an assistant professor in MTSU’s Department of Economics and Finance from 1969 until 1972.

Yunus then returned to Bangladesh to teach at Chittagong University while also using his funds to provide loans to people in poverty, particularly women, in the village of Jobra.

This service then led to the launch of Grameen Bank, which provided financial assistance to those in poverty and in turn inspired microfinance projects in dozens of other countries, according to The New York Times.

The Grameen Bank and Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their impact on helping people escape poverty through financial services, and Yunus began to gain international and national attention for his activism.

He then entered the political realm by launching his own political party to offer transparent candidates and a party free from political corruption. He later abandoned this idea, but it did offend local political leaders, including Sheikh Hasina, according to the Times.

Student groups who protested against Hasina advocated for Yunus to become the interim leader of Bangladesh, and after a month of political unrest, Yunus hopes to use his position to support and sustain Bangladesh through its challenges, according to the Times

Interim Prime Minister of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus, 84, is shown in this recent video screen capture from Aljazeera. The Nobel laureate and former Middle Tennessee State University economics professor was recently named to the position after the previous prime minister resigned and fled the country amid widespread unrest. (Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

Yunus gave a speech to diplomats and representatives of the United Nations to outline his goals as prime minister. One of which is providing aid to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, according to Nova News.

“Our government will continue to support the Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh,” Yunus said, according to Nova News. “We need sustained efforts by the international community for humanitarian operations and for the eventual repatriation to their country of origin, Myanmar, safely, with dignity and with full respect for rights.”

— Maddy Williams (news@mtsu.edu)