Should Britain consider banning burqa and niqab?
The European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg upheld the French government's ban on wearing burqa or niqab in its ruling on 1 July 2014. A French Law on religious headgear banned wearing burqa or niqab in public in 2010. The European Court ruling states that the law does not breach Muslim women's Human Rights and consequently there is no reason why the ban should not be upheld. This is a landmark ruling and it could prompt other European and Western countries to consider banning such attires without the risk of legal challenges.
TV should tell bloody histories of faiths - Simon Schama
Simon Schama: TV should tell passionate, bloody histories of faiths
Eternal Injustice in India/Bangladesh
Without being blatantly communal or casting aspersion on religious sensitivities of any religion, I thought the following piece of text reflects the true condition not only of India but also of Bangladesh. So please read it and reflect on it.
Politics and Democracy – the Bangladeshi Style
In my 32 years in the United States, my social life was most pressing during my time in the greater Boston area. That was 1989-1992, when I was a young lecturer at Northeastern University. When my wife and I arrived there, we knew quite a few Bangladeshis from our Dhaka University days in the 1970s and 1980s. Through them we came to know quite a few more. Most of our friends and acquaintances were highly qualified, both professionals and graduate students. Through social interactions with them, I got involved in the Bangladesh Association of New England (BANE), a Boston-centric group.
Happy Blasphemy Day, Happy Birthday 'Mukto Mona
I wrote a piece in Bengali on Blasphemy day, 2013. I could not find time earlier to post this in English blog. Here it is:
When Freedom Emerges through Individuals
The Self I was born alone, and thus will I die. Am I a muslim, or a Bengali, or a member of proletariat? These are what others shape me into. But the identity that exists before all these constructs is my own self. The individual me.
The 'Attack' on Sentiments
Four bloggers were put in jail and thousands of people agitated causing mass violence all due to one simple cause: the sentiment of some people got violated through the non-violent act of mere writings. Retaliation of a mental violation through physical aggression and punishment is unjust and disproportionate, but some people think that it is totally justified. In this writing, we explore how Farhad Mazhar and in general the post-modernist relativists may find this to be an opportunity to advance their own goal. It shows that an alliance between fundamental religious groups and the post-modern relativists is not all that bizarre. But before that, we first start with understanding the strict difference between a physical violation and a mental violation, and how putting the sentimental world before the physical world breeds injustice.
Quota System Is Wrong for Jobs of Intellect
The premier educational institution of Bangladesh, Dhaka University, is in turmoil lately. Here are two newspaper headlines: 1) Violence, Vandalism at DU over Quota Protest, 2) Thursday's Violence over Quota in BCS Exams: 1,700 BCS Job Seekers Sued.