The Spirits of 1971 and 2013 (Part II)
This article attempts to relate the events of 1971 and 2013 in Bangladesh, and to see how they compare and what we could learn from them. For the first part of the article, please see https://enblog.muktomona.com/?p=1802.
BNP-JAMAAT - WILL THEY HEAR?
BNP Chief Ms Khaleda (leader of opposition) declined to meet the President of India during the latter's state visit to Bangladesh this week. Such behavior on the part of Ms Khaleda not only speaks volumes about her political compulsion, but also gives her true face as fountain head of Jamaat.
SECOND LIBERATION WAR
Bangladesh is in turmoil. Shahbag has taken a conscious stand in favour of capital punishment for the main war criminals. In doing so it has come in direct conflict with Jamaat. Jamaat and its student wing have been fighting for amalgamation of religion and state. That is why they were against the liberation of Bangladesh and tried to cripple the liberation war by unlashing all types of major criminal activities. From Islamic point of view they were and are correct. On the other hand, Shahbad represents a policy to separate religion and state. Shahbag is correct from the present international socio-political perspective as much water has flown down the Buriganga in past 14 hundred years.
The most premeditated of murders
If Mr. Mollah committed the crimes he was convicted for, and if anyone deserves to die, he does. It is hence not surprising that the death penalty is on everybody's lips in Bangladesh these days. However, we do not wish to comment on the case of Mr. Mollah, as we would hardly be in a position to do so. We leave this case to others more familiar with it and more competent than us. Instead, we will offer some thoughts on capital punishment in general, drawing from the debate about killing criminals in our respective home countries – South Africa and Germany.
SORRY, MR RUSHDIE
As per the news report from Kolkata (India), Mr Salman Rushdie was not allowed to visit the city on 1st February 2013 for promoting the film based on his novel 'Midnight's Children'. The over-enthusiastic and "look-at-me Islamo-philic" Chief Minister of the Indian state, Ms Mamata Banerjee, has asked her police not to let Mr Rushdie enter Kolkata. The reason is obvious as Ulema consider Rhusdie's writing to be blasphemous. Moreover, Rushdie is an apostate from Islam. The Sharia (Laws of Allah) is specifically cruel for such person. Some years back Ms Taslima Nasreen was bundled out of Kolkata for her blasphemous writings. The ruling dispositions of West Bengal have been too eager to pamper the Ulema. In both cases, decisions were taken so that Muslim sentiment is not hurt. Let us examine what that Muslim sentiment is.
PAKISTAN - A SAD COUNTRY
The very basis of Pakistan was religion. Before independence, the power house of Muslim League (ML) was mainly concentrated in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the then Bengal with Bombay-based Mr M A Jinnah at the helm. The conflict between Congress and ML on the issue of partition was that of mind set. Congress leadership grew out of middle class Indians with progressive out look for democracy and secularism. But the core of ML leadership was basically the Muslim aristocracy. This Muslim aristocracy mobilised the common Muslims of undivided India to compensate for their loss of power following 1857. Congress played many dubious games with ML and the latter did some crude and brute show of power. ML leaders were obsessed with the fear that in undivided free India, minority Muslims would be subjugated by the majority Hindus. They also could not reconcile with the fact that they were no longer the rulers of India.
Bangladesh's invisible minority
Babu and Arif have been friends from childhood. They went to school together, played on the same cricket team and had no secrets – except one, but only until recently. While they were out having phuchkas at a street stand somewhere in Dhaka, Arif suddenly slipped into an awkward silence for a couple of seconds.
"Babu, shon, toke amarkichubolar ache… Listen, I want to tell you something…"
"What is it, dosto?"
"I haven't been fully honest with you… Remember when I told you that I really like that girl? That wasn't quite true. It's actually her brother I like. I am gay."
Internet freedom under attack in Bangladesh
The 14-minute trailer of the movie titled "Innocence of Muslims," a movie that may or may not exist, is poorly made and outright stupid. Anyone of even modest intelligence, Muslim or not, will find it painful to watch. The trailer, produced by Egyptian-born U.S. resident Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, was initially uploaded to YouTube in July 2012. From that time until September it got the attention it deserves: none. Then, on September 8, Egyptian television host Khaled Abdallah reported on the film and showed excerpts of an Arabic version of the trailer. We all know what happened next.