The 15th Amendment - A Mockery of Secularism
By dint of their brute majority in the Parliament, AL-led grand alliance has enacted the 15th amendment of the constitution unilaterally without much debate in the house. The scraping of Caretaker Government provision of the constitution following the verdict of the apex court on the 13th amendment partially (the verdict has made the Caretaker Government void but assessing the reality it has suggested to conduct two more general elections under this provision) may bring the pre 1/11 confrontational politics back and the country may fall in another volatile situation. Only time will say whether AL will be able to resolve this self-created, though foreseeable crisis in a peaceful manner or not. However, there are other aspects of this amendment, for instance secularism and nationality are also crucial to be scrutinised closely. Especially, the restoration of secularism retaining 'Bismillahir Rahmaner Rahim' and the provision of the state religion of this amendment is to be analysed critically as it will have a long term impact on the future course of the country,
Don't Poke Your Nose...
Article 41(1): Without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State.
Are human rights universal?
The Roman Catholic Archbishop Dom Helder Camara famously said, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."
Pat Robertson Said It Again, But What's With Bob McDonnell??
Pat Robertson Said It Again, But What's With Bob McDonnell??
Dreaming of a better day for Bangladesh
"Beware of Bangladesh" was the cover title of the April 4, 2002 issue of Hong Kong-based magazine The Far Eastern Economic Review. This is the same Bangladesh that came out of a costly nine-month-long liberation war against the Islamic fascists and brutal junta of Pakistan in 1971. The newborn nation was fully inspired by a "non-communal" spirit, meaning one unbiased against Hindus. But the joy of liberation was tarnished by a struggle with the remaining Pakistani-created "vested quarter" of Al-Shams and Al-Badr forces. Slowly, the vested quarter entered into the core of the policy making. The country faced horrible tragedy from 1975 onward, with the restoration of military rule. The founding father of the nation was killed by army officials, and the nation stepped into a new tragedy. That was beginning of a new era in the history of Bangladesh. The constitution was amended many times afterward and the agenda of the vested quarter was fulfilled. The secular entity of Bangladesh ceased to exist, and a new entity that could be titled "Bloody Bismillah" was created. That was the foundation upon which the slow poison of political Islam began its entry into the land of peace. I want to recall a quote by the great Roman philosopher Seneca: "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful." In Bangladesh, religion is indeed highly useful for all forms of politicians, on both the left and the right. The secular writer Taslima Nasrin was forced to leave the country by Islamic fascists. The free thinker Dr. Goni Gomez was killed by the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and the nation was shocked by the bomb blasts carried out by Islamic fascists in almost all the districts. These are the results of the Islamization of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the minorities live under threat all the time from extreme followers of Islam. We want to dream of a day when we will be able to worship on Christmas day without needing police security and without the fear of any bomb blasts. We want to dream of a day when Bangladesh will be free of corruption and when we will be free from poverty. We want to dream of a day when the people of all religions will sing the song of peace and harmony together and work together for a better Bangladesh. We want to dream of a better Bangladesh. We don't want to see any title saying "Beware of Bangladesh," but rather we want to see one saying "Bangladesh, a unique example of peace and prosperity."