Bangladesh Must Fight this Terrorism
The following is a pretty benign picture of what is going on in Bangladesh in the name of democratic movement!
BANGLADESH - THE OTHER SIDE OF COIN
An important and basic issue with Islam is its mandatory 'religious teaching' for children. A teacher who imparts Islamic religious teaching to small children is called Hujur in Bangladesh. Children's minds can be molded as the Hujurs want. Hujurs, who were taught by their Hujurs, teach a new generation of Muslim children about Islam and prophet. The teaching is one way. Children have to believe what Hujurs teach or tell. Any question is reprimanded. The Islamic 'Iman' comes in handy for Hujurs to suppress any doubt in the minds of children about Islam or prophet. Many false and dangerous things are taught by the Hujurs under the protection of 'Iman'. The teaching methods adopted by these Hujurs are also harsh. Qur'anic 'iqra' was aimed at making bands of regimented followers. Such Islamic teachings are mostly given in local mosques. Some wealthy families do it in homes.
HEIGHT OF MADNESS
Reports from India say that Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary cricketer who very recently retired from the game at the age of 40 years, has been awarded "Bharat Ratna" the highest civilian award in India. Sachin has been an idol in India and cricketing world. His performance in the game of cricket was un-parallel. In his 24 years career as India's cricketer, Sachin has achieved many peaks. He has been non-controversial to the point of being silent in his classical politically correct posture. Such posture reflected escapism at times. From cricket he has earned a lot and shall do so through endorsements and cricket commentary also even after retirement. I am not aware of the conditionalities about "Bharat Ratna". But:
Masud - "I am a woman
For better or for worse, people think in boxes. They have boxes for things, and they have boxes for people: Bengali, westerner, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, Asian, White, Black… Curiously, one pair of boxes seems to play a particularly important role in people's lives: Think about it... What was the first-ever question that anybody has asked about you? Likely, the answer is: "Is it a boy or a girl?" And, likely, that question was asked before you were even born. But does it really matter whether you are a man or a woman? And should it matter?
From Partition to Bangladesh - on the Trajectory of a Troubled Quest
"Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form." - Karl Marx, Letter from the Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher to Arnold Ruge (1843)
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.
Viral Topics - Why They Define Our Generation
The opening scene of the movie Contagion begins with an amiable Gwyneth Paltrow drinking a cocktail while on a business trip in Tokyo. She coughs ever so slightly before leaning in to laugh good-naturedly at a friend's passing remarks. To the casual observer, her cough would be a miniscule detail of the evening. Smiling freely, chatting happily, Paltrow shows no indication of the virus that has taken root inside of her. Ten minutes later (audience-time), the implications of the unnoticed cough become clear as Paltrow suffers a life-ending seizure in her family's kitchen; a day later, her young son suffers the same attack while the baby sitter puts him to bed. As the number of afflicted people increases with each passing minute of the movie, it soon becomes clear that Paltrow was the catalysis for the viral plague that will sweeps the characters' world. Whether they are dead from direct contact, are traumatized from losing the ones they loved, or are simply trying to avoid the disease from the safety of their sterilized houses, each character is affected by the virus in some way.