The Spirits of 1971 and 2013
The movement that was started by a group of Bangladeshi youth at the Shahbag intersection in Dhaka on February 5, 2013, has grown tremendously. Initially there was just one podium in Shahbag. Now the youth all over the country have erected "Gonojagoran Manchas" (people's awakening podiums) in almost every sub-district of the country. The youth, led by internet savvy bloggers, have been joined by millions of ordinary people. The movement has been praised by noted intellectuals. It has also been supported by the government, even when the youth did not allow leaders of the governing political party to speak from their "Gonojagoran Manchas." The youth movement has now turned into a people's movement, and it has been coined as 'Spirit of 1971' by a section of the Bangladeshi intelligentsia/media.
Sayedee's Face on the Moon - Astronomers' Nightmare
You ask how is it possible that in the year of 2013, people could be fooled to see a convicted killer's face on the moon. But that's what the Jamaat propaganda has accomplished. In the early hours of Sunday morning, in many parts of Bangladesh, Jamaat activists announced, using loudspeakers, that the image of Sayedee could be seen on the moon. The idea is so preposterous that, even in medieval times, this would not get any traction. But in twenty-first century Bangladesh, it did.
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.
Children like yours
It was Shahana's first trip abroad. Shahana was a 10th-grader at an English medium school in Dhaka, and she was part of a student exchange program that had been jointly established by her school and a partner school in New York City. Every summer, a student from her school is selected and sent to the United States to spend four weeks with the family of a student at their partner school. In return, an American student then spends four weeks in Bangladesh in the following winter.
DILEMMA OF ULEMA
Among the non-believers, the Western Christians and Jews in general used to have ignorance and indifference about Islam prior to 9/11. But after 9/11 they have become paranoid about Islam and Muslims. On the other side, majority Hindus of Indian sub-continent have been harbouring distaste and hatred towards Muslims since centuries. Many Hindus consider Muslims as crude, shallow, religion-centric and violent people who plundered their temples, violated their women and converted people at the point of sword or under the grinding heels of Dhimmitude. Whatever bad feelings the Hindus may have about Muslims, the Hindu religious scriptures do not support them to do so in specific terms. However, the majority Hindus continue to show hatred towards Muslims even today. In spite of this there are many Hindus who maintain a very cordial relationship with Muslims. The religion of Hinduism, however, follows the most notorious 'caste system' within it with all shades of untouchability, hatred and oppression even today.
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.
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."
