Jaffor Ullah's "Cow Essays"
mwzaman
(Copy right A.H. Jaffor Ullah)
Jaffor Ullah's Cow Essay # 1
(This seminal "COW ESSAY" has been reprinted from NFB, Nov. 26, 2001}.
Is Shariar Kabir's arrest a bête noire?
By A.H. Jaffor Ullah
"The worst government is the most moral. One composed of cynics is
often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is
no limit to oppression." — H. L. Mencken in 'Notebooks'
Is Bangladesh rapidly becoming a police state? The news of political
activist Shahriar Kabir's arrest at the International Airport while he
returned from Kolkata indicates that this nascent democracy of 130
million folks is most certainly moving fast in that direction. To say
the least, it is an alarming development.
The members of the civil society of Bangladesh should make sure that
the present government does not teeter on gross civil rights violation
of activists to muzzle their voice. Indubitably, the government has
erred a big time by arresting Mr. Kabir.
In a democratic society, people are endowed with personal freedom
because of which they may express their opinion in whatever way they
feel provided they do not end up misusing it by spreading innuendoes
or by fabricating news only to humiliate or defame a person. In a
pluralistic society, the freedom of speech to express one's thought is
the cornerstone of democracy.
The government should protect these basic rights of a citizen.
Therefore, a person should not be incarcerated for speaking up no
matter how distasteful it may sound from the perspective of the ruling
administration.
The way Mr. Shahriar Kabir was arrested upon his arrival from Kolkata
is extremely repugnant. Mr. Kabir was not entering a foreign nation,
was he? For heaven's sake, he was returning to his ancestral homeland.
If the government has a valid case against him, which he very doubtful
because the way the authorities have acted thus far, then they should
have come up with a valid arrest warrant and get him from his home.
If it is deemed absolutely essential to incarcerate him, then the
government should first bring specific charges against him and at the
same time show some evidence to the effect that Mr. Kabir may elude
the law and authority people in Bangladesh. Like all of us, the
government also knows that Mr. Kabir is a known figure in Bangladesh
society. Therefore, he should not be treated as a fugitive.
There was no reason for the authorities to act brazenly. If Mr. Kabir
had broken any law while he was at the airport or if he brought some
contraband item, then we it is justified for the law and authority to
held him at the airport. However, it is a different matter altogether
to arrest someone at the airport without any specific charge. In a
democratic society, no one should be arrested for one's opinion or
even talking to foreign press such as BBC or VOA.
It has been widely reported in both national and foreign press that
the minorities in Bangladesh had to endure a great deal of humiliation
and pain because they were at the receiving end of getting
intimidation, physical threats and in some occasion physical abuse
since October 1 election results were declared. If Mr. Kabir as a
citizen of Bangladesh visits Kolkata to figure out what did exactly
happened to some minorities who have migrated to Bangladesh's neighbor
after receiving maltreatment in the hands of some miscreants, then has
he broken some existing laws of the nation? If however the answer is
an unequivocal no, then, why was Mr. Kabir detained at the airport?
The Special Branch of Bangladesh police should have the charge against
Mr. Kabir a priori. This is a gross miscarriage of justice to hold
someone at the airport without having any charge against that person.
This could only happen in an autocratic society or under Martial Law
where draconian measures are taken to muzzle a voice. However, if this
happens in a democracy, then there is a reason for concern. That is
precisely why this scribe is writing this article to voice his
concern.
It was reported in the newspaper on November 24 (Saturday) that the
government brought a serious charge of anti state activities against
Mr. Kabir. Therefore, the onus is now on government to spell the
charge in some details so that Bangladesh's civil society knows for
what specific activity Mr. Kabir had to be incarcerated. In the last
one decade, Mr. Kabir had been in the forefront of a movement to bring
Razakar, and other Fifth Columnists to the court of justice for their
involvement to thwart Bangladesh's freedom struggle in 1971.
Besides that, Mr. Kabir is also known for his cultural activism and
for speaking out against the civil rights of Bangladesh's minorities.
Therefore, the government will be pressured by various groups to
release Mr. Kabir from the Central Jail. Come to think of it, the
government is poised to earn many bad reputations to the "plaudits" of
their political opponents.
In democracy, the government should never put a dissident into jail
because his or hers opinion run contrary to the government's. In the
1960s, Gen. Ayub's government used to routinely arrest Sheikh Mujib
and put him into jail for prolong period. We know what happened then.
In our neighboring India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi also abused the country's
law to put dissident politicians into jail in the 1970s. That caused
her to lose one parliamentary election in mid 1970s.
Therefore, the present government of Bangladesh should better watch
out of exercising their unrestricted power to lockup dissidents. If it
turns out that Mr. Kabir had not participated in any anti state
activity, then the government is bound to receive a lot of bad
publicity.
To use law judiciously by the government takes much restraint, but to
abuse it is rather easy. From Mr. Kabir's maltreatment in the hand of
the Khaleda Zia Administration, it follows that the government has
chosen an easier path.
---------------------
A.H. Jaffor Ullah writes from New Orleans. Comments should be directed
at - Jaf...@netscape.net
[Reprinted from News From Bangladesh, Nov. 26, 2001)
Anamika_1971
You are a hypocrite and fanatically blind in your political belief. It would
not have been bad - but then again - you lack the intelligence to
distinguish between right and wrong public policy. Your judgment is clouded
with the propaganda material that were being distributed during the 60's and
70's - and sir you have not grown out of that.
Yes Sir - You Write "COW ESSAYS."
To understand the simple distinction between "democracy" and BKSAL is not a
big stretch of the imagination. In political theory those are described as
two opposite ends of the spectrum.
Secularism - is not what you describe or idealize it to be.
I have presented arguments that you have rejected for reasons other than the
merit of the argument. Issues as my upbringing have become an issue - but
you have evaded the arguments presented.
Yes Sir - You Write "COW ESSAYS."
I have read you comment about one's proficiency in English rather than
dispute or agree with their arguments.
I have gotten a response from you for spelling "obarcheen" - rather than
"orbacheen" - but lacking any comment regarding what I considered to be the
essential arguments presented.
Again and again - you have discredited your nation and people - as you have
posted comments and written articles that tries to present a skewed view of
the liberation war of Bangladesh.
Ignoring the gross injustice that occurred during the 1st BAL period.
Rationalizing the authoritarian BKSAL idea, as opposed to "democracy".
Glorifying political leaders like Mujib - whose biggest legacy probably was
his failure to exemplify unbiased and visionary leadership. Blaming
everybody but the BAL leadership for the prevalent disrespect of rule of
law.
Yes Sir - You Write "COW ESSAYS."
mwzaman <mwz...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:46db51ba.0111...@posting.google.com...
> Selected "Cow Essays" of Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah
> (Copy right A.H. Jaffor Ullah)
>
> Jaffor Ullah's Cow Essay # 1
>
> (This seminal "COW ESSAY" has been reprinted from NFB, Nov. 26, 2001}.
>
>
> Is Shariar Kabir's arrest a bête noire?
>
> By A.H. Jaffor Ullah
>
> "The worst government is the most moral. One composed of cynics is
> often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is
> no limit to oppression." - H. L. Mencken in 'Notebooks'
Anamika_1971
mwzaman
mwz...@aol.com (mwzaman) wrote in message news:<46db51ba.0111...@posting.google.com>...
Finally, an Islamic Petition makes it way to Khaleda Zia
By Shiraj Uddin Shopon (alias Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah from New Orleans,
LA))
NY , USA
E Mail : ssho...@hotmail.com
On December 4 issue of NFB we have seen a glaring example of how
Muslim intellectuals are misguiding the general readership of an
Internet newspaper. Many a time they even misguided the educated
intellectuals. Take the case of Indian-born Maulana Maududi of Lahore
whose brainchild the Jamaat-I-Islam party had many Maulanas in both
East and West Pakistan.
These Maulanas conspired to misguide a huge number of believers for
giving support to a fascist, killer, and rapist regime of Yahya Khan
for protecting Islam during 1971 when we Bengalis were fighting to
liberate our motherland from the clutch of Pakistani army.
The other prominent case of the deception by a Muslim clergy is the
case of Mullah Omar of Afghanistan in recent days. This one-eyed
Mullah had misguided religious Islamic circles to capture power for
establishing a puritanical form of Islam in that difficult land. In
our own Bangladesh, the Islamic and semi-Islamic politicians
religiously misguide the young generation by poisoning their minds
through the Rx of Islamic communal politics.
The spread of the Islamic communal politics has created so much hatred
among the followers against the Hindus and their opponents that after
their conspiratorial victory, the cadres of the Islamic and
semi-Islamic parties started looting, raping and killing the minority
Hindus and the opposition party leaders and workers. The crimes were
hate crimes – pure and simple -- committed by BNP-Jamaat cadres.
Where did the cadres get the message of hate? Albeit not from doing
secular politics.
They got hate in their minds against the minority Hindus and Awami
Leaguers by believing in semi-Islamic and puritanical Islamic communal
politics. The expatriate Bangladeshis expressed their concern in
different forums on these hate crimes. While expressing theirs
concerns individually or collectively, the expatriates did not portray
them as Muslims or Hindus or Christians or Buddhists. They expressed
concerns as Bangladeshis.
Now we have one Mr. Omar originating from Bangladesh who wrote
introductory remarks on a petition against violence in NFB [12/4/01].
The petition started in the name of the Merciful – the inert
entity who has very little to do with the crime. The signatories
congratulated the head of the present Islamic Alliance government of
Bangladesh. The signatories demanded justice. The question is: justice
from whom? Are they seeking justice from the leaders of the criminal
cadres? The semi-Islamic BNP and the Islamic communal fascist Jamaat
cadres did the violence and crimes against peaceful minorities. Please
allow me to remind our readers that these Islamic hyenas raped girls
and women of the minority community. They continuously harass them all
over Bangladesh. These cadres destroyed Hindu temples in Bangladesh
like the followers of Afghanistan's Mullah Omar. Expatriate
Bangladeshi Mr. Omar has organized and sent the application to the
head of the Islamic alliance government whose political cadres are
responsible for violence and repression against the minorities.
In the letter, an appeal has been made to the head of the BNP-Jamaat
alliance government for building a better future avoiding
partisanship. The signatories expressed that the nation was deeply
hurt from the past harmful partisanship. They expect nonpartisan
approach from a government who allowed their cadres to capture places
from the Member of Parliament hostel to the public toilet. The
appointees of the government captured the posts of VCs and pro-VCs
bypassing University rules and regulations.
A minister replaced Muktijuddha Sangshad Chairman by force. The
officials worked under the previous government are all being labeled
by the BNP-Jamaat axis as Awami Leaguers. From day one of this
government, the capturing of all sectors is going on in an
unprecedented partisanship manner. And the expatriates are hoping to
see nonpartisanship from the Islamic alliance of BNP-Jamaat! Whom are
they kidding! Only a person who is living in a Fool’s Paradise
could believe in such "sweet talk."
A ridiculous Islamic approach is observed throughout the petition,
though. First, observe how the name of the benevolent Almighty is
written on the top. To be honest, our Almighty has nothing to do with
the plight of our minorities. Understood? So, why does Mr. Omar drag
our Almighty into this mess?
Then come the servile tongue with which they congratulated the Madam
in charge of the present government. What is the big idea here, may I
ask? Then come the appeal to the head of the fundamentalist government
in the middle and soft verses [hard ones are vicious; everyone in this
world knows these days, I suppose!] and the petition ends with a
solemn prayer. No outright protest and denouncing the inaction of the
government for all the wrongdoing since the time the cadres of the
Islamic alliance have been terrorizing the whole country.
Mr. Omar of Bangladesh is organizing in the name of protest to uphold
his communal Islamic politics - the politics that has created hatred
in the minds of a number of young people in Bangladesh. They are the
product of the Pakistani type of communal Islamic politics. Mr. Omar
has organized to appeal to the communal Islamists using Islamic
approach with the invocation of Allah’s name at the top and
Prayer at the bottom to establish the rule of law and work together
toward building a stable and prosperous future.
The approach in the name of Islam will undoubtedly fail to garner any
meaningful result. The policy of Mr. Omar is unquestionably a divisive
one. There is an old English phrase which tells us that "United we
stand." Therefore, a united effort as Bangladeshi expatriates would
have been a better approach. The better advice would be to keep the
religion in the confine of our Mosques. Do we really have to bring our
religious identity into the fore every time something unfortunate
happens in our motherland? Knowing fully well that the minorities were
at the receiving end of Islamists’ ire in Bangladesh, Mr. Omar
would have shown his prudent judgment to keep Islam out of the
picture, entirely.
To invoke Islam in a matter such as this could divide our expatriate
Bangladesh community. This is especially true now in the aftermath of
September 11, 2001, when 19 Muslim Arabs have decided to make this
world awry. Islam can take the back seat now, Mr. Omar Farooq!
However, if the erudite professor thinks that the petition of
"Expatriate Muslim Academics/Professionals" could only deal an Islamic
crime in Bangladesh then I have to rest my case." [This "Cow Essay"
has been reprinted from NFB, Dec. 5, 2001]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Look what Mr. Asif Hasan, apparently being disgusted with the mockery
of the self-serving writer's mockery, wrote ( SCB, December 5,
2001)about Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah's "SEMINAL" "Cow Essay:
"One may wonder how can a full time scientist who have so much time to
write unproductive stuff every week in public media?
Can there be any motivation left for an intelligent person to write
the same stuff if his ideas are vehemently opposed by the audience
that he is trying to reach?
Unless the person has got nothing better in life to do than barking
from the sideline? Unless that person is into chasing wild squirrel in
the Amazonian rain forest with a encylopedia CD -ROM version stuffed
in to his armpit?
This piece is the latest on what this dead wood scientist is doing.
Under a new pen name Shirajuddin Shopon this son of a bitch is
spouting venom in public media.
Clearly Dr. Omar Farooq (the initiator of the following signature
campaign)wanted to do his part in building inter faith trust and
communal harmony. But the bastardized re-incarnated SOB is poking fun
into this noble effort(what he or does best)."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let the esteemed readers find out what Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah wrote in
SCB on December 5, 2001 in defense of his assumed name "Shiraj Uddin
Shopon" :
"A grumpy, surly, cantankerous, irascible, faultfinding, carping,
garuching, brusque, gruff, snarly, feisty, huffy, fractious, caviling,
testy, andornery Asif Hasan does it again! Why? Because, his Guru from
Upper"Whatever" University was maligned very savagely by this Shopon
scalawag.Let the maligned Mullah Omar of Bangladesh now utter a fatwa
or two againstShiraj Uddin. After reading Shiraj's piece in today's
(Dec 5) issue of NFB,I checked out the "Petition of Islamic Scholars
from Bangladesh," whichappeared on Dec 4 in the same paper. True, it
was written fawningly! Icould never realize that Bangladesh's scholars
and academicians livingoutside the country could toady the present
Prime Minister. Don't they havespine? Why in the world the non-Islamic
Scholars from Bangladesh, who areleading a non-pristine un-Islamic
life in this land, were not asked to signthe petition? Got any clues,
pal?BTW, not all the secularist writers in NFB have to be AHJU. S.U.
Shopon isa very angry young secularist. Can't you discern it? It even
shows up inhis English usage. But then I am dealing here with a very
disturbed 'Arbachin.' Cool it down."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Interim Response: Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, you are Shiraj uddin
Shopon. Like Abul Kasem's e-postings (from fictious place called
"SIDNEY"?), Shiraj Uddin Shopon's postings have also been originating
from your designate IP address. Jaffor ullah, don't underestimate
others' intelligence and common sense. You are not telling the TRUTH.
Why? Because you can't dealth with the truth. Mr. Shakil Sarwar had
generated hard evidence that you have engaged in defamation and
hate-mongering through the use multiple names.
Dr. Jaffor Ullah, you may not have any idea what is meant by word
"Diction." All of the "cow Essays" contain your diction. No amount of
new dictionaries and "BOOKS of memorable QUOTATIONS' can ever improve
your DICTION or your choice of words. No quotation book can increase
your diction. Only good reading of good stuff can improve your
diction.
Dr. Jaffor ullah, you have written your "Cow Essays" on "Confederation
in North-East India" under false name called "Abul Hasanth," and then
you have elequently appreciated the proposals contained in that "cow
essay" under your real name A.H. Jaffor Ullah. Do you rememer? This is
called mockery. You have done it again and again, and again under
various false names. Unfortunately, you had no clue or IDEA what hell
is meant by the concept of "CONFEDERATION.' You have written "cow
Essays" on "Civil Society" without even understanding the meaning of
the concept of civil society. my advice: please read some Good Stuff
on such topics. In this kind of instance, neither a good dictionary
nor a whole bunch of quotation books (I know it for sure because one
of your cohorts had once mentioned it to me that you had bought
several quotation books). I don't care about this because you can use
get this kind of stuff these days from the Internet-- you yourself
boasted about downloading and copying whole bunch of quotatios. That's
your choice. But I would request you to read good bokks and articles
on some topics of your interest.
Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, I don't know what you mean by the word
"arbacheen." Don't call others "ARBACHEEN" for expressing their
disagreement with you. In case you don't know, I the word "ARBACHHEN"
translates into English
as an "IMBECILE." (please, don't click the dictionary yet. Listen what
else I have to about an "orbacheen'). Your impolite behaviors and
indecent utterances about other human beings have convinced me that
your peculiar traits of character best exemplify the rotten charcter
of an IMBECILe.
Dr. A.H. Jaffor ullah, I thank you very much for being "Civil" in your
response these days. For this reason, I responded politely inspite of
the fact that I had to tell the truth. I know truth hurts you very
badly. Yet, I had to be honest and sincere. Let's carry on this civil
posture. With the deepest personal regards,
Sincerely,
W.Zaman Manik
dec. 6, 2001
mwzaman
level, go for assassinating his character. If can't refute contentions
of a writer, go after the writer with all types of falsehoods. The
following Goru Rochona is a sample how A.H. Jaffor ullah maligns a
distinguished journalist. This Goru Lekhok not only disseminates
falsehoods and distortions about Enayetullah Khan, he also maligns his
deceased father and other family members. This is nothing but
MIRJAFFORIAN BHDRATA. Jaffor ullah: If you live by sword, you die by
sword.
There are readers who are willing to refute your distortions. You
can't go too far with hate campaign against Bangladesh. You are
totally exposed. TRUE MIRJAFFORS of Bangladesh will be nabbed. Thanks.
W.ZAMAN:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(This Mirjafforian Goru Rochona is reprinted from NFB, Dec. 11, 2001):
Hindus are to be blamed for atrocities they received, says Enayetullah
Khan of Holiday
By A.H. Jaffor Ullah
A week ago in the first week of December 2001, while Mr. Enayetullah
Khan, editor in chief of Holiday, was visiting Germany, he said in an
informal gathering that the Hindus of Bangladesh are responsible for
the treatment they received in the hands of BNP and JI's goons. This I
heard from a person who is very reliable. Therefore, please do not
caste any shadow of doubts thinking that it was engineered to malign a
person of utmost integrity.
Now, does this come as a surprise? No. Mr. Enayetullah Khan is a
chameleon par excellence. So many times, had he change his colors a la
the lizard? Born in a Muslim League family all he heard in his youth
was LaDke-lengey Pakistan and Naraye Takbir, Allahu Akbar slogans. His
father, Justice A. Jabbar Khan was an obsequious follower of General
Ayub Khan in the sixties.
With that kind of mindset, Enayetullah Khan wore many hats. Once, he
was a pseudo communist favoring Maoist ideas. Then he served a
horrible Eslami President as a cabinet member. Now that he is well
into becoming a sexagenarian, he has taken this new Eslami identity,
which I call Eslami Monobhabaponno Bangalee (EMB).
First hearing this account of Enayetullah Khan's short exegesis of
Hindu's maltreatment from Eslami Bangalees I was awestruck. However,
later I understood what he meant. Enayetullah Khan's mindset is a
prevalent one among many EMBs. The Hindus of Bangladesh favor the
secularist party – the Awami League. Therefore, they are equivalent to
vermin. The sooner we EMBs get rid of them from our Pak-Jonmo-Bhumi,
the better it is. Moreover, these Hindus have allegiance to India, our
archenemy. Therefore, get rid of them in a hurry.
Mr. Enayetullah Khan has become a card-carrying member of EMB, lately.
They subscribe to a modified version of Taliban concept of Islam. Some
of these EMBs are known to be philanderer, drinking wine, and other
hard liquors. Nonetheless, now many of them are reformed EMBs. I found
out that most EMBs are the product of Muslim League favoring parents
of the 1940s, 50s, and the 60s. These folks were disenfranchised in
the early 1970s during Sheikh Mujib's time.
However, they came back albeit very strongly during the reign of two
military dictators. These EMBs think that Hindus of Bangladesh deserve
to receive atrocities because they are not like one of us. They (the
Hindus) favor secularism and are sympathizer of India and Indian
causes.
We forgot one thing very quickly that is East Bengal used to be home
to 36-38% Hindus in the 1940s. During the arranged riots in Dhaka,
Noakhali, and elsewhere in East Bengal the EMBs were successful in
planting fear among minorities Hindus. Therefore, in the 1940s, many
educated Bangalee Hindus pack up their belongings and they left for
West Bengal. Many college and university professors of Hindu
background had left East Bengal then.
After the partition in 1947, there was another wave of repatriation.
By then, the Hindus constitute only 20-22% of East Bengal's
population. Then in early sixties communal riots flared up again in
East Pakistan. After the 1965 war between Pakistan and India, again
communalism reared its ugly head. Therefore, again, a wave of Hindus
head towards the West Bengal. By this time, the percentage of Hindus
dropped to 16-18%.
In 1971, Yahya and Tikka Khan's army specifically targeted the Hindus
of erstwhile East Pakistan. The bulk of the estimated 3 million
Bangalees who lost their lives was from Hindu communities. Similarly,
a majority of quarter million Bangalee women who were violated by the
Khan soldiers of Pakistan was from the minority communities.
Therefore, after 1971, a wave of Hindus again migrated to West Bengal.
By then, the Hindus constituted only 14-15% of Bangladesh's
population.
The repression against them continued unabated during the reign of two
military Presidents. At this time, the Hindus constitute about 10-12%
of Bangladesh. Now that a new wave of violence has just been started,
more Hindus will migrate to neighboring Tripura or West Bengal.
What is the big idea about moving Hindus out of Bangladesh? For one
thing, there are valuable lands still in the hands of many Hindu
Bangalees. Therefore, the hoodlums and village musclemen would like to
gobble up those lands and houses belonging to the minority Hindus.
Furthermore, after the Islamization of Bangladesh the Hindus are
looked upon with disdainful eyes. The fabled amity among Hindus and
Muslims is all but gone. Lately, so much Islamic activities are going
on in public that a friction had already developed between Muslims and
Hindus. In fact, Hindus know it all well that they have become a
second-class citizen in Bangladesh.
There is a section of EMBs in Bangladesh who would like to see this
nation of 130 million people to be an entirely an Islamic Utopia.
Perhaps Enayetullah Khan is one of those who probably espouse this
kind of idea but publicly he would never say that for the fear of
being branded as a communalist.
Nevertheless, when the same erudite person goes abroad and there in an
informal gathering he would say that Hindus alone are responsible for
the treatment they had received from Islamic goons. Only then, it
rings a warning bell. Lest we forget, Mr. Enayetullah Khan is also an
editor of an old news weekly. Most certainly, his voice is heard in
Bangladesh's corridor of power. And that is precisely why there is an
ample reason to be concerned.
The source of this news is authentic. Mr. Enayetullah Khan will now
have to defend his stance. It comes as a surprise in light of Amnesty
International's press release in which it was mentioned that the
Hindus of Bangladesh were targeted for repression. As I was writing
this piece, a mail just came in from Mr. Govind Acharya, the AI
officer in charge of Bangladesh in USA. He writes as follows:
"While both Hindu men and women have been subjected to attacks and
intimidation, Hindu women have been also subjected to sexual violence.
As a state party to the International Convention on the Elimination of
all forms of Discrimination against Women, the Bangladesh Government
is required to take steps without delay to eliminate discrimination
against all women in Bangladesh. The Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women has identified gender-based violence
which includes rape, as a form of discrimination (General
Recommendation 19 of 1992)."
Many more foreign presses have also opined the same sentiment. The
good thing is that Mr. Enayetullah Khan has not denied the events of
maltreatment as the present administration has done so publicly. Where
Mr. Khan demurred is that he blamed the Hindus of Bangladesh for
theirs misfortune. This will be equivalent to telling all the Arabs
and Muslims living in America that they alone are responsible for
receiving the maltreatment in the week following the terrorist attacks
on America on September 11, 2001.
Mr. Enayetullah Khan should come up with an explanation for coming up
with such an illogical explanation. This scribe had long since come up
with the idea that beneath the facade of a secular deportment there
lays a communal heart in most EMBs (Eslami Monobhabaponno Bangalees).
Mr. Enayetullah Khan has proved that long foregone conclusion that
once a Muslim Leaguer, always a Muslim Leaguer. The present-day
Bangladesh is ruled by a bunch of Muslim Leaguers and the sad part is
that Bangladesh's bulk of the people are yet to realize this axiom.
-------------------
A.H. Jaffor Ullah writes from New Orleans, USA. Comments should be
directed at - Jaf...@netscape.net (This seminal Cow Essay is reprinted
from NFB, Dec. 11, 2001)
"Anamika_1971" <anamik...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<39PN7.136124$pb4.81...@news2.rdc2.tx.home.com>...
Anamika_1971
vocal about something called, " born in a Muslim League family".
Apart from what Enayetullah Khan has said (I have no idea what his family
background is) - how can somebody with any idea of logical reasoning assume
that all Muslim Leaguers be pro-Pakistan.Weren't there a single Muslim
Leaguer that supported the Bangladeshi cause??? To me that sounds like a
distortion of the truth.
As quoted by AH Mir Jaffor Mullah, " product of Muslim League favoring
parents
> of the 1940s, 50s, and the 60s. These folks were disenfranchised in
> the early 1970s during Sheikh Mujib's time."
What he is purposefully omitting is part of the history of the then Indian
Subcontinent.
In the post British period, there were not that many political parties in
existence. In the aftermath of the partition, there was Muslim League, which
was crucial because the Sub-continent was divided among religious
affiliation - where Muslims got Pakistan and the Hindus got India. There was
not fairness, because pockets of Sikhs, tribals, Christians and Buddhists
were included in the what they themselves called the Hindustan ( land of the
Hindu people - as evident in popular Hindi movies).
Anyway, Muslim League was one of the very few political parties in existence
in East Pakistan. And if "Jaffor Sahib" has done his homework - he should
know that Mujib was also a member of Muslim League at that time. That is
before he founded Awami League ( a Urdu word meaning - league of the
masses - and NO Mr. Mullah - it is not a Bangla word). Now, I can name at
least "one" Muslim League member who gave safe passage to at least "one"
Hindu landlord after the partition of 1947. Without any kickback of any
sort. More than what can be said of BAL practice. But that is a different
argument.
For the argument in hand, during the "DICTATORIAL" Mujib regime, anybody who
did not conform to Mujib's vision to"whatever" was branded as a traitor.
Mujib could not prove shit - so there was not any prosecution, rather there
was a general amnesty (of course no body in Mujib's family fought in the
liberation war, nor did he loose any close relatives in the liberation war).
It was just a way of eliminating political leaders and ideologies that could
have been threatening to Mujib. In this context, I can also name at least
one political leader of Muslim League who was arrested by the Pakistan Army
for treason and was not released until the end of the war. Who is mentioned
in the Bangla Academy version of the History of Bangladesh as a freedom
fighter. Never picked up a gun , never supported BAL - but supported the
cause of the Bangladeshi people. Supported the cause of innocent Bengalis
against the oppression of a military regime.
After the liberation war, there was not any other political party other than
BAL. JSD was created after Bangladesh was created. And then again, a most of
the JSD leadership was from BCL, so Mujib could not do anything, as far as
claiming for then to be traitors. he just branded them as terrorists and
send his "terrorist" son to hunt down leaders like Shiraj Shikdar
Kamal/Aurongo gong drove around Dhaka brandishing open machine guns looking
for Shikder).
Mujib's policy was to brand everybody as a traitor if they did not conform
to Mujib's misguided political philosophy. That is the only way, Mujib could
eliminate legitimate political opposition. And the result was the creation
of BKSAL.
Now people like Mir Jaffor Mullah, so clouded is their understanding of
political ideology, claims BKSAL to be synonmimous with democracy.
Bottom line - the argument is not about someone being raised in a family
where everybody supported Muslim League during the British era is a traitor.
That is the propaganda and "brainwashing" the BAL has inflicted among the
"stupid" portion of the Bangladeshi population.
If somebody has a brain and they know how to work it - they should know not
to judge people according to the political affiliation of their parents,
especially after 30 years since Muslim League became obsolete as a political
ideology.
mwzaman <mwz...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:46db51ba.01121...@posting.google.com...
> secularist party - the Awami League. Therefore, they are equivalent to
Asif Hasan
One may not agree with everything the young man has to say, but he
correctly points out one thing, Jaffor is a full time slanderer of
people's character.
"There he goes again" (Rejoinder to Dr. Jaffor Ullah's Article on Mr.
Enayetullah Khan)
by Ifti Rashid
There he goes again. Dr. A. H. Jafar Ullah, the resident
"intellectual" of News from Bangladesh, embarks on yet another mission
to malign, slander and smear the character, reputation and status of
a person. This time his victim is Weekly Holiday Editor-in-Chief Mr.
Enayetullah Khan, who is well-regarded in the various social circles
of Bangladesh for his unbiased and principled stances in his esteemed
weekly. Dr. Ullah has stooped low enough to make snide personal
attacks, even identifying Mr. Khan as a
"lizard" and slighting Mr. Khan’s family.
Mr. Khan was undeniably born in a very respectable family, his father
being former Speaker Justice A. Jabbar Khan. If anything, Mr. Khan
should be proud of his ancestral lineage. However, Mr. Khan must also
understand that there might be many who turn green with envy finding
his privileged roots. Mr. Khan should thus not take such low
criticism resulting from jealousy seriously.
Dr. Ullah has already established himself as a one of the most
controversial and despised writers in NFB, indulging in personal
attacks ala Sheikh Hasina. As we are believers of freedom of speech
and expression, we have to accept his ignominious views. However, I
don’t understand why NFB keeps such a controversial person as
Advisory Editor of this innovative internet portal.
Holiday has always taken a very principled and informed stance on
various issues, without fear or favour. Mr. Enayetullah Khan’s
Editorials and other columns in Holiday will attest to this
observation. Perhaps, Dr. Ullah is upset that Holiday took a very
strong posture against Awami League’s despicable five years of
animalistic barbarism. Do you blame Mr. Khan when he took a upright
stance of opposing a government patronizing rampant terrorism and
unbridled corruption? In that case, Dr. Ullah should be upset
with the entire nation for opposing AL’s Dark Ages.
The AL era will be remembered as a time of hopelessness, misery and
desperation for the country. We are happy that the nation has been
freed from the clutches of pseudo-totalitarian forces.
Dr. Ullah did not feel contented smearing only Mr. Khan’s name.
His next victim was none other than Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.
How can Dr. Ullah have the audacity to call Shaheed Zia a "horrible
Eslami President"?
Mr. Khan was a State Minister during the regime of Shaheed Zia and
served the nation well. If Shaheed Zia is "horrible" in the eyes of
Dr. Ullah, I feel he will have words of praises for the leaders of the
party that attempts to hijack the glorious 1971 war as a sole personal
achievement of one person. Dr. Ullah will of course remain oblivious
to the dark era of our history when lawlessness took centre stage in
the "basket case" and
one-party totalitarian regime was introduced.
It is convenient for the likes of Dr. Ullah to ignore other vital
elements of our momentous history, including Shaheed Zia’s
pivotal role during the 1971 war. The credit for 1971 goes to the
entire country, particularly the military leaders like MAG Osmany,
Shaheed Zia, Mir Shawkat Ali, Oli Ahmed and paramilitary Muktibahini
led by Kader Siddiky, etc. No one will forget that it was Shaheed Zia
who declared independence at a time of national crises.
It was the same Shaheed Zia who was catapulted to power by a popular
people-sepoy revolt to protect independence and democracy. Shaheed
Zia’s name will be written in the
golden letters of our history book for reintroducing democracy and
starting the pro-people and development-oriented politics. Dr. Ullah
finds it easier to forget our history and instead labels Ziaur Rahman
as a "horrible Eslami leader".
The votes of the October 1st Ballot Revolution has proven that the
country does not agree with Dr. Ullah. Despite the conspiracy and
evil design of Sheikh Hasina, Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia will
forever remain close to the heart of our people. Ziaur Rahman was the
architect of modern and liberal Bangladesh, while Begum Khaleda Zia
will be remembered for her relentless and uncompromising stance
against autocracy and building an ‘emerging tiger’
Bangladesh. I urge Dr. Ullah to open his eyes and cease
falsehood.
Dr. Ullah’s views about "EMB" (Eslami Monobhabaponno Bangalee)
is ludicrous.
When the enlightened people of the country took a principled stance
against Awami League, it was not because of our so-called "EMB"
identity, but merely patriotism and love for the country. It was
excruciating to find our country suffering from the Dark Ages of AL
anymore.
There might have been some cases of minority-abuse since the
assumption of power by BNP-led alliance. However, there is sufficient
reason to believe that these attacks might have been carried out by
certain vested quarters to tarnish the image of BNP and our great
leader Begum Khaleda Zia.
Certain disclosures in a tell-all book ‘Amar Fashi Chai’
by a former Hasina confidante reveals sufficient Certain disclosures
in a tell-all book by a former Hasina confidante ‘Amar Fashi
Chai’ narrates how Sheikh Hasina was personally involved in
acting as an agent provocateur to instigate racial tension in the
early 1990s when Begum Khaleda Zia was Prime Minister.
This provides sufficient ground for believing that Sheikh Hasina may
be once again involved in the same foul play to achieve petty personal
gains and embarrass the present democratic government of Begum Khaleda
Zia. In any case, most of the stories have been exaggerated by the
vested quarters.
The arrest of Shahriar Kabir shows that various forces were working in
tandem to discredit the present government, perhaps by conspiracy of
orchestrating plots. The government needs to carry out a thorough
investigation, especially in the light of news stories prior to the
election that certain AL goons were arrested for damaging minority
property. This seems to be a blue-print by the defeated forces of
October 1st.
Whether Mr. Enayetullah Khan in fact made the remark that Dr. Ullah
purpors he did is another question altogether. However, there is some
ground in what Mr. Khan is saying. The Hindu community in Bangladesh
must remain vigilant not to be used as pawn in Awami League’s
game of dirty politics. It is a sad thing that the Hindu community
has been kept hostage by the conspirators for their evil design and
that a section of unscrupulous Hindu leaders are to blame for this.
Most Hindu citizens of the country have seen AL’s Dark Ages of
animalistic barbarism and were in fact victims too. However, a
handful of opportunists and beneficiaries of the AL regime have been
trying to make the entire community pawns of the evil design. This is
why these so-called guardians of the Hindu community unnecessarily
called for cancellation of Puja celebrations.
The greater Hindu community must remain vigilant against conspiracy by
certain controversial and selfish individuals within their community
to identify with AL’s Dark Ages. The Hindu community ought to
stand up independent without being branded in the same category of AL.
Their voice must be heard that they don’t want to be pawns of
AL evil-design anymore.
Dr. Ullah continued to make outrageous remarks, including his
insinuation that Islam is behind this. Islam is a liberal religion
that that has called for tolerance and peace amidst society
irrespective of religion or other considerations. Just because a
handful of fanatics take law into their own hands doesn’t mean
that we have to equate Islam to terrorism. Therefore, the question of
"Eslami" identity being the cause of so-called Hindu bashing
doesn’t arise. Islam is a liberal religion that adapts to time
and preaches the need of peace and harmony. If there is one reason
for Hindu abuse, it is because AL is orchestrating this as part of a
blue-print to embarrass the present people’s government.
Bangladesh is a land of racial harmony and tranquility.
It is true that the percentage of our Hindu population dwindled due to
various historical factors, though it is wrong for Dr. Ullah to equate
the past with the present. A pro-people and development-oriented
government has taken power after five years of barbarism, terrorism
and corruption.
The present people’s government believes in the spirit of
Bangladeshi Nationalism, which unites all citizens under the same
banner irrespective of
religion, language or gender. Bangladeshi Nationalism is the true
liberal democratic ideology propagated by Shaheed Zia to unite the
country. Only Bangladeshi Nationalism can truly safeguards the
interests of all communities in Bangladesh irrespective of any
differences.
A lot of Hindu lands were grabbed during AL’s regime, they were
in fact victims of repression too. Most of the Hindus remain
supportive of the present
people’s government, because they also wanted to be freed from
the clutches of AL’s Dark Ages. It is just for a handful of
Hindu opportunist leaders that their community is being acted as a
pawn of Sheikh Hasina’s evil designs.
I ask Dr. Ullah to refrain from making personal attacks and ludicrous
comments. After five years of Darkness, the country has finally begun
to see some light at the end of the tunnel. The people are united
under the banner of BNP and Begum Khaleda Zia’s dynamic and
visionary leadership to lead our beloved country to progress and
development. If we support BNP and Begum Khaleda Zia, it’s not
because we are "EMB’s", but because we love our country and she
is the best hope for liberal democracy.
I urge Mr. Khan to continue taking principled and ethical stances on
issues, despite criticism from individuals stooping low. We hope and
believe that you and your esteemed daily will remain the voice of
liberal democracy and conscience of the nation.
We look forward to a developed and liberal-democratic Bangladesh under
the progressive leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia. For the sake of the
country, we hope Sheikh Hasina will stop her evil design to
orchestrate attacks against Hindus. Let us unite to build a
prosperous Bangladesh- the new Asian tiger. We are confident that
Begum Khaleda Zia will be able to bring smiles to the people of
country.
(The writer is a nineteen-year old student pursuing his Bachelor of
Business & Commerce degree in a reputable foreign university. He is
serving as the General Secretary of his university’s students
union and welcomes feedback at ifti...@hotmail.com)
mwzaman
By W.Zaman Manik
There are fantatics and the so-called fundamentalists in most of the
countries. There are fanatics in every religions. Therefore, neither
Bangladesh nor the religion of the overwhelming majority of
Bangladeshis can be regarded as EXCEPTIONS. Doubtless, there are
pockets of religious fanatics in many parts of Bangladesh. But the
real QUESTION is whether or not they represent the mainstream of
Bangladesh society? The answer is in the NEGATIVE.
Any one with an iota of credibility would verify that the mainstream
Bangladeshi Muslims are moderate Muslims-- very tolerant. They are
decent people. They don't like any form of extremism. In fact, the
Islamic political parties have never fared well in Bangladesh even
though there are some CONSTITUENCIES where the Islamic parties do
better in elections. It is then a BLATANT lie to distort the objectivereality.
Personally, I am against any form of fundamentalism. Since
fundamentalism can fan the flame of communalism, the Government of
Bangladesh should not tolerate any form of minority repression. Yet, I
must say that it is nothing but hate campaign against Bangladesh if
some motivated people distort facts. Religiousness can't and must not
be EQUATED with FANATICISM. I don't judge any one on the basis of
religion. Religiousness should not be EQUATED with COMMUNALISM. One's
Muslimness should NOT be carricatured in the name of SECULARISM. A
genuine secularist will underscore that "Religion" and "state"
(Government) should be kept separate from each other. However, in such
dichotomous situtation, a secular state also guarantees freedom of
practicing religion. No amount of "Cow Essays" can change this clear
cut dimensions of the concept of Secularist. Only a VODO secularist of
Mirjafforian brand can single out Bangladesh as a Taliban state.
It is unfortunate that Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a self-declared
reformer,is trying to fan the flame of communalism through deliberate
manufacturing and distribution of falsehoods about Bangladesh. For
Jaffor ullah, SECULARISM means bashing the people of Bangladesh. Only
an idiot with no formal training in human decency can claim that
Bangladesh has so many problems because of "RELIGION." That's
nonsense. I request the patriotic people of Bangladesh to protest the
anti-Bangladeshi activities of our Mirjafforian (did I spell it
right?)COW Essayist and his cohorts. Let's nab the Mirjafforianessayists.
Lest be thought that I am exaggerating. Yet, just take a look at the
following web-site how Mirjafforian distortions have been designed to
damage the good name of Bangladesh: MIRJAFFORIAN WEBSITE:
http://communities.msn.com/IslamizationofBangladeshIsitcomplete/recommendations.msnw
Following Goru Rochana demonstrates that a MirJafforian Hate campaign
against Bangladesh and Bangladeshis has been launched by A.H. Jaffor
Ullah with the sole intent bad mouthing Bangladesh:
Dhaka's pell-mell demeanor must change! By A.H. Jaffor Ullah
This article is all about an urban phenomenon, which is overcrowding
of Bangladesh's cities – Dhaka in particular. What could go wrong in a
densely populated city was demonstrated amply on June 9, 2000. But
first, let us examine this mind-boggling phenomenon of massive
overcrowding of Bangladesh's premier city Dhaka and then we will
examine in some detail things that are out of kilter in our civilsociety.
Bangladesh is indeed one of the weirdest places on earth. Looking at
the news captions and some digital images coming out of Dhaka on
Saturday, June 10, 2000, certainly point towards that conclusion. We
never thought people in Dhaka would live to see such bizarre scenes.
But then, it is no other city than Dhaka, the capital of one of the
most impoverished and densely populated nation on earth.
Population biologists have studied this phenomenon of overcrowding for
quite some time. In one experiment that was done a long time ago,
scientists showed that the caterpillars of silkworm moths while
feeding on Mulberry leaves do not feed vigorously when only a few of
them are placed on one leaf. After adding a few more caterpillars on
the leaf, the sedentary lifestyle of the creatures changes somewhat.
But when the numbers of caterpillars go beyond a critical number, the
creatures change their eating pattern and they devour the leaves in no
time. Even the brainless creature such as silkworm caterpillar does
understand what overcrowding means.
Bangladesh is definitely heading in that direction as far the
population density is concerned. Bangladesh is no longer the country
with 42 million when I was mere a child. This is an official figure
according to census of 1951 (Source: Britannica Book of the Year 1956,
Page 529). It doubled more than to 84 million in the mid seventies and
now it is estimated that about 125 million people live in Bangladesh.
With the help of a scientific calculator, I figured out that over the
last half a century the population of Bangladesh grew at the rate of
2.1% on the average. If the birth control measures would slowdown this
rate from 2.1% to say 1.5% then, in the next 25 years time the
population would grow from 125 million to a whooping 181 million. And
by the time it is 2050, the population would grow to an astounding 262
million. Therefore, the population will now double once in forty-six
and a half year at the rate of 1.5% growth rate.
It will be an outrageous thing to predict what this astounding number
of people could do to the life of ordinary people in Bangladesh then.
However, if we learn our lesson well from the silkworm moth experiment
of the population biologist of the 1950s then we can surmise that life
will be anything but tranquil then in Bangladesh. We should think
clearly well ahead of time before the catastrophe strikes our people
in this impoverished nation. We haven't much choice but to bring down
the rate of population growth to 1.25% and that even would not
guarantee that life would be anywhere close to ideal when Bangladesh's
population would reach a staggering 200 million.
This article is not about our run away population growth and its dire
consequence. However, there is connection here between the bizarre
behavior of our urban people from the standpoint of group psychology
and our over populous cities. Do you care to know that Dhaka's
population had grown from a mere 276,033 to an astounding 9-10 million
going from 1950 to Year 2000. The 276,033 numbers again came from
Pakistan's official census of 1951 (Britannica Book of the Year 1956,
Page 529). Therefore, population of Dhaka city increased by about 33
fold or 3300% in about 50 years. This amounts to an average increase
of 7.25% population growth every year. We would like to hope that
growth rate of Dhaka city's population could slow down precipitously,
or else in 10 year's time there would be about 20 million people.
Could the metropolis of Dhaka accommodate these many people?
Let us now examine what goes on in this metropolis in an ordinary day.
The day we chose is June 9, 2000. It was a typical Friday in a hot
summer day. The hustle and bustle ought to slowdown during the Jumma
prayer in midday. Aside from this, the day should be an ordinary and
eventless one without any special thing going on in any part of the
city. Nevertheless, with a teeming population of 9 plus million
people, the city's demeanor could be very deceptive even to the
experienced eyes of a city dweller. Let us check June 10 newspapers of
Dhaka to figure out what went awry on that Friday.
The first bizarre incidence is the following: Immediately after Jumma
prayer, two groups of Islamic-minded people were locked in a fierce
fight near the north gate of Bait-ul-Mukarram. When the affray was
over, at least 50 people were injured; 20 of them were seriously
injured. Now, one might ask – why did these two religious groups wer
pitted against each other.
According various newspapers account 20 activists from Islamic
Constitution Movement were badly beaten by Jamaat-e-Islam activists
who were assisted by followers of Pir of Dewanbag. The leaders and
workers of Islamic Constitution Movement were scheduled to have a
rally that afternoon. This melee brought an abrupt end to the
demonstration and rally by the Islamic Constitution Movement
supporters. The confusing question to this entire happening is – why
Jamaat people are not supporting the Islamization of BangladeshConstitution.
One of the Jamaat stalwarts, Maulana Delwar Hossain Sayedi, always
talks about in public his dream of having an Islamic constitution for
Bangladesh. Come to think of it, Jamaat-e-Islam leaders should give
their blessings to Islamic Constitution Movement folks for bringing
such a procession. But they did quite the opposite. Why?
Perhaps some personal rivalry between the leaders of these two groups
may have caused this embarrassment while the onlookers have the
greatest fun watching two groups of toupee clad mullahs locked into a
viscous fight. The newspaper account did not fail to mention that
hundreds of devotee criticized both the groups for "destroying the
sanctity of the national Mosque." This one rare and out of the
ordinary "tamasha" (fun and frolic) no one should have missed. How
often do the Mullahs of Bangladesh fight among themselves? This is
something to ponder about.
On the same day, another religious group brought out a colorful albeit
peaceful procession in Dhaka right after Jumma prayer to commemorate
Eid-e-Miladun-Nabi. This is a custom in Sufi-dominated culture,
especially in South Asian countries, to celebrate the birthday of
prophet Muhammad (swa) in full galore. However, in Saudi Arabia and
other Wahabi-dominated Muslim countries this celebration of prophet's
birthday is not celebrated with the same vigor. It would be
interesting to hear from a Deobandi Mullah or a fundamentalist Muslim
person belonging to Tablig Jamaat movement the significance of
Eid-e-Miladun-Nabi. In Bangladesh, Islam has many faces.
The third news that was reported in the same day (Saturday, June 10)
that caught everyone's attention was the news of a procession brought
by Bangabandhu Sanskritk Jote on Friday, June 9. The digital image of
that procession showed very clearly that women in colorful dress were
at the forefront of the demonstration. The Sanskritik Jote members did
not hit the road to promote secularism. At the first glance of the
picture that went through this scribe's mind. But as it turned out, it
was a political rally. The cultural activists were demonstrating their
support for the new budget of the ruling party. Isn't that a bit
strange why the artists, who are supposed to be bohemian people, would
show support for such a plebeian cause as the budget of the nation. It
simply does not make the sense. The present ruling party of Bangladesh
boasts about its secular stance but it hardly talks about the absence
of article of secularism in Bangladesh constitution. It makes one
wonder what is in the mind of Awami League leadership these days.
hus, in one single day (June 9, 2000) three different demonstrations
took place in Dhaka. One ended up in a brawl sending 20 people to
hospital. Funny it may sound -- it was a "friendly" fight between two
Mullah factions. We also read about a demonstration (or rather show of
solidarity) to show ardor for prophet Muhammad (swa). Too bad those
other Mullahs were locked in a bitter fight among themselves. Or else,
the sanctity of Eid-e-Miladun-Nabi could have been preserved in toto.
The third procession was also a bizarre one. Beating all the odds, a
cultural group brought out a procession to show their support for
fiscal policy of the ruling party. Perhaps only in Bangladesh artists
are sound economists.
Now, where is the missing link between overcrowding in our cities and
the bizarre demonstrations that are easy to execute in our "civil"
society? After a long deliberation, this scribe found the missing
link. The overcrowding of our megalopolis provides that rare
opportunity to find some eager people to come out and join in any
demonstration. In a thinly populated place, one would be hard pressed
to find people to join in a peaceful demonstration. Never mind themelee.
---------------------
All photos appear here through the coutesy of Dhaka's New Nation,
Independent, and News From Bangladesh
(This Mirjafforian Cow Essay has been reprinted from A.H. Jaffor
Ullaha's anti-Bangladesh propaganda web site)
"Anamika_1971" <anamik...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<_HXO7.4382$TZ1.4762@rwcrnsc51>...
mwzaman
W.Zaman Manik
Please see the Mirjfforian rationale and logic of A.H. Jaffor ullah in
his seminal cow letter (which he wrote himself and then published in
NFB as letter under his fake name.). Jaffor Ullah is GLOATING--- he
has coined a new phrase "THEO-DEMOCRACY. It does not make any sense.
But Jaffor ullah is not in position to understand that redundancy. He
says, Bangladesh is a "theo-Democracy." Jaffor Ullah wrote: " Please
read this article very carefully. At the end, it will be clear why
Bangladesh may veer towards this new offshoot of democracy." [I
ASSUME Jaffor ullah had e-mailed this article to the NFB
Editor-in-Chief for making it the lead NFB commentary--- apparently
Tanvir Chowdhury refused to publish this a NFB commentary).
A.H. Jaffor ullah does not like any Muslim to practice the rituals of
his or her religion. According to him, Bangladesh is a theocracy, and
he claims that there is no prospect of flourishing democracy in
Bangladesh because majority of Bangladeshis are Muslims. According to
Mirjafforian logic Bangladeshis should not observe religious
festivals. Look what Jaffor Ullah says: "Without further ado, let me
go to the heart of the story. As the nation bleeds in the economic
front, our PM sits somewhere in Saudi Arabia to offer her Salat
(prayer) on the night of Lailatul Qadr so that she could receive 1000x
Sawab of one month's entire Swab from Allah-Pak. Now that is a whole
lot of Sawab. I'm not fabricating this aspect of religiosity. Nor am I
poking fun at our people for their simple-mindedness.'
A.H. Jaffor Ullah hates Khaleda Zia, the current Prime Minister of
Bangladesh. He does not recognize the validity of the last election.
Mirjafforian arguments flow like this: Khaleda Zia should not have
visited Mecca to perform Umrah Haj. She should not have offered
"salat." On the other hand, according to Mirjafforian logic, it was
O.K. then (as PM) and now (as opposition leader) for Sheikh Hasina to
perform Umrah Haj. It is o.k. for Sheikh Hasina to be religious. Why?
Sheikh Hasina is after all the President of a "secularist" party
called Awami League. According to Jaffor ullah, only AL has the right
to be religious. It is o.k for Hasina Sheikh to be the sponsor of
ULEMA LEAGUE---the new ulema front in Awami League. As a concerned
Bangladeshi, I do PROTEST this kind of mirjafforian hypcrisy. With the
deepest personal regards, W.Zaman Manik, December 14, 2001
P.S. Please read yourself the twisted mirjafforian distortions about
Bangladesh:
(Following Mirjafforian Essay has been reprinted From NFB, December
14, 2001)
Theo-Democracy's prospect in Bangladesh
By Shiraj Uddin Shopon (alias A.H. Jaffor ullah)
New York City
E-mail: ssho...@hotmail.com
In this article, I would like to bring the readers' attention to a new
concept of governance, which is not democracy nor is it a theocracy.
It is more like a hybrid kind. Lahore's one-time famous Maulana Abu
Ala Maududi was a proponent of this kind of governance. However,
lately, Bangladesh's PM is favoring this new variety of democracy in
our republic, if action means anything. Please read this article very
carefully. At the end, it will be clear why Bangladesh may veer
towards this new offshoot of democracy.
Without further ado, let me go to the heart of the story. As the
nation bleeds in the economic front, our PM sits somewhere in Saudi
Arabia to offer her Salat (prayer) on the night of Lailatul Qadr so
that she could receive 1000x Sawab of one month's entire Swab from
Allah-Pak. Now that is a whole lot of Sawab. I'm not fabricating this
aspect of religiosity. Nor am I poking fun at our people for their
simple-mindedness.
The Bangladesh Observer in their December 13 issue published a news.
Let me reproduce that short news here:
"PM urges people to seek divine blessings on holy Lailatul Qadr
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has urged upon all to seek divine
blessings on the holy night of Lailatul Qadr for the welfare and
progress of the nation and the country, reports UNB.
In a message marking the holy occasion, she called upon the countrymen
to pray to Almighty Allah for purging "our individual and national
life" from sin and evil deeds.
Begum Zia said the holy Lailatul Qadr is a very sacred and auspicious
night for the entire Muslim world, as the holy Al Quran was revealed
on this night.
"This holy night of Lailatul Qadr, better than a thousand months,
provides for us an opportunity to get closer to Almighty Allah," she
reminded. "So, it is the duty of every Muslim to seek mercy from Allah
on this night."
On the occasion, the Prime Minister conveyed her sincere greetings to
the countrymen and wished wellbeing of the Muslim Ummah.
She prayed to the Almighty to shower His kindness on "all of us" on
the holy night."
Like other Bangladeshis, I also believe in one's personal freedom. So,
if our PM likes to visit Mecca and Medina Munawara Sharif, then, what
is wrong? However, she has not gone there as an individual.
The Saudis are treating her as a Royal Guest because she is the
elected PM of our almost Islamic Republic of Bangladesh. In addition,
some key members of her cabinet have joined her in the pilgrimage
party. Therefore, this could very well be an official trip.
In this day and age, you won't find any head of the state taking a
pilgrimage. Do you think that President Bush would visit the city of
Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus, on December 25, the day the Son
of God was born? You may have to wait for a long time to see that
happen.
When will the Indian Prime Minister and a few of his Hindu Ministers
go for a holy dipping in the Ganges near Benares? Will the leaders of
People's Republic of China come down to Gaya or to Kapilabastu, the
birthplace of Lord Buddha to pay homage to Gautama? Never in your
lifetime. Then, what is so special about Bangladesh's leaders?
Let us not forget that there are quite a few other Islamic nations all
over the world. Did Gen. Parvez Musharraf go to Mecca for the sole
purpose Umrah Haj? Then we have President of Egypt (Hosni Mubarak),
King Abdullah II of Jordan, Megawati Sukarnoputri (Indonesia), Dr.
Mahathir (Malaysia), Muammar Al Qaddafi (Libya), Hafez Al-Asad
(Syria), Saddam Hussein of Iraq (Oops! He won't get a visa to KSA),
and the list will contain few other names.
However, none of these leaders that we know would like to go to Mecca
during the holy Month of Ramadan to offer their Umrah Haj during a
hard hit recession. In this respect Bangladesh is unique. Perhaps we
Bangladeshis take our religion very literally. Since leadership
normally reflects the mindset of our electorates, then it is suffice
to say that Bangladeshis are very pious and they usually take their
religion very literally and seriously.
They still believe that one time prayer at Masjid ul Haram or in
Medina Munawara will yield Swab equivalent to 1000x more of the entire
month's prayer. Please, I beg you not to take my words seriously
because someone else has been saying this. She is Bangladesh's PM. Go
re-read the news that I have reproduced above, which was prepared by
UNB and reported by Bangladesh Observer.
The pious PM of Bangladesh who never wears a Burqa Apado-Mastak
(covering from head to toe) or don a Hizab is also very much into
advice giving these days. She said, "So, it is the duty of every
Muslim to seek mercy from Allah on this night." My question to
her—Mercy for what? One has to assume that each and every Muslim on
earth is committing crime or leading a life not approved by Islam.
Only then, it becomes a duty of every Muslim to seek mercy (clemency)
from Allah.
Let us face the fact that our people in Bangladesh quite do not follow
Islam as it is prescribed by our holy book Koran and Hadiths.
Therefore, may be Bangladesh's PM has some reason for telling her
people to pray in the night of Lailatul Qadr and receive 1000x more
Swabs than one could get by offering Salat over a month.
Perhaps by following her advice, all the members of Bangladesh's
Election Commissioner including the Chief Election Officer, and
Polling Officers, and of course the Chief of the Caretaker Government
(the retired Justice Latifur Rahman) and his advisers all will offer
the Salat in the night of Lailatul Qadr to seek the forgive for the
crime they have committed to dethrone the other pseudo Islamic lady of
Bangladesh.
Personally, I have a problem with this kind of mercy seeking from
Allah. If a person leads a pristine life, then he or she does not need
to ask for mercy or clemency from Allah. He (Allah) will reward that
person anyway for leading a just life. The question of mercy and
clemency only surfaces because people in Bangladesh are leading a life
not prescribed by Islam.
Most government officers and office workers thrive on bribe. Lying has
become a pastime in Bangladesh. Crimes are on the rise. The society
has decriminalized lying, thievery, and other small crimes. A section
of the society has gone over the fence to brutalize the minorities in
the wake of October election. These are all perfectly O.K. Because the
government had decided not to speak against these kinds of crimes. Now
all of these make sense.
The PM decided to take the easy road to governance. She went straight
to Mecca, the center of Islamic world. From there she gave a sermon
(read the Bangladesh Observer report that is included in this article)
to the citizens of Bangladesh (the sermon was carried by most
newspapers for dissemination). Indeed, this is a very innovative way
of governing a nation.
The sixty four thousand dollars question is  can Bangladesh be
governed by this unique style that we may call a Theo-Democracy? The
voters will elect the leaders through adult franchisee and in return
the leaders will govern the nation through a hodgepodge of laws and
sermons.
As the day will pass, so will month and year. We will witness other
examples of the Theo-Democracy. Our intellectuals in Bangladesh will
love this because this will offer them the chance to write articles
glorifying both the democracy and religion. We surely do not need any
secularism in Bangladesh now that we have our Theo-Democracy. Long
live this new idea whose time has finally arrived.
(This Goru Rochona or Goru chithi has been reprinted from NFB's
Reader's Column, Dec. 14, 2001)
mwz...@aol.com (mwzaman) wrote in message news:<46db51ba.01121...@posting.google.com>...