Unheard Voices

Thanks to Salma’s compilation and research, all the responses to Sarmila Bose’s research are compiled in one page.

Here it is

I have felt it everytime I visited Dhaka. Others have felt it. Finally someone in the Bangladeshi media has wrote about it. Irum has nailed it and has done a fantastic job here to give a complete picture of the current urban youth, their apathy towards politics and the lack of ideology in their direction. The million dollar question is how can we change it and engage them for social change…

Take a look….its a long read but a very comprehensive one and yes, also try to answer the question.

A broader horizon, but a smaller view by Irum Ali Khan

They seek the freedom to choose their own careers without disapproval; the freedom to be selfish about their own desires; the freedom to be free of the weight of family expectations. The inalienable right of your boro chacha to insist that you go into the family business and marry his best friend’s daughter is being increasingly challenged. If decisions are to be made regarding their life, the new generation would like to make them themselves

Most of you know the story of Ameerjan, who was one of the benefeciaries of our women of 71 campaign. The updates of the campaign are being posted on the site as we are getting them. Today, I got a different sort of letter from Mafidul bhai — reading which it was hard for me to not drop some tears. As you know, with a bit of left over fund, a small scholarship under the name of Ameerjan was started in the local Muktijodhdha Uchcho Biddaloy. The first scholarship winners had to write an essay on the life of Ameerjan. Today I got copies of the essays that wrote. Do read them and spare a thought for the thousands of Ameerjans of our country.

http://drishtipat.org/1971/scholarship_students_writeup.pdf

The interesting thing is that such an approach is in marked contrast to earlier terrorist attacks in the country, which were almost all committed anonymously. The question we need to be asking is what does it mean that the Jamat-ul-Mujahideen is now stepping out of the shadows.

It means, at the very least, that the time is long overdue for us to get serious about this threat. It is not true, as the government has long claimed, that violent extremists do not exist in the country. It is evident that they exist, and are well-funded and well-organised.

However, neither is it true that there are extremists hiding under every rock and that they are poised to take over the country. The good news is that there is no evidence that the terrorists enjoy any kind of support among the general public. We cannot be complacent but we need not be alarmist either.

But let us hear no more denials of what we all know to be true. The government has brought this on itself due to its perfunctory pursuit of religious extremists in the past. Unfortunately, it has brought this on all of us, too.

The Jamat-ul-Mujahideen has fired the first shot. The serial bomb blasts need to be recognised as a warning shot across the bows of the nation. The smart move would be to take heed. This might sound ridiculously obvious, but the fact is that in the past too many of us have not taken heed of the threat that has been gathering.

Let us never again hear anyone say that religious extremists are not active in the country or that they are not a serious threat. After August 17, we can never again say that we haven’t been warned.

Very timely piece by Zafar — ..yet again.. must read

In stead of reading it from 2nd hand source, read the JMJB leaflets yourselves. These were left with all over Bangladesh yesterday. Chilling read….

JMJB leaflet Page 1

JMJB leaflet Page 2

Add to this list:

Here is a list of quotes from our home minister on the existence of JMJB aka Bangla bhai. These are all from pre February admission of their existence after the strong pressure from donors to take action:

“We don’t know officially about the existence of the JMJB. Only some so-called newspapers are publishing reports on it. We don’t have their constitution in our record,” State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar said on January 26.

Ruling coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Industries Minister Matiur Rahman Nizami on July 22 last year said, “Bangla Bhai was created by some newspapers.”

“If they (newspapers) do not have any relations with him (Bangla Bhai) then how do they publish exclusive interview of Bangla Bhai,” the Jamaat ameer told a press conference.

Making the comment to the BBC radio, Babar, on government’s inaction to arrest Bangla Bhai, said, “I oppose very strongly that our ministry has failed to take action, because we are still trying. How would we arrest anyone if he is absent physically or not available?”

More here

More than 50 people have been injured in a series of simultaneous bomb blasts across Bangladesh.

Perhaps those who were still sleeping will wake up now. 110 bombs exploded almost simultaneously in 50 cities? This was a warning to show how powerful and organized they have become and what they are capable!! You have been warned!

Three months ago, Uttorshuri along with Drishtipat, had taken the initiative of this website as a mean of a constructive protest. In this context, we hosted this website to chronicle the bombing campaign that has been plaguing Bangladesh; follow up the investigations and legal proceedings involving these crimes and monitor the activities of the government of Bangladesh in dealing with this bombing campaign. You can visit and record your protest and feelings here at the portal Site

To get some background on the rise of fundamentalism, I would suggest some good readings in here. Read these and you would not be surprised this has happened in Bangladesh today.

Late Update:
Complete Details from some of the districts
What was in the leaflet?

I have been back from Bangladesh for almost three weeks now. Busy summer so far - had to pay the price for being away for four weeks! Lot’s of progress in Bangladesh on different fronts. But lot more in the category of tasks that are begging to get done! Here’s yet another thought:

How many of us in the US buy gifts for our American friends? Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers, graduation gifts … the list goes on and on! With three young children I find myself (or my wife) buying gifts for numerous occasions. I would estimate that counting Christmas gifts for teachers and like, we probably approach (or easily exceed) $1,000 per year in casual gifts to non-family members. Most of the gifts are for ‘Americans’ (meaning not recent immigrants). Often, I have thought that it would be nice if there was a source or supply of elegant, handmade Bangladeshi products that could be given as gifts to these Americans. Has anyone else had the same thought?

Imagine a virtual boutique where there are a limited number of items - let’s just say about 100 - categorized for the major gift giving occasions and by range of prices. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to give an item from this ‘catalog’ to a 12 year old girl, say, a hand made Bengali doll; or for an older friend - how about a hand made sari? Along with the gift, there would abe a description of the origin and who made it and who got paid a ‘fair wage’ for making it. And a small portion of the purchase price could go towards a general charitable fund. I bet if there was such a source, dedicated and service friendly, I would myself buy $500 of products every year! Multiply that by the hundreds of thousands of Bangalis around the country and you can have a very significant business!

But the beauty of the enterprise wouldn’t just be the business itself. It would the vastly greater benefit of spreading positive information about Bangladesh as well as making people feel good about the process. Think of the nice handmade wooden model boats that are so ubiquitous in Dhaka. They would look beautiful in any American home! And for retail prices (in Dhaka) of around $2-3, you can give one to each and every one of your friends. It can be a signature gift that that they are unlikely to find or receive anywhere else! And the small gift card could have a web link to the virtual store in addition to information about its origin. Do you get the idea? At the higher end of the range are the beautifully embroidered products ranging from Panjabis and table mats to elaborate tapestries. I have half a dozen hanging in my house and they are always a source of conversation. And think of the women who worked hard for months to produce them! And how about a nice packet of raw tea from Sylhet? Complete with a strainer and an instruction booklet on how to make authentic Bengali ‘Chai’ (hint: add alot of cream and sugar and throw in a stick of cinnamon or a cardamom if desired). For under $10 it can make a fabulous gift for any adult who is not averse to caffeine.

[Add a little history (that I learnt on my recent trip): The tea leaves are picked primarily by Santal or other indigenous women who get paid Tk 28 for a full day's work. That is, if they pick their daily minimum of 22Kg of leaves. Some work faster and make a bit (but not much) more. It takes about 5 Kg of raw leaves to produce 1 Kg of raw tea. While the price of raw tea in Chittagong ranges from $1-$2 per Kg, by the time it is repackaged, the price has gone up 5-10x! For the typical store buyer who pays $10+ per pound less than one cent of every dollar goes to pay the person who picked the tea leaves - working all day on slippery slopes, in the sun and in the rain (hence the big hats) and often with a child on her back. Perhaps our gift packs could state that an additional __ cents are contributed to a Santal welfare fund for every package purchased?]

I even have a title for the campaign: “BuyDeshi for BiDeshis” (that’s bee-deshis, not bye-deshis!)

So who do we have among our readers who finds this interesting? Is it interesting enough for you to try and do something about it? Could you design a virtual store? For starters, you could just intermediate stuff that already exists in stores in Dhaka. Advertising could be viral as well as word of mouth. Or you could start with some ‘fair trade’ tea. After all, at least one great nation got its start with fair trade in tea! And yes, if you think you have what it takes to get this going, I will be happy to talk to you about start-up costs … !

Muhit

PS: I note that my suggestion about a Deshi affinity card kind of fizzed out! No matter! We are still a small community and we do not have the breadth of experience within ourselves to do many things. But we Do Have Some Expertise! And it would be nice if we can direct some of it towards our own community.

If this really happens, this is going to be HUGE!!

“Close your eyes.

Imagine Logan Airport, summer of 2007, and a group of 50 amateur Bengali musicians from Boston about to embark on a world tour taking Bangla Gaan (Bengali songs) across the world from USA to Bangladesh.

– This is how Amra Kojon organizer Mohitosh Talukder, or “Taposh-da” as he is known, described their next venture at the reunion celebrations on Saturday, July 30 at the Grace United Methodist Church in Cambridge.

After the success of their 2003 show, Amra Kojon wants to realize a new dream of presenting Bangla, now an international language, and Bangla music to the rest of the world.

Their journey will begin at New York City, traveling through Canada, Europe, Middle East, Australia and finally to Dhaka, Bangladesh for the finale.

At each destination, they will present a different version of the show. Each show will include solo performances as well as an integral chorus component, integrating a creative use of visual and multi-media expressions – all with the trademark stamp of excellence and quality that is now associated with Amra Kojon.

All 12 shows will be covered by media representatives who will travel with the entourage, and will be aired live on a Bangla Channel. For three weeks, the world can travel with AK through live coverage, as they go door to door amid various cultures and groups of people and sing in Bangla. “

See details here: