Fri 30 Mar 2007
Siddiqul Islam Bangla Vai was hanged to death last night.
So was the son in Law of Shayokh Abdur Rrahman, Mr Abdul awal.
Bangla Vai’s young wife and daughter.
The Italians will turn off the lights of Coliseum on the night one death sentence is carried out any where in the world. I do not have the means to launch that massive scale protest, but I’ll do my own protest. Everytime a death sentence is conducted by the state of Bangladesh, I’ll post a picture of a child in this blog. And for today, who picture could be better than the infant daughter of Bangla vai?
A child’s picture will be my mode of protest, it speaks of many things. First, every single child is born innocent, a killer is created out of a child due to a faulty environment and an unjust society. It also speaks for the parents of the person being hanged. Being a father of a eight month old, I know how painstaking it is to raise a child. Its a struggle that continues day after day, night after night, hour after hour, until adulthood.
The person being hanged took peoples life. So the state i.e. the people take their lives also.
Proponents of death penalty will object to phrase of “state’s revenge”, they would rather tell death penalty is a deterrant to further killing. But can anybody show us some data where it has been proved beyond doubt that death penalty really prevents killings?
I protest this sort state organized murders. Let their be no death penalty anywhere in the world.A state is not a murderer and it must itself not go down to become another murderer only to punish a murderer.
Update: It is now being reporte that all other militants including Shayokh, his brother Sunny has also been executed the same night.
March 30th, 2007 at 4:17 am
I am a proponent of death penalty after proper investigation. So, the pictures of the young child does not bother me much. But these terrorists should have been allowed to talk to the media. Now there will be everlasting debate on these jongis and their godfathers.
March 30th, 2007 at 5:36 am
Its a pity that JMB’s one time godfathers are still not arrested, let alone be hanged.
Still hope that the godfathers will be meted out fair judgment sooner rather than later.
March 30th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Rumi,
I fully and wholeheartedly support you on this. Much that I wanted Bangla Vai and his cohorts brought to justice, I will oppose any ‘justice’ that calls for taking away another human life. I cannot go into a long debate on this as it is too fundamental to most of what I believe in and makes me who I am. The real test for us all is when such judgment falls on people who have caused some of the most heinous crimes. Can we still then uphold our beliefs ?
Take for example the case of Muhiuddin. I always advocated that justice be dealt out to the killers of Bangabandhu, but cannot support that justice if that translates into a death sentence. I hope Mohiuddin can escape such ‘justice’ in Bangladesh.
Farhad
March 30th, 2007 at 11:02 am
See previous entry “Rush to execute” on this
http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/01/30/rush-to-execute/
March 30th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
More details on the executions on BBC website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6509163.stm
March 30th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
They should have been permitted to speak to the media. We could have gleamed information about the existence or otherwise of influential sponsors.
March 30th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
The victim’s family finds solace:
Jyoti Pandey – wife of Jagannath Pandey, who died in the 2005 JMB bomb attacks in Jhalakathi
Barisal said “I got justice”. Jyoti’s father demanded punishment to the “godfathers” who helped an outfit like JMB grow.
Monsur Ahmed father of murdered assistant judge Sohel Ahmed said “I’m happy that the killers are executed. Though I’ll never get my son back, the government should make sure nobody dies in JMB attacks anymore.”
March 30th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
This op-ed was translated into Bangla and submitted to Prothom Alo a month ago, as far as I know they stalled and never published it.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/03/08/d703081501106.htm
Vol. 5 Num 985
Thu. March 08, 2007
DAILY STAR
The truth, twisting in the wind
Naeem Mohaiemen
Major General Manzoor has been on my mind lately. The Manzoor of the morning of May 30, 1981. The man whose team assaulted Chittagong Circuit House with rocket launchers, made Ziaur Rahman’s body jahjhra with bullets, in pursuit of another bloody coup. But also, the Manzoor of June 1, hiding in the tea garden coolie quarters, watching his rebellion fail as troops defected and crossed over into Suvapur, all his plans of starving Dhaka into submission falling apart.
What were the last thoughts that went through his head as he was dragged blindfolded into that army jeep? Regret? Fear? Shame? Or did he think, I didn’t do this alone…I need to name names…
I remember hearing on the radio that Manzoor was captured. It seemed only moments later that another announcer said he was dead. How, when, why? The conventional narrative was that a group of angry troops surrounded the jeep and dragged him out — “khunike payyachi!” Later he was found face-down in a drain, with a gaping hole in the back of his head. No sign of the mob.
The thing that sticks in my throat is the post-mortem report, signed by Lt. Col. A. Z. Tufail Ahmed (reproduced in Mascarenhas’ book) — “a big gaping hole 4″x2″” from a shot to the head and “no other injury on the body.” A smooth one-bullet execution, and not a single achor on his body — by an angry mob? No, somehow, something about it never seemed right.
No tears for Manzoor. But weep for the truth. Our history is littered with dead men — Khalid Musharraf, Abu Taher, Mohammad Abul Manzoor — always taking uncomfortable stories to the grave.
From 1972 onwards, this country was rocked by intrigue, agitation, and violence. Somehow we muddled through, and here we are, still standing, still shadhin. But who did what, who knew what, and who kept silent and watched? We don’t even know what we don’t know.
You’re too skeptical, said a friend. Maybe the truth is exactly what we know. The public narrative is the only narrative. Maybe so, but at every wrenching historical turn, the people who planned intrigue always seem to conveniently die before they can name their partners. And when you read books about that period, every eyewitness is dead, or out of the country, or someone who has incentive to exaggerate or downplay his own role.
Manzoor has been on my mind again because of the JMB verdicts. After exhausting all legal channels, their request for clemency has now been turned down by President Iajuddin. The JMB convicts have repeatedly said they want to talk to the media and name their patrons, but Law Adviser Mainul Hosein said that won’t be allowed, because there’s no precedent.
If nothing else changes, they will hang by April, and I bet there won’t be outraged reactions from rights activists (the same people who were shocked by the Saddam snuff video). Personally, I’ve always opposed the death penalty — it does nothing for justice but everything for our bloodlust and revenge mentality. But that’s not even where I’m coming from today, I want these men to be spared, because we need to get to the whole truth.
Let’s just spell it out. Do we really believe that a fantastically well-coordinated, accurately planned, micro-second timed, nationwide bombing campaign in 64 districts was pulled off by this small group of “radical Islamist” cells? Do we really believe that the government, after denying the existence of militant groups for so long, suddenly transformed into an ultra-efficient Swat team that managed to scoop up the entire militant ring, as soon as international pressure became a bit too much?
All that chatter about the new breed of suicide bombers, ready to blow themselves up to establish khilafat, and suddenly they all surrendered? How come none of those bagha bomaroos blew themselves up when the police surrounded them? The government was so sure that things would go according to plan, a three-ring circus of TV cameras was even invited along to capture every moment of Bangla Bhai’s capture. And thrilled by “breaking news” coverage, we forgot to ask any hard questions.
Like, where are the real puppetmasters?
The JMB captures are super-convenient for all concerned. Attacks on cultural functions? Machete attacks on Humayun Azad and Shamsur Rahman? Mysterious Chittagong arms drop? Forget all that. We’ve got JMB, all is well. An all-purpose monster under the bed, the solution is also childlike simplicity — hang ‘em high, and we can have shonar Bangla back.
In a country where bureaucracy moves at molasses pace, and cases can hang in court for years, why did the JMB case get such speedy treatment? Why the mad rush to hang them before the caretaker government took office? After a BNP MP’s explosive allegation of links between JMB and high-ups in BNP, and press reporting of the same, Advocate Z.I. Khan Panna filed a Public Interest Litigation (WP No. 8621 of 2005), asking that investigations regarding the bomb attacks also take into account such allegations.
After the High Court gave a positive direction to the police and others to extend the range of investigation, the former Attorney General A.J. Mohammad Ali, on behalf of the 4-Party Alliance, appealed and got a stay order from the Appellate Division. What are they all so afraid of? And whatever happened to FBI, Singapore, Interpol, and Scotland Yard investigation reports, results of searches and seizures, information gathered by investigating officers, sources of supply of weapons, financing source investigations, etc. None of those were ever made public.
The death penalty is wrong on humanistic grounds, but also tactically in this case, because it chokes off the investigation trail. There is still time for this CTG to commute the sentences to life imprisonment, make public all documents from investigations to date, and continue interrogating them, through neutral, non-partisan investigation officers — until we get to the whole truth.
Maybe some people are lusting to see bearded faces turn black and blue, tongues bulging out, twisting in the wind. Mar shala gulo ke. The truth would be the real casualty. Once again, chuno putis would die, while puppetmasters roam free.
March 30th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Naeem,
The real godfathers may still be loose, but punishment must be enforced, for the ones captured. BD is a free country, but it should not be free for crime and corruption.
There were overwhelming evidence that these JMB men were conspiring against the country, in a large scale, against state leaders and against the democracy and govt of BD. This translated to treason - the highest form of crime against one’s country.
In court they not only confessed but they BRAGGED about their crimes and achievements, stating they beleived they had done nothing wrong. They were sending clandestine messages to their followers. That may be why they were not allowed to talk to the press.
Events started in AL regime, continued to BNP, and the penalty extended onto CTG/army govt, who were against crime and corrupttion. Had there been any collusion with BNP men, then would the current CTG have questions about acceptance and agreement with the penalty?
It was necessary that BD clamped down forever, acts of such treason, so that it never happens again. The govt has not-only every right, but every responsibility to deal effectively with such crimes.
Nobody likes death penalty, but for self-confessed MASSIVE crimes against the nation, which result in direct threat to national security and danger to millions of people, then the highest form of punishment is necessary, more to set an exemplary deterrant, than a lesson to the perpetrators.
For any crime godfather who may be loose, this will be a serious warning.
March 31st, 2007 at 1:13 am
Rumi,
this is indeed a very unfortunate situation. Bangla’s wife is obviously a kid herself. Chances are her daughter will grow up with the stigma of being an infamous criminal’s daughter.
It really shows how mindless this guy was.
Isn’t there something we can do for them?
March 31st, 2007 at 2:43 am
When I saw the title of the thread by Rumi
” Justice Served.” I was outraged and decided to protest and write something directing Rumi. I am positive about Rumi though I differ so much on different issues. I believe him as a man of honesty and integrity. When I read the entire thread I got little solaced as he is sticking to his point.
Rumi earlier expressed his views and stand about death penalty. The title says “Justice Served” and just based on title it seems he just rejoiced at the execution of BanglaBhai and forgone his previous stand. But futher reading shows he is resolute on his stand against death sentence. So Rumi is not hypocritical but I would have been more happy about Rumi et al who are trying to portray themselves to be the champion of human cause had stood against the death sentence of the seven JMB leaders or they had appealed to president to exonerate death penalty for life imprisonment.
This is sad our so called humanist groups with their inspriring agents or patrons of the west come out to the streets even for a single dealth penalty if declared by islamic government or sharia law even in the deep African jungle country. For a single Ayesha in Nigeria they made so uproar and upheaval and started yelling humanity has gone. And cry death penalty is antihuman and so cruel.
******** *************
******** *************
I will urge our human right activists to be guided by your own best conscience and human sense. Please don’t shadow them and cry for or decry whatever they want for you.
“Killing one innocent person is like killing the whole humanity and on the otherhand saving one life is as if saving the entire humanity [Al-Quran]”
I’m not agaist execution. People like BanglaBhai deserved their due punishment.
Killing is sometimes a ncecsssity for the sake of humanity.
Thanks.
[Part of the post has been deleted because of its unacceptable language. The posters are again cautioned to follow protocols.
Thanks
UV Admin]
March 31st, 2007 at 8:48 am
Justice Served! The mystery remains
“At the end we won’t remember our enemies but the silence of our friends would always be remembered” (D.M.L.K)
Thanks
Take it or leave it.
KJ
March 31st, 2007 at 10:50 am
Finally, the terrorists got what they deserved. This is also a major deathblow to state-sponsored terrorism that flourished under the Khaleda-led BNP and Motior Rahman Nizami-led Jamaat-e-Islami alliance government of 2001-2006.
Soon after the elections they unleashed a reign of terror against the minorities and then focused on eliminating the secular oppossition stalwarts while armouring the pseudo-Islamic fascist fundamentalist forces in the country. No wonder BanglaBhai the crook originated from Bogra!
The caretakers should now ban war criminals of 1971 like Nizami, Mujahid and other razakaars and albadr alshams from national politics. All the war criminals should be put behind bars and tried for war crimes. The caretakers should file cases against these betrayers and traitors at the Hague.
Bangladesh is a secular country where more than five big religions of the world thrive and have been living side by side in absolute communal harmony for ages till the Khaleda-Nizami coruption championing fascist duo came to power and systematically destroyed all institutions by inducting only their followers within the state apparatus.
It is now imperative that the caretaker government clean up the mess which is going to be hard but very much possible if they perform their duty in a honest and transparent manner. Many of the past thugs and scoundrels have already started changing alliance to escape the wrath of justice and law. THEY MUST NOT BE SPARED.
********** ********* ***********
[Last para has been deleted.
Everybody is once more reminded to restrain from making offensive, inflamatory language.
--UV admin]
March 31st, 2007 at 10:59 am
I whole-heartedly support the execution of these lunatic fundamentalists. Not only have been a disgrace in the name of our country and its ideals, but they’ve put a wrong label on Muslims of this country and of the world. In 21st century, where the Western world is making a conscious effort in labelling any Muslim a “terrorist”, people like Bangla Bhai puts the misconception a step forward.
The execution also shows that the Bangladesh judicial system is STILL capable of making correct and justified decisions and the families of those victims feel comforted by this.
Perhaps, to some extent, I feel compassionate for Bangla Bhai’s family, who MAY have not been involved with all this extremism; but certain things need to be done for the greater benefit of a nation. I pray to God that the families recover from the loss and have the maturity to understand what was morally wrong with their father(s).
March 31st, 2007 at 11:42 am
To None,
When the guy of about 21 years old severely injured and burnt 95% (died without giving any true confession after 2 days) of his whole body by his own made bomb on night 14/15 Feb 2003 from (the first bomb blast disclosure of JMB ) Chhoto Gurgula of Dinajpur Dist (main) was brought before me to know the last words and analyze the causes of the possible rise of this most dangerous fundamentalist group, my comments were:
# We are heading towards danger.
# Nobody in the most upper echelon paid any hid to our analyses and recommendations for early
solutions of the problems.
I along with my teams continuously chased, gone to the roots of the case working the hardest in my life, for long about 2 years. But I found concerned were playing foul game at the sincerity of our commitment. Many a days we were told at dead night that (at about 12 pm) that some 100 km away few suspect AQ have been apprehended. Leaving the blanket during high cold season I alone (some time with only one common associate) by my own personal car used to move there and talking to the arrested persons with usual techniques found them to be innocent. And where the formation of JMB really used to take place, no trace of that used to be pointed to us. But in those places, it were our own live taking risk to find the culprits with the most successful way.
BUT NONE PAID HID TO IT WHO ARE TO PAY.
In my assumptions I think, they (?) thought us that, we were kids to run after those evils.
And the cases started getting attention gradually, and many alien were happy that as per their wish the ground could be prepared. Now as usually they in the plea of the existence of their prepared evils positioned them for long term evil mission.
I personally asked them with official capacity, if they were to really help us to diminish this issue, they should help us in the education sector, industrializations, creation of employment sectors, economic development sectors which are our basic problems need immediate attention.
No, they are not at all interested to solve our problems, but so solve the advanced problems like, human right, CBA rights and many more hypothetical problems.
They tried a lot and a lot to level us as Muslim fundamentalist country. But failed and could feel that whatever they would tell us the young people of the country including the common people would not do. As such they left the idea to turn this into an unstable country.
They prepare the monsters and kill once their requirement is over. But in case of our country, it were we who did not allow them to play fun with our fate.
Some where some day I saw in ‘Prothom Alo’ the long write up we prepared which could solve the problem of JMB long before, but none at the top of the machinery did not even look into that. I do not know how it came in the light. Generally it should not come.
The godfathers and including those in govt /political sectors were and still now also should be brought under justice as soon as possible.
No maaf, and no maaf. Maaf does not help the nation, specially the god fathers and senior collaborators (govt /any other) must not be made maaf.
ALO
March 31st, 2007 at 4:07 pm
In last three years when we have opened the Newspaper we watched the shameless picture of
our Ministers and leaders. ” Bangla Bhai is
the brain child of Media.”
Then funny joke about Bangla Bhai, Urdu Bhai, English Bhai.
Basically Naeem has raised the very much valid point in here.
According to the news papers the biggest names were Barrister Aminul Hauqe and Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu.
Same new paper Indicated that Maximum members of JMB are the Jamat-e -Islami Rokon.
Some people shamelessly show JMB as the survivor against ShorboHara.
Now Naeem before finding the God Father and all we have to go to the root why these God
Father could utilize these people. Some thing is seriously wrong in our system.
Basically some people are so much vocal in here that after 36 years of independence why
we should speak about Pro or anti liberation force. It seems we are very conscious about our development of the country.
But My feeling is that by expressing such comments we are indirectly helping to give
birth of the Bangla Bhais.
so God father can easily utilize them.
Did we ever think to make Madrasha education in a system. I came to know from
lots of my respected teacher that Madrsha
Board is the most corrupt one in our system.
Last BNP Govt did another blunder to give
the recognitions of Madrasha education equivalent to Masters degree.
Actually we have to change our system firt.
My opinion religion is the most sensitive part of our life. It is a very good formula
to use in politics.
Basically one Bangla Bhai has been hanged up
today . Tomorrow God fathers also should be come up in front of court. But who is the real God Father? only some individuals or
our system, our history?
We have to go back to our root from where
those God fathers are created like blood seeds.Because If we did not allow our collaborators of 71 to do politics in Bangladesh , Banglabhai of today may not born.
But I know It is very difficult to clear the system. My opinion is that we should start
the process to stop the birth of the God Fathers.
April 1st, 2007 at 12:13 am
Another important point is the money source of the jongis. A report from today’s Janakantha throws some light onto it.
http://www.dailyjanakantha.com/p1/html11
April 1st, 2007 at 1:31 am
‘Bangla Bhai is the Construction of the media’
Was a line that ‘worked’ and could be used because many people don’t beleive the media and saw the construction/representation of the debate and its takeup by foreign agencies as a ruse to bash a certain groups within the society. Originally as a vigilante type organisation the group did ensure some safety from some violent corrupts who hid under the veil of communism and caused people extreme greif.
However irrational that appears to people here, it shows an underlying mistrust of the DS/PA worldview.
About the madrassa recogniton. Many madrassas are like ‘ordinary’ schools but with more islamic displines included. there are thousands of young people emanating from islamic educational institutions who deserve a chance and could do great things. Beleive it or not Prime Minister Erdogan of turkey came from a reinvigourated madrassalike background.
The BNP did it late and failed to engage in qualitative educational uplift in all of the sectors. Its trajic, because i feel if any of the two could sort out the big challenges in that area it would have been people, particularly educationalists from that quarter who would have had the credibility, background knowledge and conviction to do it. But they wasted their chance. I hope the next government makes a fairminded and unprejudiced attempt at improving matters.
April 1st, 2007 at 1:58 am
Fug, I don’t think its reasonable to the type of madrasa that Erdogan went to the type of madarasa that we have back home. From what I recall, the educational quality (i.e. ability to prepare the students for professions) of madrasas back home are a lot lower than other educational institutes. Personal anecdote: in my last two years of highschool I went to the same math tutor/coaching center as a couple fairly bright guys from middle-class backgrounds like my own had but who had earlier studies at madrasas. These guys were cool and smart, but they had to do a ridiculous amount of remedial work, so much in fact that they were at least 3-4 years behind me academically, even though we were the same age.
long story short: I don’t know what madrasas in BD you’ve been to, but they are not just “‘ordinary’ schools but with more islamic displines included”, but rather ordinary schools that need to be reformed big time if they want their graduates to be competitive. Does that jive with what you’re saying?
April 1st, 2007 at 2:06 am
fug
Why did you single out DS/PA as the ‘media’ that made the bnp propaganda “Bangla bhai is a construction of media” believable? DS/PA are the most reliable dailies in BD - there are others that are not.
Your claim “Many madrassas are like ‘ordinary’ schools but with more islamic displines included” is absolutely without basis and shows you have not the minimum knowledge of the conditions of madrassas in BD. BNP gave them recognition in a sorry attempt to gain votes and also to make it easy for neo-fundamentalists (would be Jamatis) to infiltrate the civil services.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:16 am
Only someone with no knowledge whatsoever of the Bangladeshi madrasa system could make a ludicrous comment like “Many madrassas are like ‘ordinary’ schools but with more islamic displines included”. Allow me to disabuse you, Fug.
The regular madrasas (qaumi madrasas) teach no worldly subject at all - just religious subjects, Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, Arabic as well as the perceived “religious languages” - Farsi and Urdu because many theological texts are written in those languages. They don’t teach English or Bangla or science, for the simple reason that their teachers have no qualification in them whatsoever. The students of such madrasas are unemployable in any professional job setting that has good prospects of pay and promotion - they lack the skillset and even the mindset that employers look for. Instead qaumi madrasa graduates, a lot of them go into religious teaching, staff of mosques and other madrasas, imams, moulanas, part-time instructors of namaz and quran to ordinary kids. Still others do low-paid jobs that require low-level skills, shop counter staff, or running small businesses of their own.
The aliya madrasa graduates are somewhat better off - they study science, math, english, bangla as well as the religious subjects, but even there the quality of education delivered is so poor that most students can barely crack into a decent undergrad programme afterwards. There it turns into an academic/ professional dead end unless they go into some crappy associate degree, a 2-yr BCom at Jagannath College or something like that.
If there is any hope of reform in the madrasa system, it’s through intensive improvements in the aliyas. As things stand, their graduates are in no way fit to go into govt positions at the same level as ordinary graduates. It’s a travesty designed to do nothing but improve the grip of the wannabe theocrats on the machinery of the state. And the qaumis? They are a total wash, but what to do about them is a trickier question. A lot of them are heavily funded through private channels in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Yemen etc. And their students too are mostly from poor backgrounds and from the villages. This kind of religious education has a tradition in the subcontinent and also has popular backing among a lot of people. So even if they are dysfunctional centres for the production of unproductive members of society, I don’t know what realistic alternative there is for them. I suspect most govts would be wary of trying to fix them.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:23 am
‘Bangla Bhai is the Construction of the media’
is a line that worked for supporters of the previous government and understandably so, given it was a BNP Minister and Jamaati Leader who made this statement. That’s the nature of our highly partisan politics, we believe our politicians.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:27 am
‘media issue’ - I was just conveying how such papers are viewed by many of the people. The politicians didnt need to make the statement i suppose, people would look at the ideological posture of said papers, which half of the story they were working to promote and decide that they were mischeif making.
i think the divisions and mistrust are just as much a consquence of media poliics than electoral politics.
April 1st, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Re: the original post that posted the pic of the wife and child of Bangla bhai, and refers to them suffering and the child growing up fatherless….I say, THANK GOD Bangla bhai is dead, God has saved his own family from him!
Imagine having a father like Bangla bhai. If the child is a boy, then he would’ve grown up to be just as hateful and violent, if not more, than his father. “every single child is born innocent, a killer is created out of a child due to a faulty environment and an unjust society” - Bangla bhai and his miltant clan would’ve undoubtedly turned his innocent child into a killer through their miltant Islam preaching. If this child is a girl, can you IMAGINE what a life she would’ve had? No better than the women under Taleban rule for sure!
Similar, Bangla bhai’s wife has been spared a life of being treated as a dehumanized, low class citizen (probably no better than the street dogs). The poor girl was probbaly married to Bangla bhai forcefully at a very young age. She looks barely 14 in this pic.
Hopefully, with Bangla bhai and most of his clan members gone, his wife and child now at least have the CHANCE and CHOICE to lead a freer life, hopefully the child will be educated (and not in a Madrassa).
I think we should all support and fund a serios effort to provide secular education to all these children of Islamic millitants…that is probably the best way to ensure that we don’t end up with more Bangla Bhai’s in the future generations.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I feel really happy to see maximum people of
here can identify why the Bangla Bhais are created in our society.
Now this is the right time to find the root.
and We must destroy the blood seeds
Basically this is the right time to follow the
model of
The Dr. Kudrati Khuda education commission. here I am putting a small but effective article
Source:
http://dwelle.de/southasia/bangladesh/1.168442.1.html
Bangladesh will be completing 35 years of independence on March 26 of the coming year: occasion for the Bengali Service of the Deutsche Welle to take an overall look at the country and its situation. Today: the education system, not just an abandoned battlefield of broken dreams but also a potential minefield of unknown dangers, it seems.
The controversy centers around the three-pronged education system of what are popularly known as Bengali schools, English schools and the madrassa’s – or Islamic schools.
The Dr. Kudrati Khuda education commission of 1974 recommended a unified educational system, but its recommendation was never put into effect. More commissions which followed only intensified the division. Today, the effort at unity has reduced itself to trying to make the education system in Bangladesh even more ‘pro-religion’ and ‘anti-science’, in the eyes of some.
Statistics
There are 37,671 government primary schools in Bangladesh. Secondary schools number 16,166, and higher secondary schools – both government-run and private schools combined – number 2413. There are 21 state-run universities, but 51 so-called private universities. The state universities have 1297 colleges under them.
Now we come to the madrassa’s: these number 30,014, according to the latest report of the National Educational Commission, which keeps the statistics of only the ‘Ebtedayi, Dakhil, Alim, Fazil and Kamil’ madrassa’s. Additionally, there are thousands of the so-called Qawami madrassa’s which the government does not keep track of.
The dream and the reality
Professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, one of the most respected educationalists of the country, reminisced:
“If we talk about the dream, the dream was to create a unified education system. The three-pronged system that we have today… that was there even in East Pakistan, but we didn’t find it acceptable. Our desire was that there would be just one education system in Bangladesh and the mother tongue, Bengali, would be its medium. But what happened was that the old three-pronged system was retained, and not only that, the gap between the three increased even farther. What has happened in the meantime is that the ‘English medium’ has developed rapidly – though only among a limited class of people… On the other side, madrassa education has grown immensely, whereas secondary (or Bengali medium) education has suffered most.”
Superficial expansion
Chowdhury’s somewhat junior colleague, but perhaps only in age, Professor Sayed Manjurul Islam thinks:
“The education system has expanded, but has not gained in depth, the reason being the lack of a definitive vision – and that right from the start… We do not have an education policy to this day… Whichever government came into power, they have treated the subject according to their own ideas and understanding. But education is not the preserve of any one government. It is something for the whole nation to consider.”
Islam would have preferred a properly endowed education commission to create a policy for a period of “twenty, thirty or fifty years”, as he put it. He too mentions the recommendations of the 1974 Khuda Commission as being the most acceptable: “scientifically minded, realistic and achievable”.
‘Islami vote bank’
Obviously, there are political motives working behind the effort to make madrassa education more popular. Chowdhury thinks that the aim is to exploit the religious emotions of the people to gain votes:
“… the qawami madrassa’a, nobody keeps any track of these. They run on various kinds of contributions… A lot of money comes from abroad, such as from the Middle East… There’s no scientific basis to this kind of education, nothing is known about their syllabus. The result is that these militants… most of them came from these madrassa’s… Whether they are being trained in militancy or not, that’s one question… There’s another issue outside its purview: these madrassa students are not being prepared for any productive work in later life… We know all about Pakistan, where they encouraged this kind of madrassa education at the beginning – and now they’re in trouble, they want to control it, but can’t.”
Everything for sale
When it comes to higher education, the picture is hardly more redeeming. As Islam puts it:
“This kind of market-oriented education is another effect of globalization. We are in a kind of unfair competition with the rest of the world, in which we are doing our utmost to supply our bit, but without getting due results. We’re being told that we can’t survive without doing trade with the rest of the world… But the question is: what are we doing for the country?… Is it enough to export readymade garments, or were we supposed to do something else, something more for the country?”
Compulsory religious education
The subject seems to be uppermost in Chowdhury’s mind, and perhaps not just in his:
“They say, there’s always been religious education. But religious education was not compulsory under British rule; it was not compulsory in East Pakistan, let alone when Bangladesh was created… Ershad first brought in state religion, just as he made religious education compulsory. And the language of religion was added to it: which meant that one had to learn Arabic. But not all religions would be taught in all schools, nor the corresponding languages – which means sowing the seeds of discrimination and communalism among the youngest.”
Betrayal
Not unexpectedly, Islam spoke all over again of the betrayal of the ideals of the Muktijuddho or the War of Liberation – which meant “total liberation”.
The education system of Bangladesh seems to be struggling with new as well as old bondages..
April 1st, 2007 at 7:43 pm
BanglaBhais are product of ultra-secularists, leftist, atheists and their patronizing media.
Why and How?
We many a times see a rife of anti_islamic forces, which, I believe, negative forces either, like islamic fundamentalists. So when one force tries to dominate our social and political arena, other force starts to count their future doomed and dark. When one flourishes and thrives, the other gets scared and starts to garner resources and power to engage in their survival struggle.
The two opposing forces are desperate in assuming the state power so that one can totally destroy the other.
So, I think, if the Islamistmists don’t feel threatened about their existence, marginalized and left out from the power sharing the struggle will continue.
So until people of moderate and rantional thinking with accomadating attitude don’t take the power, this fight will continue unabetting. So an accomodating balanced government should come to power to contain both of the negative forces, anti-islamist ultra leftist ultra-secularists and Islamic fundamentalists. Until that happens this fight will never be ceased.
Other thing I see be very irrational as we take the presricption of the west who theorizes better governance by seperating state from religion. It’s wrong concept because in the name of separting state from religion it’s a way of sharing power with the anti-religious groups while marginalizing the religious groups. This concept allows a secularist, an atheist, even a dishonest criminal people etc to have their voices and seats on the table where power-cake is cut while a religious good man leaving with the feeling of perpetually left out. It’s unacceptable, defective and wrong state-craft philosophy and this system of goverment nurtures mushrooming religious fundamentalists all around.
Thanks.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Bangla Bhai patronised by members of the previous administration. Now they wash their hands of him because he is no longer an asset.
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Thanks]
April 2nd, 2007 at 3:36 pm
To None
Some have exactly pointed out the problems of Madrasha education of our country and also suggested how the system should be addressed for the attainment of a better objective/output.
I have certain sayings, if anybody kindly enlighten me / us.
It is believed and history says, to manipulate the religious education of Muslims in the then Indian sub continent, ‘British raj (which sucked our blood for about 200 yrs like ‘jooke’ and stolen our assets) introduced the system of ‘Ali System of Education’ to create a ‘tabedar group’ among the Muslims which will do ‘matabburi’ on behalf of Britishers. There are believes that, up to 22 or 24th principal of ‘British Introduced Madrasha at Kolkata were not any Muslims, but the Christians (I am not confident about my statement and had any scope to confirm). The students coming out from ‘Alia Madrashas’ do not practice and follow the norms, teaching of Islam rather they mostly do not offer prayers, and involve them in non Muslim activities / practices.
Being fear of that dire devil strategy of the Britishers, a group of real Muslim scholars concentrated in the role of savior of the Islam and committed to uphold the ‘Koimi’ types of Islamic religion education.
I have no problem to modernize ‘Madrasha system of education’ where science, math, IT, politics, diplomacy, economics should be included.
Again, over the years, some over enthusiastic ‘Koimi’ bandwagons made the system too hard lined and got off tracked and earned bad name for Islam.
Lastly, please note, there are Muslim followers of four Imams (Hanafi, Hambli..) and one different ‘Ahle Hadith’ followers who rely on Holy Quran and Pure Hadiths. The former 4 groups besides Holy Quran and Pure Hadiths also follow the Imams’ given explanations on Quran and Hadith.
The JMB are the off track followers of ‘Ahle Hadith’ sects.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL FOR IMAMS’S FOLLOWER AND AHLE HADITHS FOLLOWRES ARE THE PERFECT MUSLIMS.
I am not bringing explanations of Wahabism, Ismailism, Islamism, Kadianis, Shiites etc, because those have their different explanations and ideology that does not suit my post here.
However, I can say once again, Britishers made lots of ‘Bhua’ Islamic leaders in the past for their own interest and still running after to do the same in connivance with OTHER VESTED NON MUSLIM COUNTRIES /groups.
We know, there are orthodox churches and their activities, we know ‘Shib Shenas’ and we know also KKK, ‘ Skull and Bone’ and many things that gets hardly attentions now (got before).
Religion were required, now required and will be required. But not its men made hard-line / fundamentalist / terrorist exposure by any.
ALO
April 2nd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu and Nadim Mostofa are being sued for abetting JMB outfit.
According to the JMB-ites who fought for the establishment of shariah law a murderer is to be decapitated (still practiced in many Islamic Republics).
How should they feel that we are actually against their hanging, and wanted their lives spared with life behind bars.