Daily Online Alochona: Apr 18, 2008

Friday, April 18, 2008

Re: [mukto-mona] Re: 'Holy Hate' : Real horror story from History!

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/47849

It is probably not worth anyone's time to dignify A S
M Ahmed's comments.

Let me address a few anyway:

"All muslims went to India (in 1971) came back home
but most of the Hindus did not."

Blatantly false information. A very small fraction of
the Hindus stayed in India, most came back to
Bangladesh, hoping that the Bangalee nationalist
country would not be nearly as hateful as Pakistan was
for the religious minorities. Sadly, their
expectations have proven to be wrong. I am from a
Hindu majority area in Bangladesh, and I know almost
all of my villagers and the people from other villages
around there who had gone to India in 1971 came back
in 1972.

"Most importantly, Hindus were given easy citizenship
in India once they say that they could not live in
Bangladesh in peace because of Musloims."

Again, totally false. I know hundreds of my
Bangladeshi Hindu family members, relatives, friends,
and neighbors, who are staying in India without
citizenship. Many young people who had finished high
school in Bangladesh registered again at the ninth
grade to show falsely that they were born in India - a
way to become Indian citizens. If they had declared
that were born in Bangladesh, they would not be able
to get Indian citizenship.

There is an organization called "Udbastu Sangram
Parishad" (Council for Fighting for the Refugees) in
West Bengal. They are trying to get legal Indian
citizenship status for the non-Muslims that migrated
from Bangladesh to India over the years. And they have
no success over quite a few decades now. What is a
related fact is that the refugees from Bangladesh who
were victims of Islamic hatred are being shown the
mercy of being allowed to stay in India with no legal
status. They do have a good deal of safely and
security there; they are pretty sure that no "naraye
tagbir, alla-hu-akbar" chanting criminal gang would
burn and loot there meager possessions. However, they
have no legal status, thus no work that would require
them to show their educational qualifications from
Bangladesh/Pakistan.

I am sure, my words would not change the minds of
people like A S M Ahmed. They would continue to hate
non-Muslims, probably because their brain has gotten
too corrupted by their upbringing, which has been too
much influenced by religious dogma, superstition, and
hatred. They would continue to propagate falsehood to
feed their hateful minds.

Sukhamaya Bain

------------------------------------

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[mukto-mona] Nepal: Prachanda on Gyanendra

Graceful exit' for king: Prachanda
'I'm ready to discuss it with him'

By Ghanashyam Ojha (http://ekantipur.com/)

KATHMANDU, April 19 - CPN-Maoist Chairman Prachanda says he is in favor of providing King Gyanendra a 'graceful exit' from the throne that the Shah dynasty has occupied for the last 240 years.
He told the Post that he has initiated consultations with various diplomatic missions and leaders of other political parties on what such a "graceful exit" might be.

"The king should not be ousted from the throne in a humiliating manner," he said. He was not sure what that graceful exit could be. But he hinted that there would be no further action against him if he obeyed the verdict of the people. "Even after he leaves the throne he should be allowed to continue with his business affairs or other activities, including engagement in politics in future if he so desires."

He said a forced and humiliating ouster of the king would cause negative vibes at home and abroad.

"We will present yet another surprise to the world by peacefully negotiating the king's exit from Narayanhiti Royal Palace," he claimed.

Prachanda said he was ready to meet the king in person to negotiate his exit. "If necessary, I am even ready to meet him," he said.

He reiterated that the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly will put an end to the monarchy. "There is no alternative to abolishing the monarchy through the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly and we will do just that," he said, adding, "If we fail, Nepal will plunge into another crisis."

With the Maoists becoming the largest political party following the CA poll, Prachanda said he was in favor of cobbling together a coalition government.

"The mandate of the Constituent Assembly election was to draft a new constitution and take the peace process to its conclusion," he said, adding, "The parties haven't yet fulfilled the people's mandate, so they all should stay on in the ruling coalition to fulfill it."

He said he has already urged outgoing UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal to reconsider his party's decision to withdraw from the government. "Since the Constituent Assembly election was meant for drafting a new constitution, there is no question of winners and losers," said Prachanda, who won from Kathmandu-10 and Rolpa-2 under the first-past-the-post system. He said political parties should not judge their role on the basis of the number of seats they have won.

About what type the next government will be, Prachanda said the Maoists haven't yet taken a decision about this. "We are open to discussion and the next government will be formed through consensus," he said.

He, however, said parallel power centers should not be created during this transition, as this could complicate the political process. "One person should have control and command, whether it is the president or prime
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Re: [mukto-mona] Re: 'Holy Hate' : Real horror story from History!

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/47820

Mr. Roy,
Since 1951 Hindu population in Bangladesh has declined significantly and is about 10.5% now, probably true; but what is not true is the reasons for this decline as you mentioned.There was no significant persecution,intimidation or forcible conversion. In 1971 huge number of Hindus migrated to India along with Muslims, those who stayed back some of them were converted to Islam by choice to protect themselves from being killed by Pakistani military.After Independence those who were converted went back to their Hindu religion again.There may have some exceptions.All muslims went to India came back home but most of the Hindus did not.Some of their relatives followed them later on. Hindus continued to migrate over there because of better and stable political and economic conditions over there . Most importantly, Hindus were given easy citizenship in India once they say that they could not live in Bangladesh in peace because of Musloims. I am not saying
from history, I am giving this information from my own experience and I believe we should not distort history for bthe sake of justice.
Dr.ASM Akter Ahmed
Windsor, Canada

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Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
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German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
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Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

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RE: [mukto-mona] Moulobadi Santras {Bangla}

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/47833

Thank you for a very good, fact-filled analysis. I had not read the actual text of the Women's Development Policy's 8th March Govt. report. I had been arguing against the Islamist anti-women excesses in general. It is indeed an astounding fact to realize that there is not a single mention of 'equal inheritance' in the Govt. declaration of Women's Policy on 8th March. What an outrageous display of moral debauchery to raise hell upon a bald-faced lie!
By the way, in the Land of Jahiliya, otherwise known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, women inherit property in accordance to the precepts indicated in the Qur'an. But women are denied human rights as equal citizens, a denial that is not specified anywhere in the Qur'an. I came to know that half of the real eastate in Riyadh is owned by women who are probably forbidden by the Religious Police to even tread on their own property. What do our 'learned moulana' team behind the Islamist terrorists say about that? Vandalizing religion, vandalizing the mosque! We don't have to go as far as the Lal Masjid in Islamabad. It is happening right under our nose. This Govt. beter take some cautionary measures. Subjugation of women goes hand in hand with the retardation of the civil society!

Farida Majid

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MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari

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Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

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[ALOCHONA] Boston Globe - Bangladeshi man elected to Local Govt Body

But I thought our Mollaas said, Americans hate Islam and Moslims. The are killing Moslims everywhere in the world and have enslaved all our countries through our Traitor rulers.

This news must be fake, right?

Robin Khundkar <rkhundkar@earthlink.net> wrote:

From Bangladesh to the Board of Selectmen

By Tom Long,

Boston Globe

Correspondent

April 17, 2008

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/17/from_bangladesh_to_the_board_of_selectmen?mode=PF

Aboul Khan won a selectmanâ€™s seat in Seabrook last month as he garnered 1,192 votes. His nearest competitor received 322. (Globe Staff Graphic / David Kamerman) )

SEABROOK, N.H. - Aboul Khan was born in Bangladesh and lived in New York City for 20 years, but he says he never really felt at home until he moved to Seabrook.

"What's not to like? I can go deer hunting on one side of town and go fishing for bass and stripers on the other," the affable 47-year-old proprietor of the Richdale Convenience Store said. He moved to this seacoast town seven years ago.

Khan was elected to the Seabrook Board of Selectmen last month by a margin of 870 votes - the first foreign-born elected official in that town in recent memory. It was an overwhelming victory. His nearest competitor got 322 votes.

"He's one of us," said Seabrook Town Clerk Bonnie Lou Fowler, a lifelong resident who said she wasn't surprised by Khan's victory. "Aboul is quite a personality. He's charming and smart and a good listener. He talks to everyone in town and he's heard their concerns. He's the champion of the common citizen."

Richdale is situated on heavily traveled Route 1 amid establishments like Bob's Tattoos, Fantasy Fireworks, and Cigarette City. Divine Mercy Catholic Books and Gifts is right across the street.

Fowler said she often goes to Khan's store for gasoline, bread, or milk. "I think everybody in town stops by at one time or other, and Aboul's always willing to chat."

Most days Khan can be found behind the counter dispensing bubble gum, antacids, and Powerball tickets as well as advice. A pile of town reports is stacked in front of the Slush Puppy machine near the front of the store.

"I throw open the door and they come," he said. "I could talk politics all day long and I've built up relationships. I have found that residents of Seabrook have a pride in their community that I share."

Khan believes he offers a fresh perspective when it comes to running the town. Promoting fiscal responsibility, using town resources efficiently, and improving communication among town officials and with the public are his main goals in office, he said. "I don't represent any special interests. I'm only interested in what's good for the citizens of Seabrook."

Mark Creamer, a trucker who delivers furniture, has become a regular even though he lives in Bristol, Conn. He said it isn't the prices that attract him, but Khan's personality. "I stop by about twice a month," he said while he paid for a cup of coffee. "Aboul is personable and likes to chat. He treats everybody like family. "

Khan immigrated to the United States from densely populated and poverty-stricken Bangladesh in 1980, shortly after earning a degree in political science at Notre Dame College in Dhaka. He said it was "rock 'n' roll" that brought him to this country, but when pressed he concedes that he saw the United States as the "land of opportunity."

For 20 years, he lived in the Bronx, where he operated a small grocery store for several years. A friend in Boston told him that a Richdale store in Seabrook was for sale, and after he visited the town, he leaped at the opportunity. He saw high traffic, retail development, and a chance to prosper and also enjoy New Hampshire's beaches and forests. It was a place he wanted to raise his two children with his wife, Morzia, who helps run the store. Her brothers work there, too.

Morzia said she wasn't surprised when Aboul decided to become involved in local politics. "We both come from political families," she said. Aboul's father was a deputy secretary of defense in Bangladesh and Morzia's father was mayor of a town in Pirojpur Province, Bangladesh.

Khan served on the town's Planning Board and budget committee before deciding to run for the Board of Selectmen this year.

He said as soon as he decided to run for selectman, he made a list of 150 influential citizens in town and called on them to let them know of his intentions.

He won't say who was on that list, because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings or because he's politically savvy. But retiring Selectman Dick McCann endorsed him with letters to local newspapers and to his own supporters.

Khan said his bond to Seabrook was solidified after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001.

"A police officer came by to make sure we were all right. He knew we were Muslims and thought there might be trouble. And he didn't just come by once, he must have come by 10 times," Khan said.

"The police chief dropped by, too. But we didn't have any trouble. The town has always welcomed us and now it's time to give something back. If you want to see democracy, come to the United States. If you want to see superdemocracy, come to Seabrook."

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[mukto-mona] Torchbearers of Conscience

http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=750957

Union refuses to unload arms ship

SapaPublished:Apr 17, 2008
Opposition to a shipment of arms being offloaded in
Durban and transported
to Zimbabwe increased today when South Africa's
largest transport workers
union announced that its members would not unload the
ship.
SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) general
secretary Randall
Howard said: "Satawu does not agree with the position
of the South African
government not to intervene with this shipment of
weapons.

"Our members employed at Durban Container Terminal
will not unload this
cargo neither will any of our members in the truck
driving sector move this
cargo by road." He said the ship, the An Yue Jiang,
should not dock in
Durban and should return to China.

South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the
flow of weapons into
Zimbabwe at a time where there is a political dispute
and a volatile
situation between the Zanu-PF and the MDC."

"The view of our members is that nobody should ask us
to unload these
weapons," he said.

Satawu said it planned to engage support from the
Congress of SA Trade
Unions (Cosatu).

Defence secretary January Masilela told Sapa today
that the scrutiny committee of the
National Conventional Arms Control Committee's (NCACC)
, which he chairs,
had approved the conveyance permit on Monday already.

He said a inspection team from the NCACC would still
have to ensure the
cargo met the requirements of the permit before the
cargo could begin to be
transported to Zimbabwe. The permit would be endorsed
by the NCACC when it
meets next month.

Asked about the controversy surrounding the shipment
Masilela said: "This is
a normal transaction between two sovereign states. We
are doing our legal
part and we donâ't have to interfere."

In Cape Town, government communications head Themba
Maseko said the country
could not stop the shipment from getting to its
destination as it had to be
seen to be "treading very carefully" in its relations
with Zimbabwe, given
the complexity of facilitating talks between the
Movement for Democratic
Change and Zanu-PF.

Chris de Vos, the secretary general for the United
Transport and Allied
Trade Union, said the union was "not happy" about the
arms shipment being
transported through South Africa.

"We are going to request an urgent meeting with the
management. We are aware
that members are very uncomfortable with the
situation," he said.

He said that while no decision had been taken by the
union on offloading the
weapons and arms, the union leadership was not in
favour of the weapons
being transported.

Democratic Alliance defence spokesman Rafeek Shah said
the government's
approval to allow the arms to be shipped was "the
surest sign yet that
government has completely lost the plot on the
Zimbabwe issue".

Shah said: "The worldâ?Ts astonishment at President
(Thabo) Mbekiâ?Ts
political defence of Robert Mugabe will likely turn
into outright anger as
we are now not only denying the existence of a crisis
in Zimbabwe, but also
actively facilitating the arming of an increasingly
despotic and desperate
regime."

Kallie Kriel, AfriForum chief executive, said the
organisation intended
organising "an extensive campaign of peaceful
demonstrations in an effort to
prevent a consignment of Chinese arms from being
transported from Durban
across South African territory to Zimbabwe".

The SA Institute of Race Relations said on Thursday:
"It would be
unconscionable for South Africa to allow an arms
consignment through its
borders en route to Zimbabwe."

Spokesman Frans Cronje said that if the shipment went
ahead, "South
Africaâ?Ts culpability in the Zimbabwe crisis would
then be without
question".

Noseweek editor Martin Welz told Sapa yesterday that
"the cargo ship was
openly delivering a containment of arms for Zimbabwe".
He said he had copies
of all the documents, including the bill of lading and
a packing list.

The controversial cargo packed into 3,080 cases
included three million
rounds of 7.62mm bullets (used with the AK47 assault
rifle), 69 rocket
propelled grenades, as well as mortar bombs and tubes.
The cargo is,
according to the documentation, valued at R9.88
million. Welz said: "Itâ?Ts
very detailed and even has the phone numbers."

Increased media interest around the shipment prompted
both the SA Police
Service and the SA Revenue Service to send their top
public relations
officers to Durban to deal with media enquiries.

Adriao said he would only comment on the ship once it
had docked in port
while Lackay said that the work of the SARS "is guided
by the SARS Act and
the confidentiality provisions in the Act".

Lackay said: "SARS Customs does not release cargo
until the Customs
declaration has been processed and the requirements of
the any other
legislation have been adhered to. On the basis of the
documents submitted by
the shipping line - the company operating the vessel -
SARS Customs decides
whether there is a potential risk, whether cargo must
be inspected and
whether or not goods will be detained.

"These are standard Customs procedures that apply
daily to any cargo vessel
entering a South African port of entry. At this time
the vessel.

"An Yue Jiang is at outer anchorage or off-port limits
and therefore the
cargo is not deemed to have been imported into South
Africa yet," he said.

------------------------------------

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Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

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Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/

*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari

http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/

Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

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Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

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VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

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[mukto-mona] new poll: Obama is more capable than Hilary to beat McCain

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-obama-gains

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. __._,_.___

***************************************** Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm ***************************************** Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf ***************************************** MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona. ***************************************** Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm ***************************************** Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm ***************************************** Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/ ***************************************** MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm ***************************************** German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/ Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm ***************************************** Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona: http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm **************************************************** VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/ **************************************************** "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190

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[mukto-mona] [News] CSID Conference on Political Islam & Democracy - May 14, 2008, Washington DC

Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Members of CSID:

We hope you will join us at the 9th Annual Conference of CSID, which will take place on May 14, at the George Washington University, in Washington DC. The main theme for this year's conference will be:

Political Islam and Democracy - What do Islamists and Islamic Movements want?

We have put together an excellent program, including several world-renown experts, leaders, and activists as well as parliamentarians of Islamic movements from different countries, to discuss their parties' views and positions on democracy. To view the tentative program, go to Tentative Program

To register for the conference, please go to Online Registration

We sincerely hope you will join us at this important conference on May 14.

Wassalam,

Radwan Masmoudi..............................Asma Afsaruddin
President, CSID............................Chair of the Board, CSID

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY

9th Annual Conference

Political Islam and Democracy - What do Islamists and Islamic Movements want?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

George Washington University
Washington, D.C. 20052
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro (Orange and Blue Lines)

TENTATIVE PROGRAM

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Registration

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks

Dr. Asma Afsaruddin, Chair, Program Committee
Dr. Radwan Masmoudi, CSID President

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Panel 1

The Muslim Brotherhood and Democratic Evolution
Chair: Asma Afsaruddin

"The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and the concept of Democracy" - Radwan Ziadeh, Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace, rziadeh@usip.org

"The program of Muslim Brotherhood "Political Party" from A Human Rights Perspective" - Bahey eldin Hassan, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), bahey@cihrs.org

"Idealism versus pragmatism in the political efforts of Muslim Brotherhood movements" - Anas Altikriti, The Cordoba Foundation, anas@fastmail.fm

"Changes within MB due to contextual changes between 2005 and 2007" - Ibrahim El-Houdaiby, Ikhwan-Web, Egypt, houdaiby@yahoo.com

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Panel 2

The Intersection of Religion and Democracy: Islamist Discourses
Chair: Najib Ghadhban

"Why Jihad not Democracy" - Nelly Lahoud, Goucher College, nlahoud@goucher.edu

"The Sovereignty of God: Constitutional Processes in Islam and Christianity" - Mark Gould, Haverford College, mgould@haverford.edu

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Luncheon

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Roundtable Discussion

Conditions for Engaging Islamist Leaders and Thinkers:
How to Encourage and Support Muslim Democrats?

Confirmed Speakers:

Mohammed Ayoob, author of "Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World"

Saadeddine Ibrahim, Founder and Director of the Ibn Khaldoun Center, Egypt, "From Taliban to Erdogan"

Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, USA

Joshua Muravchik, author of "Exporting Democracy: Fulfilling America's Destiny", USA

2:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Panel 3

Negotiating Democracy: the North African Context
Chair: Tony Sullivan

"The Algerian Islamic Movement and 'Political Islam': An Insider's Perspective" - Anwar N Haddam, President and co-founder of the Movement for Liberty & Social Justice, Algeria, anhaddam@yahoo.com

"Inclusion and Institutional Constraints: Moderation of the Moroccan Justice and Development Party" - Feriha Perekli, Indiana University-Bloomington, fperekli@indiana.edu

"The Challenges and Opportunities Moroccan Islamist Movements Pose to Women's Political Participation" - Laurel Rapp, The OneVoice Movement, Laurel@OneVoiceMovement.org

"Shariah and democracy: the experiences of Indonesia and Morocco" - Yusuf Fernández, European Islamic Media Network, yusuf@webislam.com

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Break

4:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Panel 4

Implementing Democracy: Prospects and Prognosis
Chair: Robert Schadler

"Islamic Movements and Democracy in Central Asia: Integration or Isolation?" - Anthony C. Bowyer, International Foundation for Election Systems, anthony@ifes.org

"The Maldives - Reform Deferred?" - Ahmed Shaheed & Jonathan Upton, founding member of the pro-democracy New Maldives faction, Charlie@thecampaigncompany.co.uk

"The (Im)Possibility of Islamist Politics in Turkey" - Hatem Ete, METU, Ankara, Turkey, etehatem@yahoo.com

"Islamists and a Pluralist Society: Hezbollah and Jama'ah al-Islamiyah's Consociational Experience in Lebanon" - Eric Bordenkircher, UCLA, eborden@ucla.edu

7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Annual Banquet Dinner

(Washington Marriott Hotel, 1221 22nd Street)

Dialogue with Moderate Islamist Leaders -
Viewpoints on Shari'ah, Democracy, and Religious Freedom in Islam

Confirmed Banquet Keynote Speakers:

Mohamed Saad Elkatatny, Head of the MB Parliamentary Delegation, Egypt

Abderazzak Makri, Movement for the Society of Peace, Algeria

Mohamed Yatim, Deputy Secretary General, Party of Justice and Development, Morocco

Abdelmajeed M'nasra, Movement for the Society of Peace, Algeria

Co-Sponsors: This conference is co-sponsored by the Heinrich Boell Foundation, The Kingdom Foundation, and the Muslim Students Association (MSA) of George Washington University.
____________________________
Registration Form

To register online click on https://secure.entango.com/donate/6gHYxfvsaMJ

Name & Title:_______________________________________________________________
Institution:_________________________________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________________
City: _____________________________State____________________ Zip: ____________
Tel.:______________________________________________________________________
Fax: _________________________ E- mail:______________________________________

Pre-Registration
.......................................By April 30 On-site Registraton
..............................................................................After April 30 Registration w/o Dinner Banquet Dinner Only
CSID Member ? $75.00 ? $100.00 ? $50.00 ? $ 50.00
Non-Member ? $100.00 ? $150.00 ? $80.00 ? $ 70.00
A Couple ? $140.00 ? $180.00 ? $110.00 ? $ 100.00
Student ? $ 40.00 ? $50.00 ? $20.00 ? $ 30.00

Registration includes lunch, banquet dinner, and coffee breaks, but does not include lodging. Payment must be received by April 30 to qualify for pre-registration rates.
Please mail registration form with payment to:
CSID Conf. Registration- 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Suite 601, Washington, D.C. 20036

__._,_.___

***************************************** Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm ***************************************** Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf ***************************************** MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona. ***************************************** Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm ***************************************** Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm ***************************************** Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/ ***************************************** MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm ***************************************** German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/ Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm ***************************************** Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona: http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm **************************************************** VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/ **************************************************** "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190

__,_._,___

Re: [mukto-mona] Boston Globe - Bangladeshi man elected to Local Govt Body

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/47830

Mr. Khan is the living example of the 'American Dream' and it shows that nothing can stop a motivated person to reach that goal. I also hear a lot of complains from others, who will blame everything else, besides themselves, for their failure. Mr. Khan is a living proof of how generous and broad minded the people of this country are. American is the land of opportunity for those who know how to harvest it. There is no place on earth like this. Unfortunately, there are many people who have everything, success and prosperity, and took all advantages of this great country and the great society, yet they do resent this country.

Jiten Roy

------------------------------------

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/

*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari

http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/

Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

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<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:

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[mukto-mona] Racism and State of Britain 2008 23.4.08 Gilly Mundy Memorial Event

Please circulate widely:

Racism and the State of Britain 2008

Question time

Wed 23rd April 7pm to 9pm

Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0XG

Panel includes:

Benjamin Zephaniah (poet and writer)

Nick Hardwick (Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission)

Gareth Peirce (Human Rights lawyer)

Moazzam Begg (former detainee at Guantanamo Bay)

Chair: Asad Rehman (Newham Monitoring Project)

Institutional racism, community cohesion, segregation, terrorism, Britishness, civil liberties … the debate over the future of Britain is increasingly focused on race. One of the UKs leading community based anti-racist organisations has therefore brought together a distinguished panel to debate the issue of race in Britain.

Reserve Tickets from Newham Bookshop on 0208 552 9993

Tickets £5. Free to SOAS Students and staff

*This is a memorial event in honour of Gilly Mundy, Management Committee member and former worker at NMP and Inquest who tragically died in March 2007 aged only 36.

------------------------------------

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/

*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari

http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/

Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/

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[ALOCHONA] ACC: Bureaucrat Shahidul Islam, ex energy secretary, arrested

Ex-secy Shahidul Islam arrested in Niko graft case
Courtesy New Age Staff Correspondent 18/4/08

The anti-corruption task force team arrested a retired government official at his house at Lalmatia in Dhaka on Thursday in connection with the Niko corruption case.

The task force personnel arrested Khondokar Shahidul Islam, then acting secretary to the energy ministry, at about 8:00pm. He was detained at the Dhanmondi police station.

Shahidul was accused in the case along with the BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, also a former prime minister, former law minister Moudud Ahmed and former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, and Niko’s South Asia vice-president Quasem Sharif.

They were sued for causing a loss of Tk 10,000 crore to the state exchequer by signing contracts with the Niko Resources Limited.

The Anti-Corruption Commission’s assistant director Mahbubul Alam lodged the case with the Tejgaon police on December 9, 2007.

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[ALOCHONA] ACC: Bureaucrat Prof Mahfuzur Rahman sentenced for 13 years

Ex-PSC member Prof Mahfuz gets 13yrs

Tk 5cr property to be confiscated

Courtesy Daily Star 18/4/08

A special court yesterday sentenced former Public Service Commission (PSC) member Prof Mahfuzur Rahman to 13 years imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in wealth statement submitted to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).

Mahfuzur was also fined Tk 50 lakh, in default of which he will have to serve two more years in jail. The court also ordered confiscation of his ill-gotten property worth Tk 5.02 crore by the state.

Judge AKM Arifur Rahman of the Special Court-10, set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises for dealing with corruption cases, delivered the judgment.

Mahfuzur is absconding and was tried in absentia. The punishment will come into effect from the day of his arrest or surrender, the verdict said.

The court sentenced him to three years jail for concealing information about wealth worth Tk 1,82,000 in the wealth statement and 10 years rigorous imprisonment for amassing wealth worth Tk 5.02 crore beyond his known sources of income.

The punishments were handed down under section 26 (2) and 27 (1) of ACC Act and the two jail terms would be carried out consecutively.

There are numerous allegations against Mahfuzur, including taking bribes and conducting irregularities in 27th BCS examination when he was a PSC member.

The judge observed that being a professor of a public university (Mymensingh Agricultural University), and holding a constitutional post like membership in PSC previously, Mahfuzur should have faced the trial.

As he did not do that despite being a respectable citizen, exemplary punishment is delivered upon him, the judge added.

“This is for the first time a PSC member is convicted for graft since the country's independence,” advocate Khurshid Alam Khan, the public prosecutor, said.

ACC Assistant Director Helal Uddin Sharif filed the case against Mahfuzur with Kafrul Police Station on September 23, 2007 accusing him of accumulating wealth of Tk 4.5 crore beyond known sources of income.

Depositions of 49 witnesses were taken in the case.

ACC Assistant Director Nasir Uddin Ahmed submitted the charge sheet on February 12 this year and the charge framing against Mahfuzur took place on March 3.

In his wealth statement, Mahfuzur showed that he owns Tk 99.20 lakh while the ACC investigation revealed that he owns wealth worth Tk 5.42 crore.

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[mukto-mona] Beware the Thing

Books

Beware the Thing

William Leith is disturbed by western consumers' trail of destruction as seen in Fred Pearce's Confessions of an Eco Sinner and Paul Kingsnorth's Real England

Confessions of an Eco Sinner: Travels to Find Where My Stuff Comes From
by Fred Pearce
400pp, Eden Project, £12.99

Real England: The Battle Against the Bland
by Paul Kingsnorth
304pp, Portobello, £14.99

Both of these books tell you something shocking about the world - that it is being ruined by very powerful forces. Each tells you a different part of the same story. I advise you to read them both.

At first, I thought that Fred Pearce's book would be the more shocking. He looks at his stuff - the food he eats and his possessions - and traces these things back to their source. These are the things we eat, too, and our possessions. Mostly, if you buy the stuff, you wouldn't want to know about the source. The closer you get, the uglier it looks.

For instance, Pearce likes eating curry. "I have often wondered," he says, "where the prawns in my Saturday night curry come from, but I have never got a straight answer." It turns out they come from a part of Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal. So he goes there, and finds a whole area that has been devastated by prawns. Or rather, by our appetite for prawns. The old landscape of small farms and mangrove swamps has been replaced by a vast monoculture of prawn farms. As Pearce points out, this is bad for wildlife - tigers, he says, are being replaced by tiger prawns.

But this is just the start. This system is hugely corrupt. Prawn farming requires good irrigation, and those who control the water expect payouts from the farmers. If not, they cut the supply off. There are also prawn thieves, a prawn mafia, prawn oligarchs and prawn slaves. There are lots of beatings and rapes. Prawn dealers in Bangladesh operate in roughly the same way as drug dealers - they trample on people, because there is so much money to be made. It's our fault. We eat the prawns.

Tracing his trousers back to their source, Pearce discovers that they were also probably made in Bangladesh, by women who get paid about £15 a month. These women are crammed together in shacks in Dhaka, the capital. Conditions are, by our standards, dreadful. In some ways, it could be argued, the women are better off than their rural mothers were. They have a tiny bit of economic independence. But what does this actually mean? Pearce notices a cheap bag hanging up in someone's house. On the bag it says "Gucci". "It was a fake, of course," says Pearce. "But unlike their mothers and sisters back in the village, these women had heard of Gucci. They aspired."

This, in a way, is the key to Pearce's whole book. He goes to the Uzbek cotton farms that supply the Bangladeshi seamstresses, and finds corruption and mayhem. He goes to China to trace our mobile phones, and finds more corruption and mayhem, and an industry based on dangerous chemicals; he also finds out that the process of getting these dangerous chemicals is a catalyst for wars in Africa. And he wonders where his wooden furniture comes from, and discovers that it probably comes from an illegal logging plant in the far east, where the rate of deforestation is appalling.

He tells us many things in this vein. Recycled glass is used to make roads - it's not as green as we think. And if you think palm oil, the next big thing in biofuel, is a green product, think again. To grow the trees that produce the oil, we'll have to destroy huge tracts of rainforest.

But it's the Gucci bag that stuck in my mind. We're ruining the world because we're trying to encourage economic growth, and the way to do this is to encourage aspiration. In the west, we are rich and aspirational. In other words, we are greedy and insecure. And now, as Pearce shows us, people in Bangladesh are starting to be aspirational, too. Soon they'll be greedy and insecure. Then they'll want their own sweatshops. The demonic process will continue.

Pearce shows us how our greed, and our wilful blindness, are ruining the world in faraway places. Paul Kingsnorth, on the other hand, shows us something that might be even more shocking. Our greed, he says, has blinded us so much that we are trashing our own neighbourhoods. Of course it's no worse, morally speaking, to wreck England than it is to wreck Bangladesh or Uzbekistan. It just requires a greater degree of wilful blindness.

Kingsnorth travels around England, assessing its ruin. He points out that he is a literary descendent of William Cobbett, who wrote Rural Rides in the 1830s. Cobbett believed that England was being damaged by a force he called "the Thing" - basically the industrial revolution. Kingsnorth shows us just how big the Thing has become.

Pubs are being ruined by vast brewing companies. Town centres are being stripped of their individuality by predatory supermarkets. Retail parks and shopping plazas are destroying communities. Kingsnorth meets people whose lives are being blighted by bland corporate values - the stallholders and publicans and shopkeepers whose jobs are hanging by a thread. Meanwhile, the Thing looms - the grinning corporate culture of "leisure", and expensive cups of coffee, and apartment complexes, and piped music, and apples that are all the same size.

"Although things are officially better," says Kingsnorth, "unofficially we feel worse." And why are we allowing this to happen? "Because we must grow," he says. "We must develop, and regenerate, and push forward. We must consume and profit and invest, and the end goal, while unclear, must not be discussed, and must certainly not be questioned."

Two excellent books, then. Pearce shows us how the Thing has spread into the far corners of the world. Kingsnorth shows us how it has come back home to devour us. And we thought we'd get away with it!

· William Leith's The Hungry Years: Confessions of a Food Addict is published by Bloomsbury

Published: The Guardian, Saturday April 12, 2008

http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2272883,00.html

- Thank you. Arif Bhuiyan, from the UK

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***************************************** Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm ***************************************** Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf ***************************************** MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona. ***************************************** Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm ***************************************** Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm ***************************************** Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/ ***************************************** MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm ***************************************** German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/ Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day: http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm ***************************************** Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona: http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm **************************************************** VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/ **************************************************** "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190

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Daily Online Alochona

Banner Advertiser

Friday, April 18, 2008

Re: [mukto-mona] Re: 'Holy Hate' : Real horror story from History!

[mukto-mona] Nepal: Prachanda on Gyanendra

Re: [mukto-mona] Re: 'Holy Hate' : Real horror story from History!

RE: [mukto-mona] Moulobadi Santras {Bangla}

[ALOCHONA] Boston Globe - Bangladeshi man elected to Local Govt Body

[mukto-mona] Torchbearers of Conscience

[mukto-mona] new poll: Obama is more capable than Hilary to beat McCain

[mukto-mona] [News] CSID Conference on Political Islam & Democracy - May 14, 2008, Washington DC

Re: [mukto-mona] Boston Globe - Bangladeshi man elected to Local Govt Body

[mukto-mona] Racism and State of Britain 2008 23.4.08 Gilly Mundy Memorial Event

[ALOCHONA] ACC: Bureaucrat Shahidul Islam, ex energy secretary, arrested

[ALOCHONA] ACC: Bureaucrat Prof Mahfuzur Rahman sentenced for 13 years

[mukto-mona] Beware the Thing

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