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Monday, August 18, 2008

Re: [mukto-mona] Prof S Bain on Sirajuddoula

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/49454

In spite of being a teacher in Chemistry, I also study a bit of history. I
consider 'prosperity' that Bengal is said to have nothing more than a
fantasy. Even Adam Smith wrote many pages on the plunder of Bengal by the
Brits in his book, before that Marathis did it, Moslem rulers were no less
plunderers either, I fail to find out when Bengal was really Sonar Bangla.
Some say, it was Hossain Shah's time, i.e., during the time of Sree
Chaitanya; while others believe Shaista Khan's time was really golden,
almost all the gold coins were collected and sent to Delhi for the Maratha
expedition of Aurangzeb.

Seraj-ud-Dowla and Shaikh Mujibur Rahman were both unsuccessful leaders.
None of them believed in any form of good governance. True, the Shaikh was
the only political leader in Pakistan who wanted autonomy, independence
might have been a little too much for him to swallow. I am sure, evidences
exist in the archives of India and Pakistan to support my point of view.


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[ALOCHONA] Criminalisation of politics still prevails : Shujan says in Aug 4 polls analysis

 
Easy victory of the candidates, allegedly involved in corruption and crimes, in the August 4 local body polls proves that the country has not got rid of criminalisation of politics, said Shushashoner Janney Nagorik (Shujan).

Political parties are yet to act against criminalisation of politics while a 'feudal mentality' among voters still persists, said a report prepared by Shujan on the basis of the recent city corporation and municipality polls.

The voters considers partisan loyalty not honesty or competency of a candidate while casting votes, said the report presented by Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder at the National Press Club yesterday.

Besides, voters were not provided with necessary information about the candidates in due time by the Election Commission (EC), which said it would be 'immoral' to make information about the candidates public before withdrawal of nomination.

"Moreover, many candidates gave false or incomplete information in their affidavits. But the EC has not taken any punitive measures against them," said Badiul Alam.The EC, which was far too lenient with selection of nomination papers, did not take any step to cancel the nominations that had inconsistencies in information, he said.

All expected that honest and competent candidates would be elected in the future polls following the January 11 'changeover'. But sadly, the political parties did not hesitate to nominate candidates accused of crime and corruption, Badiul Alam said."But, we must not be frustrated. For the first time, it has been made mandatory that the candidates will provide their personal information in affidavits," he added.

The EC must crosscheck the information provided by the candidates and make those public in due time to give people the chance to make the right decision during the polls, said Shujan Chairman Prof Muzaffer Ahmad.He said it is positive that a few new faces have been elected in the recent local body polls.

ASM Shahjahan, former adviser to a caretaker government, said the recent polls have proved that reform is not a matter of imposition, rather it should come from political parties themselves."Although many candidates provided false information, the EC did not cancel their candidature," he said.

Jatiya Party (JP) leader GM Quader said the political parties are yet to identify their faults. The present government seems to be flexible about release of political leaders. "But such actions will lead to criminalisation of politics again," he added.

Another JP leader Sheikh Shahidul Islam said no positive change is visible in political parties as the present government has confined political activities to indoors for a long time.He also said the compromising attitude of the caretaker government will not help sustain reforms in future.

Former adviser to a caretaker government Hafizuddin Khan, Prof Dilara Chowdhury of Jahangirnagar University and columnist Syed Abdul Maksud also spoke.
 

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[ALOCHONA] Foreign agency instigates political conflict



Foreign agency instigates political conflict


2738e8a.jpg



RAW had used a certain political party and their like-minded organisations to create anarchy in the country

Saturday August 16 2008 11:29:16 AM BDT

Rafiqul Islam Azad
The New Nation

The Indian intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), is allegedly trying to control the political arena of Bangladesh to implement its own agenda, according to highly placed sources.

To this end, the RAW is resorting to tactics of creating an uncongenial atmosphere among the political parties and provocation for violence in disguise of well-wishers of a certain political party in the name of Indian secular policy.

If their interests are not protected it provides assistance to counter force to assault the certain political quarters. The RAW is playing the game from the very inception of the country.

The RAW is playing active role in creating political divisions and provocation of violence for which democracy could not take shape in the country that started following the mass upsurge in 1990.

Three free, fair and neutral elections were held after the introduction of the caretaker government system to conduct the national polls after the 90's mass upsurge. Two major political parties-BNP and Awami League-formed three successive governments. But various destructive programmes, like hartal, siege and setting ablaze, were conducted during each of the governments. The RAW was the masterminds behind of all the incidents.

These led to increase in doubts, lack of confidence and jealousy among the political parties. Resulting in the closure of all the doors for political understanding.

The RAW had used a certain political party and their like-minded organisations to create anarchy in the country after the taking of office by the BNP in 1991. It funded the creation of Ekkatorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee to create division in political arena and violence in the name of implementation of spirit of the war of liberation.

After taking power by the Awami League in 1996, the RAW also tried to get transit and using Chittagong port by using that political party but could not be successful due to massive opposition from the people of the country.

Later on, the Indian intelligence agency got involved in raising militancy and heinous activities. It also continues to create division among the region-based political parties.

In one hand, it goaded its agents to issue anti-Islamic statements to provoke the Islamic political parties to take to the streets. On the other hand, it carried out publicity about rising fundamentalism in the country.

The RAW also provoked action against some Islamic political parties and madrashas.

After 2001, the RAW resumed their activities in full swing and maintained close relation with a certain political party. It tried to make Parliament ineffective and carried out propaganda that the government has relation with the militants. This time it sued some newspapers, political parties and Indian media.

During the fag end of the four-party alliance government it became successful to subvert the dialogue process on reforms of the caretaker government by using some people of both the major parties.

The main objective of RAW was to prove Bangladesh an ineffective and failed state. It wanted to create a prolonged political impasse in the country, but was frustrated following the measures taken by the army-baked caretaker government.

The RAW has already carried out a number of activities, including giving shelter to Bangladeshi terrorists and corrupt people. The Indian foreign minister suggested launching movement to free Sheikh Hasina from jail that led to students' movement in Dhaka University.

The Indian inelegance agency is now playing an active role to foil the process of bringing political reform taken by the government. It is providing money to provoke both the major parties to take a hard-line against the government initiative to keep the door open for political parties to shun the politics of division and violence.

The RAW is carrying out its activities to plunge the country into an unstable condition. Particularly, it is trying to pit religious-minded people against the government by hurting their religious feelings.

Link :http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/08/16/news0969.htm
 

[mukto-mona] Hindus Poison Water Sources with Idols Containing Toxic Substances

http://www.greendaily.com/2008/08/18/toxic-idols-poison-indias-rivers/

Toxic idols poison India's riversby Josh Loposer
Aug 18th 2008 @ 10:30AM

Filed under: Local, Plants and Wildlife

As the environmental movement picks up steam in India, some of its
more colorful traditions are being re-examined in a new light -- a
green one. For centuries, Hindus have constructed elaborate statues
depicting some of their key deities and released them to float down
local waterways. Now, many of India's environmentalists are raising
concerns that this tradition is turning India's lakes and rivers into
a toxic soup.

Traditionally, these statues were made out of quasi eco-friendly
materials like clay and vegetable-based dyes, but the
commercialization of these traditions has introduced all sorts of
toxic materials to the mix. Now, many of the idols released on the
rivers are built out of plastic or plaster of Paris and decorated
with paints that contain mercury, lead, and cadmium. Obviously, this
stuff isn't too healthy for the fish and other animals that live in
and around the water. Not to mention, heavy metals have a tendency to
work their way up the food chain and accumulate in human tissue.

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[mukto-mona] Article in the Daily Star regarding local political leaders

Dear Members,
 
An article in The Daily Star regarding local political leaders
 
 
Thanks for your attention and time
 
Regards,
 
Ripan K Biswas
NY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 06:12 AM GMT+06:00  
 
Point Counterpoint

Photo: Shafiq Islam/ Drik News
IN his reaction after being expelled from the CPI (M) (Communist Party of India-Marxist), Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said on August 8 that the party should appreciate him as he didn't compromise with the constitutional position of the speaker. "No responsible person or authority can treat the speaker as belonging to a party," he added. Somnath was asked to resign from his post and vote against a confidence motion regarding a civilian nuclear deal between the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the United States.

A person can belong to a party, but the speaker is a neutral constitutional authority, Somnath firmly believes. Many critics of political parties and its functions may agree with Somnath that political parties often espouse a certain ideology and vision, but countries may have other interests for the greater interest of general people.

After local government elections in Bangladesh, political parties are now arguing with the government to get back their democratic and constitutional rights.

A legal battle is going on between the government and the political parties as to whether local government in Bangladesh should be partisan or non-partisan. According to the latest news, the Awami League (AL) and BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) backed elected mayors and councilors are now going to pursue a legal challenge against the new electoral rules that require the winners to resign their party positions before taking the oath of office.

The caretaker administration promulgated this law through the Local Government (City Corporation) Ordinance-2008 and Local Government (Municipality) Ordinance-2008 on May 14. If an elected mayor or councilor fails to abide by the legal provisions, he will be disqualified from taking oath of office.

The affected political parties declined to accept the new provision, and said that this would create a vacuum in the leadership of the political parties at the grassroots level. But the interim government wants non-partisan local government authorities. The Election Commission (EC) was of the opinion that the local government elections should be non-partisan.

Since independence in 1971, a number of attempts have been made to tinker with the local government system in Bangladesh. Changes have been made from time to time in terms of the nomenclature of tiers of local government, but almost nothing was done to strengthen local government. Therefore, the structure of the local government system has remained more or less unchanged.

After January 11, 2007, when the interim government came to power, many reforms were started, even in the local government, as the government realised that the successive governments since 1971 had tried to use the local government system for their own political interests. The party or regime in power wanted to make the local government representatives their power base and manipulated the system to this end.

Although they were non-political as per legal status, all local government elections after 1990 were political. Moreover, extensive politicisation and moral decadence took place during the autocratic regime of General H.M. Ershad (1982-1990). His upazila system of local administration failed to do any good to the rural people.

In course of the reform process, the caretaker government cited the provision that candidates must not have any political affiliation or attachment, but a writ petition was filed in the High Court (HC) challenging the legality of this provision.

In response to the writ petition, the HC observed in the judgment that since the functions and activities of the political parties were acknowledged as per Article 152 of the constitution of Bangladesh, the electoral rules restricting the use of political parties' affiliation in the city corporation and municipality polls were illegal.

As a result, the local government election process of Bangladesh gets legal support to be political in nature.

We do respect the HC verdict, but an elected candidate takes an oath, which doesn't mention any political platform, to uphold the constitution of his/her country. Everybody will agree that any political system is imperfect, but a society or a country needs a political figure who listens to the heart of the people and makes the best decision in the best interests of his/her people.

The people expect a leader who can directly address them without being censored by his/her political party, or worrying about the backlash from pundits. A good leader will have the ability to get those that cannot find common ground to at least sit at a table and hear the other's point of view.

A good leader will instill in his/her people the confidence of character and morality of the spirit needed to get the people through times of crisis. A good leader does not look to point the finger when things go wrong. A good leader finds ways to rectify the situation and make improvements. A good political leader needs to achieve the best interests of the people. A good political leader is more akin to a manager than a politician.

A good political leader doesn't need a party portfolio. Similarly, good political parties can create more than one good political figure by practicing their good ideologies. However, according to the provision, an elected leader is not barred from being a member of a political party.

In line with other electoral reforms carried out by the CTG, the new ordinance will impose a bar against individuals legally proven to be war criminals, persons with records of loan defaults within a period of a year prior to nominations, full-time and part-time government employees, and convicted felons and fugitives, from contesting in the elections.

In addition, according to a new law, an elected candidate will have to go through a background check, which includes his/her tax and wealth statements and police records.

We didn't feel good when Professor A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury had to leave the presidency following disagreement with the government on the question of "principle." We don't dispute the right of parties to exist, nor do we think they are ineffective in local government administration. We expect an elected official who can work at his/her office without being censored by his/her party.



Ripan Kumar Biswas is a freelance writer based in New York.
 

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Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
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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.

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Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
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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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[Nagorik_Shokti] Earn $5000 for reading emails , 8/20/2008, 12:00 am

Reminder from:   Nagorik_Shokti Yahoo! Group
 
Title:   Earn $5000 for reading emails
 
Date:   Wednesday August 20, 2008
Time:   All Day
Repeats:   This event repeats every day.
Notes:   Dear Friend

You can join us for free.
We will pay you to view websites, $10 for paid EMAILS and $5 for PTC.
You can recommend Depacco, we pay you $10 per every referral. Additionally we have referral program where you get profits from referral earnings (30%). Minimum payout for Free Members is $5000 we guarantee Easy and Quick Payout.

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[ALOCHONA] Obituary - Mahmoud Darwish Palestinian poet

Mahmoud Darwish (13 March 19419 August 2008), the great palestinian poet and fighter died last week from complications of heart surgery

 

The poetics of Palestinian resistance

As'ad AbuKhalil,

The Electronic Intifada,

18 August 2008

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9772.shtml

 

In many ways, Mahmoud Darwish's life summarizes the Palestinian journey of suffering. He was born in Palestine (in what is today "Israel"), and was forced out of his home by Israeli occupation troops. When he returned (or when he snuck back in as the Israeli occupiers killed thousands of other Palestinians who attempted to return), his village was among the hundreds razed to the ground and erased from the map by Israel -- or so thought the Zionists. He did not grow up a radical: as with many Palestinians, Zionism pushed him towards radical politics. He joined the Israeli Communist Party when many Arabs continued to harbor hostility to a party that called for recognition of Israel. He was comfortable in Hebrew and had relations in Israeli society. But as an Arab Palestinian in a state based on religious supremacy and privileges, he could only stand at a distance: he could only stay in the inferior status still reserved for Arab citizens of the state. Darwish was a communist but he also was a free poet. Free and creative poets can't last long inside the confines of any ideology, and Darwish became a committed poet early on.

 

His next stage in life was a reflection of the true nature and cruelty of Zionism. The state of Israel, with its military superiority against Arab states, was threatened by the poems of Darwish, just as it is still threatened by the pebbles and stones of Palestinian youngsters. At a time when the entire Arab population of Israel -- the original inhabitants of the lands, or those who were not kicked out from their homes -- was put under military rule, the state of Israel put this young Palestinian poet under house arrest. His poetry was banned and references to Palestinian attachment to the land were illegal in the settler-colonial state that is Israel. But Darwish would not be muzzled. His standing among the category of what was called "the poets of the occupied territories" (the Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani may have been the first one to coin that term and to study that literary phenomenon) only grew and his poetry traveled across the borders. People began circulating his poems and Arabic newspapers avidly published them and people felt that a new energy was sweeping the Arab population in Israel. Imagine a state that puts a young poet under house arrest, and orders him to show up at the police station to report on his ... poetry. This is indeed the true nature of Zionism that remains hidden from American media coverage of the Middle East.

 

Fed up with these constraints, Darwish chose to study in the Soviet Union. Upon re-arriving in the Arab world, he was met with suspicion and hostility in some quarters. How dare he leave Palestine behind? He was hectored everywhere he went, but to his credit he stood his ground. He would explain that his relocation did not mean an abandonment of the cause, and his cause was political -- literary. He also was very suspicions of public adulation and once rebuked an audience in Beirut: spare me that public love, he said. He succeeded in staying apart from the masses because he did not want to be a poet-on-demand, or a poet who produces what the masses require for their dosage of venting. You compare the history of Darwish's poetry with that of his contemporary (a fellow Palestinian communist), Samih al-Qasim. Al-Qasim's poetry stagnated and he could not grow or develop poetically. Darwish often went against public expectation and developed his own style and his poetry showed remarkable transformation.

 

Here was the most widely read Arab poet or writer, and yet he was able to insulate himself from Arab public expectations. This should count as a commendable act of courage by an intellectual. His readers wanted him to continue to write and read his poem "Write down, I am an Arab," and other poems like it, but he refused. He did not want to succumb. Darwish took his poetry, but not himself, extremely seriously, and would express frustrations that his admirers did not understand that. In public reading events, he always preferred reading his latest production, and would get upset when people only wanted to hear his early political (and direct) poetry. Palestine was always woven into his poetry, but the act of reading required more work on the part of the reader.

 

He settled in Cairo for a while, and he was given an office at the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, which he shared with none other than the late author Naguib Mahfouz. The latter's obsessive and his meticulous dedication to a daily routine was enough to drive Darwish crazy. Darwish then relocated to Beirut and was given a job at research center affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In Beirut, Darwish thrived because he was able to live a private life. He would travel all around the Arab world, including to Mauritania where he was widely admired, but would not set foot in Saudi Arabia. He once was invited to the androcentric Janadriyyah Festival (a dedication to macho tribal values). Upon learning that it was run by the Saudi National Guard of then Prince Abdullah, Darwish turned it down. He lived through the years of Lebanon's civil war, and wrote that exceptional poem "Ahmad al-Za'tar" about the fall of Tal al-Za'tar refugee camp. No other poem captures the spectrum of the Palestinian journey of exile and resistance better (it was such a powerful poem that it was put to music twice, by Marcel Khalifeh and Ziyad Rahbani).

 

The literary project of Mahmoud Darwish was most impressive. He was able to constantly transform himself and resist public pressures. He wrote freely, and his prose was also magnificent. He used language in a way that was unique to him. But his courageous literary stances and creativity were not always matched by political courage. In fact, he was a prisoner of his relationship with the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over the years. He wrote speeches for him (including that speech by Arafat at the UN in 1974 although it did not read well in the English translation because it was drafted by Darwish poetically) and the empty Palestinian "declaration of independence" in 1988. Darwish denied that he wrote "In Praise of the High Shadow" for Arafat, although he did not hide his admiration for Arafat. He did break with Arafat after Oslo, when he resigned from the Executive Committee of the PLO. Arafat, always the vindictive man, punished him mercilessly and cut off all funding to him. This later served to soften Darwish's criticism of Oslo.

 

Darwish grew more radical when he relocated to Ramallah after Oslo at the invitation of Arafat. He lived under yet another Israeli siege, and wrote another brilliant poem, called "State of Siege." He became more distrustful of Israel which he accused of only wanting to deal with Arabs through fighter jets and tanks. He wondered in an an interview on a Lebanese TV station in 2002 whether it is possible to have peace with a state that failed after 60 years to make peace with its "Arab" citizens. But he urged hope among the Palestinians: he talked about "raising hope." He harbored no illusions about Arab governments -- all Arab governments. He wrote in that famous poem "In Praise of the High Shadow" that Arab rulers only know speech-making and ... fleeing.

 

Darwish gained international stature and unlike other Arab poets did not seek the Nobel Prize in literature nor tailor his positions or his poetry to suit the sensibilities of the Nobel committee. In that, Darwish was free. He lived a life of solitude in Amman, Jordan and did not mingle much, especially in Amman. It was said that Darwish was most fond of Syrian audiences -- the Syrian people are known for their appreciation of the Arabic language and the Syrian educational system pays attention to the teaching of proper Arabic grammar. It is said that he favored reading his poetry in Damascus to any other place. But Darwish did not only change his own style of poetry, he was capable of changing the taste of the masses. People may not understand this, but this is a man who used to read his poetry in filled-to-capacity sports stadiums. Amid the Western media obsessions with Middle East violence and terrorism, media coverage often miss important aspects of Arab lives. In the US, the media constantly reinforce the racist caricature that Arabs pray and toss grenades and do nothing else. Believe it or not, they love, they eat and drink, and they read poetry -- which is as central in contemporary Arab culture as it is marginal in American culture.

 

After 1982, Darwish relocated to Paris where he wrote for a new magazine, Al-Yawm al-Sabi' (which was edited by Bilal al-Hasan and Joseph Samahah). The magazine did not waver in its loyalty to Arafat, but it contained new styles and methods. Darwish became more known in the West and the international recognition pleased him, but he did not seek it. In the Arab world, he was one of the few best sellers. His books were the only ones that made money for their publishers even though pirated copies circulated widely. His new poems would be instantly published in newspapers and they were eagerly awaited in book form.

 

One reads Mahmoud Darwish and one reads a history of Palestine. American obituaries of the man missed the entire picture. As if they were talking about another person, The New York Times implied that his village was razed by unknown assailants, and glossed over the fact that the Israeli government arrested him for his poetry. But Darwish's poetry did not only express romantic celebration of Palestine. It also celebrated the resistance, and this resistance began before Darwish was born, and it will continue long after his death until full return and full liberation.

 

As'ad AbuKhalil is professor of political science at California State University and founder of the Angry Arab News Service (http://angryarab.blogspot.com/)

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[mukto-mona] New in Parabaas, plus Sharodiya, plus...

Hi,

Please check out the latest in Parabaas:

1) Sanjukta Dasgupta reviews Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee's translation of Shireshendu Mukhopadhyay's children's classic "Gonsaibaganer Bhut" in:
http://www.parabaas.com/translation/database/reviews/brSanjukta.html

Fantasy, Fiction, Fact: Magic and Realism in Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay's The Ghost of Gosain Bagan --"No other horror could be so traumatic to a school going child than low scores in examinations and more so in mathematics.... So when Burun returns home with the school progress report recording that he had secured just 13 marks in mathematics..."

2) Sharodiya Anandamela has already been released. If you haven't ordered your Sharodiya issues, this is the time. Visit:
http://www.parabaas.com/bookstore/sharodiya.html
to place your order.

3) Lot more will be released soon---Translations of different writings of Buddhadeva Bose by Nandini Gupta; Sreejata Guha; Hanna Thompson; Essays by Ketaki Kushari Dyson; Imre Bangha; A so far uncollected article by famous Hindi author "Shivani" on Satyajit, translated by Ira Pande, and more.

Please forward this to others you know who may be interested.

With best Sharodiya greetings to all,

Samir Bhattacharya
http://www.parabaas.com


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[ALOCHONA] Re: Four Chhatra League (BCL) activists assaulted a journalist in front of Aparajeyo Bangla



Source: http://www.prothom-alo.com/print.php?t=h&nid=MTgyMjU=

--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "Md. Aminul Islam" <aminul_islam_raj@...> wrote:
>
> Journalist assaulted
>
> DU, Correspondent
>
>
>
> Four Chhatra League (BCL) activists assaulted a journalist in front of Aparajeyo Bangla on the Dhaka University campus yesterday noon.
>
> The victim, Shafiqul Islam, a DU Correspondent of Bangla daily Desh Janata, was attacked while covering a BCL programme calling for the unconditional release of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina. He received first aid from central medical hospital of the university.
>
> The BCL activists who assaulted the journalist are Mithu, Raihan, Mehedi and Jewel of Zuhurul Haque Hall of the university, witnesses said.
>
> Dhaka University Journalists' Association (DUJA), at an emergency meeting, con demned the attack and demanded expulsion of the accused BCL activists from the organisation within 24 hours. Otherwise, the DUJA would go on a movement, said DUJA president Mahbubur Rahman.
>
> Besides, the association took the decision to submit a memorandum to the DU VC Prof SMA Faiz today demanding expulsion of the accused from the university.
>
> BCL DU unit president Sheikh Sohel Rana Tipu assured the journalists that organisational action would be taken against the accused.
>
> In the afternoon, BCL general secretary Mahfuz Haider Chowdhury Roton who was recently released from jail met with the DU journalists and described his experience in jail.
>
> BCL president Mahmud Hasan Ripon, Golam Sarwar Kabir, Mahmud Iqbal Bablu, Momen Al Rupak and Sazzad Sakib Badsha, among others, were present in the meeting
>
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[mukto-mona] NET ZERO AGAIN !

That Net-Zero again!

Man you didn't even read the book and have the audacity to comment on it? You violated the Quranic verse -"Don't chase something you don't know".  What a shame - but that is what makes a ShariaBaaj.

You should know atheists are up against it and sending me hate-mails. You should also know why 2 prints are sold out - and why an Islamic organization run by a  group of Title-Pass Maolanas took 30 copies in one go. There are other examples.

I don't care what AL-BL-CL does with it. I put it on the table and got engaged in other tasks - who cares.

Be honest, test the milk before commenting on it. It is commonsense and Islam.

Hasan Mahmud


From: mohiuddin@netzero.net
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:16:47 +0000
To: srbanunz@gmail.com
CC: fatemolla@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: From Maj Emdad.

Dear Shafique Bhuia and Hassanm Mahmud,
Anti-Mislim athiests will like Hassan Mahumd's book make no doubt about it, But most people of Bangladesh including most Awami Leaguers will reject this anti-islamic book without any doubt, there are two groups in Awami League one is secularist or Athiest another other major group is strong believer of Islam and  Sheikha Hasina represents this group, make no doubt about it. Sheikha Hasina is a strong believertr of Islam , In a sense she is a devout Muslima. She cannot be ifluenced by the Athiests/Secularists. She already proved that.
Thanks,
M.A.


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Re: [mukto-mona] Prof S Bain on Sirajuddoula

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/49438

Thanks to Sankar Kumar Ray for discussing quite a bit of history on my little comments on Siraz-ud-Doula. However, Mr. Ray did not really refute my statements that "Nawab Siraj-ud-Doula was a spoiled prince/king." and that "he was not a leader of the grass-root people of Bengal."
 
Of course, I was criticizing the video series that was showing Siraj and Mujib at the same level. My point was that Mujib was a people's leader, Siraj was not; and that in spite of all his limitations, Mujib was a much greater leader for Bengal than Siraj was. I have not gone beyond that point on Mujib/Siraj in my last post.
 
Now to discuss the history a bit more, I can see that the British found it advantageous to portray Siraj as a "spoiled prince/king." However, they and the Indians who say that do have a historical basis, as even some of the citations by Mr. Ray support that. By the way, not all Indians that think that Siraj was a "spoiled prince/king" were supporters of the British rule in India.
 
I am not a student of History. My knowledge of history is very limited. However, I try to be factual, and write less based upon my limited knowledge. By the way, Mr. Ray called me Professor Bain. To clarify, let me write a few sentences about myself.
 
I received a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1987, taught for about nine years at three universities, worked in the pharmaceutical industry for about nine years, and now work for the federal government; all in the USA. Thus, I have been away from my professorial credentials for quite a while. Calling me Dr. Bain is probably more appropriate than Professor Bain.
 
Now, going back to talking about Mujib and Siraj, I see Mujib's assassination in 1975 as a much bigger setback for Bangladesh than the murder of Siraj in 1757 was for Bengal. I would much appreciate if Mr. Ray would shed some light on that with historical facts, including correcting me if I am wrong.
 
 
Sukhamaya Bain


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Fw: [ALOCHONA] National leader Khandoker Mustaq : Hero of the war of our independence

Dear Mr. Md. Aminul Islam

If you wish to celebrate the life of a third rate back stabber and a viscous murderer that is your right but it does say a lot about you and your personal morality. Thank you for enlightening us because I will now remember not to waste any time reading your posts.

Sincerely

Robin Khundkar


-----Forwarded Message-----
From: "Md. Aminul Islam"
Sent: Aug 18, 2008 2:25 AM
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com, sonarbangladesh@yahoogroups.com, WideMinds@yahoogroups.com, notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com, banglarnari@yahoogroups.com, dahuk@yahoogroups.com, khabor@yahoogroups.com, chottala@yahoogroups.com, vinnomot@yahoogroups.com, notunbangladesh@yahoogroups.com, faruquealamgir@yahoo.com, ayubi_s786@yahoo.com, javediqbalkaleem@yahoo.com, dreamer_hillol@yahoo.com, chena_kew@yahoo.com, bdmailer@gmail.com, diagnose@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ALOCHONA] National leader Khandoker Mustaq : Hero of the war of our independence

Dear All,
           The pro Indians in Bangladesh always try to undermine the role of Khandoker Mustaque Ahmed the foreign Minister of exile Govt.
He played a very important role. more important than tajuddin.
Mujib knew it.So he expelled Tazuddin from his cabinet but keep K Mustaq with due respect. But mustaq oppose  Indian imperialism .  he fought for water oppose Farakka so Mujib changed his portfolio may be to satisfy India.

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[ALOCHONA] Re: Journalist and Politician National Leader Anwar Zahid : Endless fight against indian occupation

Well-said Mr. J. Chowdhury.  Anwar Zahid was a close associate of Pakistan army during 1971 liberation war.  He was a genuine collaborator and 100% against the liberation of Bangladesh.  He was a supplier of provisions to the murderer and rapist Pak army. According to Aminul Islam, he was an uncompromising warrior against Indian aggression.  Of course he was, because he helped the Pakistani army wholeheartedly in its fight against the freedom fighters and Indian army in 1971.  Some do consider our liberation war as an act of Indian aggression and the Pak army as their heroes. 

Only a genuine war crime sympathizer would express sorrow for the death of this rajakar.  These are the people who rejoice at the Aug 15 murders of Bangabandhu and his family with other women and children and the prison murders of top national leaders.  These are the same people who savagely celebrate their queen's fake birthday on Aug 15 and they still claim to be very Islamic.  Once piety was the criteria to become a good Muslim, these days it's nifaq (hypocrisy).  Your prayer on his demise was very appropriate.  May no Bangladeshi mother ever bear a son who would send his mother and sister to foreign invaders for enjoyment or who would aid the invaders in any forms.  May Allah help us in that regard.

Mohammad Musa Sarkar

--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "J.A. Chowdhury" <Chwdhury@...> wrote:
>
>
> like Mr. Bush.Bush we can say God bliss him, but we are not agree with you Mr. Aminul.bcaz he was a Razakar,We should grateful to our neibouring country India.Withbout their help we never get out independent from Pakistan. The other thing, he was a "Subhidabhadi" politician. He was a main alliance of autocratic govt.of General Ershed.Let us pray to allah,not to born such kind of SUBIDABHADI Razakar in our holly soil of Bangladeshb.
>
> J.Chowdhury
>
>
>
> To: alochona@yahoogroups.com; sonarbangladesh@yahoogroups.com; WideMinds@yahoogroups.com; notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com; banglarnari@yahoogroups.com; dahuk@yahoogroups.com; khabor@yahoogroups.com; chottala@yahoogroups.com; vinnomot@yahoogroups.com; notunbangladesh@yahoogroups.com; faruquealamgir@...; ayubi_s786@...; javediqbalkaleem@...; dreamer_hillol@...; chena_kew@...; bdmailer@...; diagnose@...: aminul_islam_raj@...: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:35:22 -0700Subject: [ALOCHONA] Journalist and Politician National Leader Anwar Zahid : Endless fight against indian occupation
>
>
>
> Dear all,
> Anwar zahid leader of patriotic people of bangladesh is no more in this world.
> He was in the uncompromising warior against indian agression .
>
>
>
>
> http://www.jugantor.com/web/content/2008/08/14/news0796.htm
>
> http://www.amardeshbd.com/dailynews/detail_news_index.php?NewsID=189075&NewsType=bistarito&SectionID=home&ZSB=ANZCVEMV
>
>
> http://www.dailynayadiganta.com/fullnews.asp?News_ID=98289&sec=1
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Explore the seven wonders of the world
> http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=7+wonders+world&mkt=en-US&form=QBRE
>

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[ALOCHONA] Re: India's poor urged to eat rats

Is it healthy decision to promote Rat eating in Bihar ?

 

Maneka Gandhi

 

 

Maneka Gandhi(Bihar Times) For years now , I have been advising people not to eat meat. Apart from all the other things wrong with it, very few people know which animal has been killed for its meat, its state of health when it was killed ( 45% of all animals killed in slaughterhouses and 70% of all chickens have gangrene when they are killed as their bones have been broken while being transported , the tissues have started decaying and have become smelly, bacterial infections have set in, the flies have laid their eggs in the pooling blood, blood has turned poisonous for several days, the acidic levels have risen and there is a gas build up, the body has already started rotting much before the animal has been killed. ) and the way in which it was killed ( in an investigation report of the main slaughterhouse in India , Idgah in Delhi,  placed before the Supreme Court  it was shown how the animals were cut with rusty blades, urinated and defecated on and left in pools of other animal But this article is not about the filth in meat that no amount of boiling can take out ( can you boil gangrene of human faeces out ? ) It is about the type of animal meat that you are eating.

 

The Bihar government has just announced that it will promote rat meat.  This is one state that has been looted so systematically and ruthlessly for the last 15 years that it has no middle class or rich people left at all. In 15 years of Lalu Prasad's shameless dacoity, no roads were built, no hospitals or schools made , every single industry fled , most shops closed down. Even the politicians became scroungers ! The only people who got rich were the criminal mafia  who cornered all the natural resources like coal and iron ore and , with the help of Lalu Prasad and his illiterate wife whom he made proxy Chief Minister while he stayed under house arrest for corruption, took it out of the state.

 

The new government has been further crippled with huge floods and inefficient administrative abilities. So now, they look for quick fixes to bring prosperity. For a  while they jumped enthusiastically into smuggling cows out to Bangladesh to be killed for meat. But now there are very few cattle left and the farmers dependant on them for ploughing are even more destitute.  So now what better than the only natural resource left – rats.

 

Rats are eaten in Bihar by a community named Mushars or Bhuyans who are considered the lowest on the social ladder. Now the government of Bihar has announced on August 9th that they have a panacea for everything – people will be encouraged to eat rats , the meat will be introduced formally into all eateries from roadside dhabas right upto five star hotels  and will occupy a place on the menu – rat burgers , rat tail pasta, baby rat keema ( I am not joking) . This will solve the following problems:
1. Rats eat more than 50 % of the grain in all the leaking , badly kept government godowns. If these are caught , then the grain will be saved.


2. The community of Mushars will be socially rehabilitated and will become rich.
3. Everybody will have a source of protein. This will solve the global food crisis. India has, according to the bureaucrats who have no doubt done a population count with NGOs of their relatives and charged the World Bank for the same , eight billion rats , seven for each Indian. ( Bureaucrats number eight per Indian and would be just as nutritious to eat. In fact getting rid of them would probably solve every world crisis).

 

Bihar's social welfare department secretary, Vijay Prakash, was quoted in The Statesman, as saying: "Rat meat has huge potential to be developed into a popular dish which, if extensively commercialized will tackle almost 50 per cent of the food crisis in the country". He said that his department plans to organize food festivals, set up stalls at various locations to sell rat meat and train hotels in ways of making tasty rat meat dishes..

"Many of the reputed hotels in foreign countries have rat meat as an important part of the menu. We will interact with these hotels to teach us how to adapt our cuisine to this meat. We intend to make it a household item very soon here", he said.

The social welfare department plans to popularize rat farming on the lines of chicken and fish farming. Some field rats weigh as much as three kilograms and if a poor rat-catcher can nab three or four rats a day and sell the meat , he could lift his family out of poverty, Prakash told the daily.


At least Bihar is being honest about their intentions. Rat, dog and cat meat are the staple animals used in most meats served by many restaurants across India. Mince balls, patties, kebabs and other over spiced meats hide and confuse the consumer. In South India , according to the Bihar government , rat eating has always been popular and has in fact lowered the demand for chicken. In North India , according to him , it has always been eaten. In Bihar it is known as patal Bageri. The rat catchers sell the meat for Rs 5 per  rat and as each rat is at least 2 kilos , the motel owners charge Rs 30-40 from their customers – depending on what meat they say it is.

 

Twenty years ago, we were told that  Polish rabbit farming would solve the meat problem. Rabbit farms were set up in West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh and by now , they have run into the ground with the animals dying of starvation and disease and escaping into the forests where they have destroyed a large amount of natural habitat. Then we were told that emu meat is wonderful and emus were smuggled in to Andhra Pradesh and  Karnataka from Australia and have proven to be big failures except in the clandestine meat market where they are sold as duck and chicken. Ducks and turkeys are still too expensive for their meat to act as substitutes for chicken,mutton or beef. And why should they be sold cheaply to the motel market when dogs , cats , rats, mongooses and squirrels can be caught for free and killed. Now that rat meat has been made official, I suppose there is no difference between the rotting flesh of one animal or another. Goat, pig, cow, buffalo,frog,monkey,snake,fish,crocodile - the pantheon of victims expands to include all species. I am just waiting for cockroaches to become the national dish. And then there will only be humans left.

Actually I haven't seen many rats around lately. I wonder where they went.

http://bihartimes.com/newsbihar/2008/Aug/newsbihar18Aug2.html

--- On Thu, 8/14/08, Isha Khan <bd_mailer@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Isha Khan <bd_mailer@yahoo.com>
Subject: India's poor urged to eat rats
To: dhakamails@yahoogroups.com, notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com, alochona@yahoogroups.com, zoglul@hotmail.co.uk, khabor@yahoogroups.com, rehman.mohammad@gmail.com, premlaliguras@hotmail.com, bdresearchers@yahoogroups.com, mahmudurart@yahoo.com, rivercrossinternational@yahoo.com, bangla-vision@yahoogroups.com, sonarbangladesh@yahoogroups.com, rezwansiddique@yahoo.com, info@nigbd.org, farhadmazhar@hotmail.com
Date: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 6:00 AM

India's poor urged to eat rats

By Amarnath Tewary
BBC News, Patna

Rat
It's argued that rats are a good source of nutrition

An official in the Indian state of Bihar has come up with a new idea to encourage low caste poor people to cope with food shortages - rat meat.

 

The Principal Secretary of the state's Welfare Department, Vijay Prakash, said that he was advancing his proposal after "much survey and ground work".
 
Bihar's extremely poor Musahar community are rat-eaters by tradition. The Musahar are on the bottom strata of the caste system with the lowest literacy rate and per capita income.
Less than one percent of their 2.3 million population in Bihar is literate and 98% are landless.
 
Delicacy
Mr Prakash says his proposals to popularise rat meat eating are intended to uplift their social-economic condition.
Vijay Prakash [Photo: Paras Nath]
People now prefer to eat rat meat instead of chicken or goat as it comes cheaper and is more tasty and healthy
Vijay Prakash
"There are twin advantages of this proposal. First, we can save about half of our food grain stocks by catching and eating rats and secondly we can improve the economic condition of the Musahar community," he told the BBC.
According to Mr Prakash, about 50% of total food grain stocks in the country are eaten away by rodents.
 
He argues that by promoting rat eating more grain will be preserved while hunger among the Musahar community will be reduced.
 
He said that rat meat is not only a delicacy but a protein-enriched food, widely popular in Thailand and France.
"Rats have almost no bones and are quite rich in nutrition. People at large don't know this cuisine fact but gradually they are catching up."
 
However he may find it difficult to popularise such a strategy in a conservative society like Bihar and other north Indian states.
Mr Prakash says that he has recipes to make rat eating a delicacy, which he now wants to distribute to all the hotels in Bihar. He also wants to encourage rat farming in the same way that poultry is farmed.
 
While eating rat meat is still stigmatised in urban areas of the country, Mr Prakash says that his research has revealed that it is a popular food item in some parts of Bihar where it is known at roadside hotels by the name of "patal-bageri".
 
This is not the first time that the department secretary has come out with such an innovative idea. Earlier, he proposed to recruit eunuchs as security guards to maternity wards in hospitals.
 
"Yes, that proposal is in its advance stage and we'll very soon engage them in various social activities of our department," he said. And the welfare secretary's next plan? "I'll make snake catching popular for the economic value of its venom," he said.
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7557107.stm


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