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Sunday, August 9, 2009

[ALOCHONA] Long Distance Patriots & Valiant Cyberwarriors



Reminds me of daily battles and skirmishes that we witness on ALOCHONA. I hope the farflung  Cyberwarriors on this list will take time to read

 

Daily Times

view: Cyber-warriors —Haider Nizamani

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\08\10\story_10-8-2009_pg3_4

 

The late Edward Said, the eloquent and incorrigible voice of Palestinians on the world stage, had fundamental disagreements with Yasser Arafat but I haven't come across one sentence where he turned it into personal mud-slinging

Cyber-swords are out of scabbards. Count yourself lucky if you haven't been caught in the crossfire of the cyber war going on between self-appointed representatives of the Baloch and Sindhi people. Unbeknown to ordinary Sindhi and Balochi folks living in Pakistan, the views of keyboard crusaders vacillate between delusional self-importance, hate-speech and crass racism.

Here are some vignettes of this shouting match, followed by a brief analysis of the salient features of cyber-nationalism. The one I am referring to started around July 10, when a news item about a press conference held by some members of the Sindhi intelligentsia in Hyderabad calling for the revamping of the country's constitutional edifice on the basis of the 1940 Lahore Resolution was forwarded to various Sindhi mailing lists. The forwarding of the report about this innocuous press conference caught more than an eye of some Sindhis and Balochis residing in North America.

One Sindhi suggested not to "waste time on these false resolutions" and asked Sindhis to join the Baloch struggle to get rid of Pakistan. To this, another Sindhi retorted "when was the last time the Baloch really...made a serious and sincere effort at taking Sindhis along with them?" Therefore, he argued, Sindhi leaders should not "blindly throw Sindhi people in the direction they deem fit."

This view was echoed in another email which said: "all Sindhis including nationalists and pragmatists have been quite vocal in supporting Baloch demands, [but the] Baloch have largely ignored Sindhi struggle for their rights. Furthermore, Baloch attitude is that of arrogance towards Sindhi demands and it is about time that they must also realise that they need the support of Sindhis as much as Sindhis need their support." So far so good!

Until now, a few web-versed Sindhis in North America were disagreeing with each other about the pros and cons of supporting the Baloch separatist movement. Then a salvo from a Baloch expatriate: "We [the Baloch] are having armed fighting with Pakistan while your [Sindhi] middle class is fighting for the jobs in Islamabad and Karachi." And suggested that until Sindhis don't give up the idea of staying in Pakistan there is little that Baloch can talk to them about. To which a Sindhi scribe replied by asserting that Balochistan has passed many social ills onto Sindh, including honour killings and drug trafficking.

The conversation became even more charged where one accused the other of being an ISI agent and the other responding by branding the accuser as an 'intellectual prostitute'. A Baloch participant trying to be sarcastic carelessly used the term 'final solution' and asked those Sindhis who were not throwing their lot with the Baloch separatist struggle to start the movement of expelling all Balochs from Sindh.

The conversation then slid into exchange of invectives among Sindhi participants over the issue of whether to support the Baloch struggle ultimately culminating in personal attacks on each other.

This online exchange is neither the first of its kind nor unique to Sindhi-Balochi expatriates. It has some features of what Benedict Anderson, one of the leading scholars of nationalism, calls 'long-distance nationalism'. The communication revolution of our time, according to Anderson, 'has profoundly affected the subjective experience of migration'. A Sindhi living in Seattle can read Kawish, a Sindhi daily published from Hyderabad, on the net after supper as his counterpart in Sukkur browses the paper at breakfast. A Baloch student residing in Boston is likely to know about killings in Quetta before a Baloch living in a village in Khuzdar.

There are political consequences of this nomadism because 'exile is the nursery of nationality'. In the destruction of Babri Masjid, the funds raised in North America by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the World Hindu Council, played a significant role. Tamils living in Toronto did their part in keeping the separatist flame burning in Sri Lanka.

But the feature of 'long-distance nationalism' most relevant for this discussion is that 'it creates a serious politics that is at the same time radically unaccountable.' This is what I find quite rampant among the Sindhi and Balochi cyber-warriors. In this situation, 'the participant rarely pays taxes in the country in which he does his politics; he is not answerable to its judicial system; he need not fear prison, torture, or death... safely positioned in the First World, he can send money and guns, circulate propaganda, and build intercontinental computer information circuits, all of which can have incalculable consequences in the zones of their ultimate destinations.'

Pretension of representation goes hand in hand with radical accountability in such instances of long-distance nationalism. Thanks to the internet, a Sindhi expatriate paying Canadian taxes and casting his vote in Vancouver has no qualms in claiming to be representing Sindhis as he casts the Baloch as harbingers of crime in Sindh. Likewise, a Baloch in Baltimore abiding by US laws can fire away an email condemning Sindhis for not waging war in Sindh to secede from Pakistan.

These are the luxuries only long-distance nationalism can afford to its adherents.

This is not to suggest that all forms and all participants in 'long-distance nationalism' are dangerously irresponsible. I will conclude this unflattering synopsis of long-distance nationalism with a mention of two names who participated in the politics of their lands without falling in the trap of radical unaccountability. The late Edward Said, the eloquent and incorrigible voice of Palestinians on the world stage, had fundamental disagreements with Yasser Arafat but I haven't come across one sentence where he turned it into personal mud-slinging. Closer to home, Faiz Ahmed Faiz was forced to stay away from his homeland and people for extended periods. During those days, he penned some of his best poems instead of using his pen to churn out poison against other individuals.

The writer is an academic based in Canada



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[ALOCHONA] Wahabi View on plastic Surgery - is it halal?



Under the Veil, Nip and Tuck Makes New Saudi Faces
03/08/2009

http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=7&id=17649

 

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, (AP) — Does Islam frown on nose jobs? Chemical peels? How about breast implants?

 

One of the clerics with the answers is Sheik Mohammed al-Nujaimi, and Saudi women flock to him for guidance about going under the knife. The results may not see much light of day in a kingdom where women cover up from head to toe, yet cosmetic surgery is booming.

 

Religion covers every facet of life in Saudi Arabia, including plastic surgery. Al-Nujaimi draws his guidelines from the consensus that was reached three years ago when clergymen and plastic surgeons met in Riyadh to determine whether cosmetic procedures violate the Islamic tenet against tampering God's creation.

 

The verdict was that it's halal (sanctioned) to augment unusually small breasts, fix features that are causing a person grief, or reverse damage from an accident. But undergoing an unsafe procedure or changing the shape of a "perfect nose" just to resemble a singer or actress is haram (forbidden).

 

"I get calls from many, many women asking about cosmetic procedures," said al-Nujaimi told The Associated Press in an interview. "The presentations we got from the doctors made me better equipped to give them guidance."

 

In recent years, plastic surgery centers with gleaming facades have sprung up on streets in Riyadh, the capital. Their front-page newspaper ads promise laser treatments, hair implants and liposuction.

 

From rarities only 10 years ago, the centers now number 35 and are "saturating the Saudi market," Ahmed al-Otaibi, a Saudi skin specialist, was quoted as saying in the Al-Hayat newspaper.

 

Al-Otaibi cited a study according to which liposuction, breast augmentations and nose jobs are the most popular among women, while men go for hair implants and nose jobs.

 

Saudi women see nothing unusual about undergoing plastic surgery and then covering it up in robes and veils.

 

Sarah, an unmarried, 28-year-old professional woman, pointed out in an interview that underneath their robes, women go in for designer clothes and trendy haircuts to be flaunted at women's gatherings, shown to their husbands and exposed on trips abroad.

 

"We attend a lot of private occasions, and we also travel," said Sarah, who declined to give her full name to protect her privacy.

 

She said she is contemplating having 22 surgeries, including a breast lift, padding her rear and reversing her down-turned lips into a smile.

 

She also wants the lips of Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe, and less flare to her nostrils, though so far her plastic surgeon has refused to do the nose because he doesn't think it needs altering.

 

Ayman al-Sheikh, a Saudi doctor who spent almost 14 years in the U.S., most of them at Harvard, said demand in Saudi Arabia is in line with increased global demand. But what he sees more of in the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, is a customers for procedures that enhance the face to the point where it no longer looks natural.

 

The trend is being set by entertainers whose pouty lips, chiseled midriffs and enhanced breasts are seen on TV across the Arab world.

 

Not all customers seek religious sanction, and not all surgeons abide by the clerics' guidelines, so a woman is apt to pick a surgeon depending on how liberal he is.

 

"People are overdone by design or by mistake," al-Sheikh, 43, told the AP. "If something is done on a famous figure it becomes iconic in our world even if it doesn't look esthetically appealing."

 

He said when he returned to the kingdom four years ago, patients initially came with requests for one performer's nose or another's cheeks, but that stopped after word spread he was a conservative who believes "every face has its own features."

 

The boom in surgery prompted Saudi columnist Abdoo Khal to write a piece titled, "We don't want you to be Cinderella." "Women's rush to undergo plastic surgery is an obsession resulting from a woman's insecurity," he wrote, "and it consolidates the idea that women are for bed only."

 



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[ALOCHONA] CNG station owners threaten to go on strike



Courtesy Daily Star

Sunday, August 9, 2009

CNG station owners threaten to go on strike

Star Online Report

Owners of the CNG refuelling stations today vowed to go on a countrywide strike from August 17 in case their demands were not fulfilled by August 16.

Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association organised a motor rally this afternoon to press their demands.

Led by Monoranjan Bakta and Zakir Hossain Nayan the rally marched city streets.

A strike was earlier announced from August 1, which was later called off following an assurance from the government.

Their demands include reducing gas price to Tk 13.26 from the existing Tk 16.75 per cubic metre, fixing feed gas price at Tk 5.23 from Tk 9.97, reducing licence fee to Tk 5,000 from Tk 1 lakh, withdrawal of the cash security deposit system, exempting the CNG stations from NOC of the Environment Department, cancellation of the minimum billing system and installing electronic volume conductor.

 



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[ALOCHONA] FW: Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers

From Mohammed Rayhan.

-----Original Message-----
From: notify@yahoogroups.com [mailto:notify@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of rayhanmd@rocketmail.com
Sent: 07 August 2009 06:14
To: Ezajur Rahman
Subject: Re: Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers

Dear all,

This Pinak's comments about the people of bangladesh ( indian visa seekers)as 'Tout' is a treamedous blow to bangladesh.

our syeed saheb commented that Pinak did not do any wrong by saying 'tout' as for years together all the foreign diplomats
were putting their nose into our own affiers.
where our politicians faild to bar them, rather they encourage them to do so.
then our FM miss Dipu moni , though lately & weakly blasted at mr.Pinak, saying that is her own personal view.
To me, it was right thing, Dipu moni did. At least she voiced the
mass peoples view on Pinak. Can say in that term, Dipu mino is the
leader of mass people.
My personal openion is that, dr dipu moni got good apprisal from PM
for that. Dr dipu moni , keep the good job going.

Very lately Saka chy called pinak as ''DADA''....&
SAYING'' DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE PEOPLE OF BANGLADESH.''

if you see the saka chy's any other comment about any matter in bangladesh, it is normally very funny in one way, & other way they are very bold.
but surprisingly saka chy is found very frail & weak to comment on Pinak.

My personal view is that, as saying goes '' ROTON-A,ROTON CHENE''
Mr.Pinak is a great Tout, that is why he could identify 80 percent
tout among visa monger infornt of indian hi-commission office.

(dear ezajur, would you please post my above view into the alochona
page. i could not do that ,due limitation of net.)

Allah bless our Bangladesh.
Rayhanmd
maersk Bratan.
Busan, korea.


--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "ezajur" <ezajur.rahman@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Alochok Mashuque
>
> Then I am one of the most anti state rajakars around :)
>
> Dipu Moni's response to Pinak's rudeness was that in her personal opinion Pinak had possibly breached diplomatic norms.
>
> Well. Wow! What a great reply!
>
> You can ask for the foreign ministry to be more vocal!
>
> I would ask for Pinak to hurl more insults at us!
>
> My request would be more useful for our country :)
>
> And by the way - no! we have no idea about the real problems in our country... There's far more to a being a developed nation than having bridges, roads and cheap food...
>
> Ezajur Rahman
> Kuwait
>
>
>
>
> --- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Mashuque Rahman <mashuque@> wrote:
> >
> > I thought over the years we came to the point now that any truth about our country (Bangladesh) which portrays the country in a negative light is considered as being "desh-o-drohee" (anti-state)! People forget that we can't solve a problem unless we acknowledge the problem to start with. It seems always better to keep our head in the sand.
> >
> > On the other hand Pinak or any other foreign embassy official got to stay away from any remark that goes way beyond the official norm. Our foreign ministry need to be much more vocal in this regard.
> >
> >
> > - mashuque
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: ezajur <ezajur.rahman@>
> > To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 4:03:08 AM
> > Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers
> >
> >
> > Dear Alochoks
> >
> > I intensely dislike Pinak and he is not fit to be Ambassador at all. We want him recalled.
> >
> > I wonder if he is the true face of India's relationship with Bangladesh. I wonder if the smiling faces of visiting ex PMs and stars of the Gandhi clan are irrelevant in this relationship.
> >
> > However I have to confess that I grudgingly admire Finak for some of his forthright comments - in particular his comment about touts and brokers.
> >
> > I think he is right.
> >
> > Newly weds, prospective in laws and senior businessmen seem to have no trouble in going to India and the airlines are all doing a brisk trade between Calutta and Delhi.
> >
> > I like the fact that he had the guts to refer to touts and brokers as touts and brokers. I love it. Because politcians have empowered an entire class of touts (tout is a Bengali word I think!), batpars, dalals, beymaans and choors. Our commentators refer to these same scum as 'lobbyists and agents'.
> >
> > Its better to have an Indian Ambassador who speaks his mind than and Indian Ambassador who massages our egos with praise and decorum but who thinks the same as Pinak! At least we know where we stand!
> >
> > So another Ambassador thinks that touts mostly queue outside the Embassy but says efforts are being made to speed up visa applications when actually nothing is being done. We would accept it.
> >
> > So another Ambassador thinks the Tipumaikh dam is unstoppable, just like Pinak, but says that serious reviews are being done - when actually nothing is being done. We would accept it.
> >
> > So another Ambassador thinks we should open, deregulated markets at our border, just like Pinak, but he just doesn't say it publicly and pushes Ministers discretely for such markets. We would accept it.
> >
> > I hate Pinak. But anything that exposes our true condition is welcome to me. Even if it is insulting.
> >
> > As is there is real shock and puzzlement that 25,000 Deshis would seek to stay illegally in India - when it is part of our culture to stay illegally in any country. Or am I wrong?
> >
> > Thats right Pinak - you shut up and don't upset our sovereign pride.
> >
> > India should still respect us. Even if actually doesn't.
> >
> > Because we hardly have any touts, dalals, batpars and choors in Bangladesh who are protected by politcians. We only have very bad shushils and Army people. Right?
> >
> > Ezajur Rahman
> >
> >
> > --- In alochona@yahoogroup s.com, "Ezajur Rahman" <ezajur.rahman@ ...> wrote:
> > >
> > > Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers
> > > Courtesy New Age 21/7/09
> > >
> > > Staff Correspondent
> > >
> > > Some 25,000 of the Bangladeshi travellers going to India with legal
> > > visas every year do not come back, claimed the Indian high commissioner
> > > to Bangladesh, Pinak Ranjan Chakrabarty, and described most of the visa
> > > seekers as 'touts' and 'brokers'.
> > > He made the allegations at a conference on 'Bangladesh- India Economic
> > > Relations' in Dhaka on Monday in a bid to justify the Indian High
> > > Commission's cumbersome process of issuing visas, as shown by the
> > > extremely long queues of visa seekers.
> > > 'Eighty per cent of the visa seekers are not genuine. Those [whom you
> > > see in the queue] are touts and brokers,' said the Indian 'diplomat',
> > > adding that the visa issuing process would be much easier if the
> > > Bangladesh government ensured that touts and brokers no longer queue for
> > > submitting visa applications.
> > > He attributed the current visa regime to India's security concerns
> > > against the backdrop of incidents such as the terrorist attacks in
> > > Mumbai. 'Twenty-five thousand of the Bangladeshis who are going to India
> > > with legal visas [every year] are not returning to their country,' he
> > > said, although he could not specify the reasons for the alleged
> > > disappearance of the Bangladeshis.
> > > A large 50-member delegation of the Federation of Indian Chambers of
> > > Commerce and Industry, led by its vice-president Harsh C Mariwala,
> > > attended the daylong conference organised by the Federation of
> > > Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the Pan Pacific
> > > Sonargaon Hotel.
> > > Pinak's far from diplomatic outburst was an attempt to rebut the
> > > complaints made by the president of the FBCCI, Annisul Huq, about
> > > India's slow and tortuous process of issuing visas to Bangladeshis.
> > > Talking about non-tariff barriers to bilateral trade, Annisul quipped
> > > that the queue of the visa seekers was usually three miles long and it
> > > should be included as one of the Guinness World Records.
> > > 'We certainly need to ensure a significant reduction in our
> > > apparently small, non-tariff barriers that threaten bigger opportunities
> > > of growth,' said Annis.
> > > In response, Pinak said that the High Commission would not object to
> > > multiple visas for businesspeople. 'I promise you that business visas
> > > will be issued as quickly as possible.'
> > > Pinak said that New Delhi had been offering duty-free access of all
> > > goods and commodities from Bangladesh as a least developed country since
> > > 2008, and had only excluded a 'small negative list of 434 items'.
> > > Speaking at the opening session before leaving to attend the weekly
> > > cabinet meeting, commerce minister Faruk Khan urged the business leaders
> > > of the two countries to pressure their governments to develop
> > > cooperative relations for mutual benefit.
> > > 'We have created problems ourselves. People-to-people contact is good
> > > but when it comes with governments, especially politicians, we see
> > > problems,' he said, expressing the hope that the present democratic
> > > atmosphere in the entire South Asia would give the politicians the
> > > 'right message' to work for cooperation.
> > > At a seminar in Dhaka on June 21 Pinak had said, 'It is unfortunate
> > > that there are some so-called water experts who make comments without
> > > considering some of the issues. They are basically attempting to poison
> > > the minds of the friendly people of Bangladesh against India.'
> > > The foreign affairs minister, Dipu Moni, who spoke later as chief
> > > guest, did not make any comments on Pinak's remarks that subsequently
> > > sparked off a lot of controversy and indignation, although she later
> > > termed his haughty attitude and antagonistic remarks a violation of
> > > diplomatic norms.
> > >
> >
>
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