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Tuesday, November 3, 2009

[ALOCHONA] Attack on Taposh: is it planned by AL?



They way BAL is trying to involve everyone to the attack on taposh , who was 100%unharmed, makes me   to suspect that it was organized By BAL to  harrass opposition .
 
 Is Taposh  such an important person  who needs to be killed to gain  any benefit? Would opposition be benefited  if he was harmd or Mujib's killing trial would stop?
 
 
 Then why  even relatives of Mujib's killer will try to kill Taposh and stay at home(Mohiudddin's sons) to be captured by police even after some arrest?

The test of patriotism is not a one-off event for anyone, let alone the political quarters, that once passed is passed for ever. It is rather a perpetual process, especially for the ruling political quarters that have to pass it every moment- Nurul Kabir , Editor , The NewAge



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[mukto-mona] FW: Trade unionism in RMG : Unions Should Be Allowed Without Delay--Asia Post editorial dated 3.11.09



 

Trade unionism in RMG : Unions Should Be Allowed Without Delay
 

News papers ave reported that the government, factory owners and workers at a meeting Sunday decided in principle to introduce trade unionism in the readymade garment sector to avert rerun of labour unrest. The labour and employment ministry brokered the meeting a day after police opened fire on workers demonstrating against abrupt closure of Nippon Garment at Tongi . A 12-member committee, headed by chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry Israfil Alam, has been assigned to recommend how trade unionism could be introduced effectively in the export-oriented apparel industry to deal with labour issues amicably. ‘The committee comprising representatives from owners, workers and the labour ministry will recommend on allowing trade unions in RMG factories…The body will look into the incidents of labour unrest,’ labour minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told reporters after the meeting.
      Shipping minister Shahjahan Khan, who also attended the Sunday’s meeting at secretariat, said that there was no other alternative to trade unionism in the RMG industries to avert any untoward incidents in the export-oriented apparel sector. ‘We must introduce trade unions in the RMG factories to settle labour issues amicably… Trade union leaders will be responsible for any untoward incidents in the sector once the unions are formed,’ Shahjahan, the labour leader-turned-minister, told the meeting.
   ‘There is no restriction on formation of trade unions as per ILO convention…We must consider that 80 per cent workers are female here. We should not allow outsiders to do trade unionism in the RMG sector,’ he said. The tripartite meeting elaborated on the possible reasons behind the labour unrest at Tongi and concluded that the owner did not follow the law while closing the factory. State minister for labour Munnuzan Sufian, parliamentary standing committee chairman Israfil Alam, representatives from the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association and leaders of Jatiya Sramik League, among others, attended the meeting.
   Trade union leaders who attended the meeting said that registered body of workers’ representatives could handle the issue had trade unions been allowed there.
   Trade unionism would be beneficial to both owners and workers as both will then find a way out through negotiations if any dispute appears, they believed. Labour leaders and workers’ rights campaigners have been demanding introduction of trade unionism in the sector.They believe that registered trade unions, if allowed in apparel sector, could help narrow the gap between owners and workers and prevent disputes from snowballing into violent outbursts. But apparel industry owners so far had strong reservations about trade unionism, which, they alleged, has a chaotic history and has ruined the jute sector.

 

We are happy that the government is going to allow trade unions  in the garment factories which was not allowed for a long time against the provisions  of law.The arguments f owners and their representatives are clearly wrong.In the absence of trade unions, the workers rights were badly dealt and wages could ot rise commensurate with progress of the industry and the owners.Capitalistic profit motive and exploitation were  the main motives.Labor un rest can be best handled through law and trade unions.We also urge the labor leaders to be law abiding in future when trade unions will start functioning



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[ALOCHONA] Politicians, outlaws go hand in hand



Ongoing drive finds local figures of all parties partners in crime

A nexus of outlaws and some mainstream political leaders kept alive the decades-old left-leaning extremism, which later turned into absolute terrorism in the southwestern district of Kushtia.
 
 


People in the region have so suffered at the hands of the outlaws that they now want a total elimination of these elements. But a recent investigation by The Daily Star reveals how a number of local politicians are protecting the outlaws for their own political, financial and other interests.

Locals allege there have long been give-and-take relations between the mainstream and underground political forces, who serve each other from behind the scene when necessary.

Politicians argue they have no alternative to giving in to the outlaws to keep their lives and businesses secure. But a number of politicians are in fact providing these outlaws a safe haven so that they can be used for winning elections and tender bids and establishing political supremacy.

The Daily Star correspondent could arrange a meeting with an outlaw leader, who claims they always maintain good relations with mainstream political leaders, especially those in power, for their own safety.

"We always maintain a good tie with the ruling party leaders. We do it to save our skin from the law enforcers from being killed in crossfire," says a Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF) leader on the understanding of anonymity.

The law-enforcement agencies cracking down on outlaws have also unearthed names of some local leaders of ruling Awami League (AL), main opposition BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiya Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) who provide support as patrons to the outlaws.

An intelligence agency has already prepared a list of such bigwig patrons that includes four AL lawmakers, one lawmaker from the AL-led 14-party alliance and seven former BNP legislators.

Sources say an eminent lawyer and a central AL leader have secured their place on the list.

The ongoing crackdown on the outlaws began on August 22 following a serious slide in law and order in the region.

In Kushtia, Gono Bahini has recently killed seven cadres of rival GMF and dumped their severed heads near Islami University and the R&H Department and the bodies a few kilometres away.

Since the beginning of the drive, 61 suspected outlaws were killed in 'crossfire' during 'encounters' between their cohorts and law enforcers. However, the victims are cadres of the lowest tier as the top outlaws have already gone into hiding, sources say.

Allegations are rife that AL district unit General Secretary Azgor Ali and Vice-president Haji Rabiul bribed the law enforcers a huge amount of money to save the outlaw-turned AL leaders from "extra-judicial" execution.

Both Azgor and Rabiul denied the allegations but admitted that "they only interfere when their party leaders are held and implicated in pending cases".

They allege there are some loyalists of the four-party alliance in the administration who are arresting their party leaders and activists following a list prepared during the caretaker and four-party rules.

"How do you expect we won't award tenders to our party men who were deprived for long?" asked Rabiul who was earlier vice-president of district unit Gono Forum and Islami Shashantantra Andolan.

MEETING WITH AN OUTLAW LEADER

The meeting with a GMF leader, who is in charge of a certain area, was arranged in West Madanpur on the outskirts of Kushtia town.

But soon after this correspondent started for the meeting venue with a mediator, the outlaw leader changed the spot three times in a span of seven minutes as part of precaution.

Several men were seen observing the situation as the mediator rode his motorcycle into an alley with every lamppost turned off. A man was waiting at a certain spot who disappeared and then the expected outlaw leader turned up.

The local mediator left this correspondent alone for the talks after giving a reminder about the allocated time for the meeting.

The outlaw leader began the talks about their patrons in the region and did not hesitate to say the names of AL district unit General Secretary Azgor Ali and Vice-president Haji Rabiul.

"Now we're a bit tormented as the crossfire thing has begun again," he said, adding they are trying to arrange their surrender through their political patrons.

During the conversation, the man suddenly said, "I'm not able to stay here any further," and quickly disappeared into the dark.
  http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=112630



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[mukto-mona] Emailing: topic_detail.htm--OIC clarifies its views on the draft resolution on combating defamation of religions



 
 



Home  News  You are here

OIC clarifies its views on the draft resolution on combating defamation of religions

Date: 02/11/2009 - View in: Arabic | French - Print

The OIC Secretary General remarked that the position of his organization on the resolution on combating defamation of religions, submitted to the UN General Assembly, was based on the existing international covenants which had clearly pronounced the limits to freedom of opinion and expression in cases of incitement to hatred on religious grounds. He added that for the last ten years, OIC sponsored resolutions on defamation of religions were adopted by the General Assembly in New York and the Human Rights Council (and its predecessor UN Human Rights Commission) in Geneva.

The text of these resolutions had evolved over the years and in its current form was not restricted to or singling out Islam but denounced discrimination and incitement to hatred stemming from defamation of all religions. "It is important to note that passage of these resolutions by a majority vote beyond the membership of the OIC lends international legitimacy to the OIC position on this issue," Ihsanoglu said.
"It is, however, clear that there is a divergence of opinion on this issue with lots of intentional or unintentional misinformation and misunderstanding. On our part, we are looking at the positive side, encouraged by the broad recognition of the need to address the issue of discrimination and incitement to hatred on religious grounds," he added.
He pointed out that the text of the OIC resolution in the past few years had evolved to take on board the views of important stakeholders and the resolution was essentially premised on the existing international covenants. It, however, was unfortunate that smear campaigns were being conducted against the OIC by some NGOs as well as lobby and interest groups in the West on baseless presumptions aimed at misleading the Western public opinion. He explained that the OIC was merely seeking a concerted international effort aimed at elimination of acts of incitement to hatred stemming from defamation of religions.

Referring to the recent consensual passage of US and Egypt-sponsored resolution on the freedom of opinion and expression by consensus at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Secretary General said that elements in the resolution could form the basis of engagement and consensus to address this issue in a manner that would meet all concerns. He expressed his sincere wish to see such a convergence of views and broad consensus at the international level that would address the concerns of all parties.

"The OIC has always indicated readiness to engage in this regard," he emphasized. The most recent manifestation of this readiness was witnessed at the Durban Review Conference this year wherein the goodwill gesture on the part of the OIC Group contributed to the success of the Conference and was widely acknowledged by all including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The full support of the OIC Group in Geneva to the jointly sponsored US-Egypt resolution was another manifestation of the positive approach of the OIC. “Let me reiterate the willingness on the part of the OIC to engage constructively with the US, the EU and others with a view to taking a holistic view aimed at defining and maintaining a delicate balance between freedom of opinion and respect for all religions and incitement to hatred," said the OIC Secretary General.


See also
 
 
   
 
 


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[mukto-mona] An article in the daily star



An article in the daily star for your kind consideration 
 
Thanks
 
Regards,
 
Ripan K Biswas
New York
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 09:45 AM GMT+06:00  
 
Point Counterpoint

100 percent cotton slim fit T-shirts with "Made in Bangladesh tag."

I looked at the customer who was commenting on those T-shirts to his friends at H&M departmental store in New York. "Wow! These shirts are really nothing short of sumptuous and have unique luster and captivating look."

Starting in the late '70s, Bangladesh today has more than 5,000 garment manufacturing and exporting units to boost the country's economy. They employ about three million workers of whom 90% are women. The garment industries, in addition, support another 10 million to 15 million, or roughly 10 percent of the population.

Despite the financial meltdown and adverse economic situation in the consumer market worldwide, Bangladesh readymade garments (RMG) earned nearly 80 percent of the $15.56 billion export earnings in the 2008-09 fiscal year. Each year, RMG industries earn £1.6 billion from Europe and $2 billion from US, and are expected to double the earning, from $50 million to $1 billion, over the next two years from Japan, which is the world's fourth largest garment importer -- importing $23 billion worth of ready-made garments, mostly from China. Bangladesh managed to maintain its comparative advantage despite rising prices.

While Bangladeshi RMG is now widely considered as the lifeline of national income, clashes in the garment producing areas are continuing. The main issues are alleged victimisation of workers, back-pay, and non-implementation of previously agreed concessions. On occasions, strikes take place at individual factories, and the workers of nearby factories join in the demonstrations. Clashes with police, army and factory security continue, as do attacks on company property.

The recent death of three garment workers and injuries to 200, workers and police, in police firing during a clash at Tongi on October 31 is one more baneful example of unabated unrest in the garments sectos. According to the news, out of three, two people were killed on the spot as the police fired into Nippon Garment's workers rallying for arrear pay for three months and sudden closure of their factory without prior notice. A similar incident cost two lives and injuries to several hundreds workers of scores of factories at the Ashulia industrial zone over wage cuts and unpaid salaries in June.

The workers are allegedly being stripped of their rights, trapped like slaves, paid just a few pennies an hour, work exhausting hours, live in utter misery, and sacked, penniless and worn out, when they reach 35 years of age. Bangladeshi garment workers get the lowest wages in the world, with most getting only Tk. 800 to 950 ($13 to 15) per month, though a ten-point agreement was signed between the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturing Employers' Association (BGMEA), the government, and 12 garments workers' federations to ensure a minimum wage of $25. With overtime, a skilled garment worker can earn up to $150 a month.

According to law and international standards, women should not be made to work after 8 pm but, at times, they are asked to work until 10 pm or 11 pm. Sometimes they even work the whole night. In many cases there is no provision for maternity leave. Many factories do not have day-care centers, though, as per the agreements, they are now trying to catch up. In many cases, management does not pay the monthly wage and overtime payment by the 7th of the month. In hundreds of smaller factories monthly wages and overtime payments remain outstanding for 2/3 months. As the garment workers do not have appointment letters to use as proof of employment and the government turns a blind eye to their plight, owners of the garment factories can sack workers at any time without serving any notice.

Apart from these allegations against most of the garments factories, many of them are reportedly cutting wages to compete for orders with countries such as Vietnam, China, and India.

We are being told that a plot hatched by outsiders lay behind this current unrest. According to BGMEA, the incident was not the result of any worker unrest, rather it was planned sabotage to destabilise the industry on the eve of the Bangladesh apparel and textile exposition scheduled from November 5 to 7 in the city. The same was echoed by Israfil Alam, member of the parliamentary standing committee on labour and employment ministry, while, according to police and workers, the sudden shutdown without any prior notice fueled the agitation.

To normalise the situation and prevent future unrest, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the home ministry to take necessary action against the authorities responsible. "Whoever is found responsible for the incident will be dealt with severely," the home minister said. An intelligence agency had alerted the government a week ago about a possible unrest in the garments sector. The presence of police at the spot the previous night hinted at possible unrest as the owner was going to shut down the factory without any notice.

However, the government is yet to form a committee to probe the unrest, as was ordered by the home affairs ministry on Sunday. The government has decided to introduce trade union in the garments sector following a meeting between ministers, garment factory owners, workers and representatives of BGMEA. A trade union with proper safeguards to protect the workers' rights is always a good initiative. But Bangladeshi trade unionism is characterised by political activism and sudden strikes.

In May, Unite, the UK's largest trade union, signed a joint statement with the US-based union United Steelworkers and the German United Services Union in support of labour standards in Bangladesh. The joint statement is the result of growing international concern about labour standards in the Bangladeshi textiles sector. But it will require concrete action by all of the parties involved if it is to succeed in its aims.

Except a very few sceptics, none will disagree that the garment industry of Bangladesh has been the key export division and a main source of foreign exchange in the country. So something tangible should be done immediately, rather than accusing one another or leaving the real cause aside.



Ripan Kumar Biswas is based in New York.
E-mail: Ripan.Biswas@yahoo.com
 



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[mukto-mona] RE: [khabor.com] Small nationalities of Bangladesh are not Aborigines--what are the real issues



Dear sirs,

 

Assalamu Alaikum.The issue in Chittagong Hill Tracts is not who is aborigine or who is not aborigine.The issue was  solving the problems and demands of people who live there and are not Bengali-speaking.The issue was solving an insurgency which continued there for two decades with the support of outside forces.The issue is that such a situation would not arise again.The issue is meeting the commitment made by the government of Bangladesh which no government later also did not deny.

 

Shah Abdul Hannan

 

-----Original Message-----
From: khabor@yahoogroups.com [mailto:khabor@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Isha Khan
Sent: Sunday, November 01, 2009 5:40 PM
To: Dhaka Mails
Subject: [khabor.com] Small nationalities of Bangladesh are not Aborigines

 

 



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[ALOCHONA] Bangladesh a “huge opportunity” for growth; CEO



Bangladesh a "huge opportunity" for growth; CEO

By Nick Taylor, 09-Sep-2009

Related topics: Globalisation, Contract Manufacturing, Bulk ingredients, Drug delivery, formulation, Fill & finish, packaging, Validation services

Bangladesh represents a "huge opportunity" to pharma, according to the CEO of Amreteck Pharma who believes that CMOs will be attracted by the low costs, which undercut China, and help the industry grow to $10bn (€6.9m) in 10 years.

Speaking to Outsourcing-Pharma M Chowdhury, founder and CEO of Amreteck, explained that Bangladesh's educated pharma workforce and costs that undercut India and China will attract multinationals and contract manufacturing organisations (CMO).
Companies including Roche and Sanofi-Aventis already have operations in Bangladesh, which is also home to 260 local pharma businesses. These local companies are growing at 20 per cent a year, according to Chowdhury, but there are concerns over the quality of medicines produced.
 
There is a lack of pharma production expertise in the country and good manufacturing practice (GMP) consultancy firms are expensive. To fill this void Chowdhury, who is from Bangladesh but is western educated and has worked at numerous pharmas, established Amreteck.
 
Chowdhury explained that Amreteck offers multiple services, at affordable prices, to help Bangladeshi companies improve understanding of the manufacturing process and reduce human error.
 
This covers the establishment of quality systems for all aspects of production, from raw materials through to final packaging. Amreteck then validates the operations.
 
Chowdhury intends to establish an office in Bangaldesh next year. In addition to running the Bangaldeshi operations the office will also support Amreteck's activities in India and China.
 
Export opportunities
Bangladesh's status as a less economically developed country (LDC) allows it to manufacture therapeutics covered by active patents. This has enabled companies to export patent protected products to countries in Africa.
 
Chowdhury explained that the top five Bangladeshi pharma companies account for most of the exports, and also have better quality controls, but there are opportunities for growth.
The exemption from patent protection is due to expire in 2016. In preparation some companies have begun to invest in R&D but, Chowdhury explained, they lack an understanding of international protocols and regulations, for instance investigational new drug (IND) applications.
 
Consequently, Amreteck will also provide services to help Bangladeshi companies with regulatory processes.


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[mukto-mona] Bangladesh a “huge opportunity” for growth; CEO



Bangladesh a "huge opportunity" for growth; CEO

By Nick Taylor, 09-Sep-2009

Related topics: Globalisation, Contract Manufacturing, Bulk ingredients, Drug delivery, formulation, Fill & finish, packaging, Validation services

Bangladesh represents a "huge opportunity" to pharma, according to the CEO of Amreteck Pharma who believes that CMOs will be attracted by the low costs, which undercut China, and help the industry grow to $10bn (€6.9m) in 10 years.

Speaking to Outsourcing-Pharma M Chowdhury, founder and CEO of Amreteck, explained that Bangladesh's educated pharma workforce and costs that undercut India and China will attract multinationals and contract manufacturing organisations (CMO).
Companies including Roche and Sanofi-Aventis already have operations in Bangladesh, which is also home to 260 local pharma businesses. These local companies are growing at 20 per cent a year, according to Chowdhury, but there are concerns over the quality of medicines produced.
 
There is a lack of pharma production expertise in the country and good manufacturing practice (GMP) consultancy firms are expensive. To fill this void Chowdhury, who is from Bangladesh but is western educated and has worked at numerous pharmas, established Amreteck.
 
Chowdhury explained that Amreteck offers multiple services, at affordable prices, to help Bangladeshi companies improve understanding of the manufacturing process and reduce human error.
 
This covers the establishment of quality systems for all aspects of production, from raw materials through to final packaging. Amreteck then validates the operations.
 
Chowdhury intends to establish an office in Bangaldesh next year. In addition to running the Bangaldeshi operations the office will also support Amreteck's activities in India and China.
 
Export opportunities
Bangladesh's status as a less economically developed country (LDC) allows it to manufacture therapeutics covered by active patents. This has enabled companies to export patent protected products to countries in Africa.
 
Chowdhury explained that the top five Bangladeshi pharma companies account for most of the exports, and also have better quality controls, but there are opportunities for growth.
The exemption from patent protection is due to expire in 2016. In preparation some companies have begun to invest in R&D but, Chowdhury explained, they lack an understanding of international protocols and regulations, for instance investigational new drug (IND) applications.
 
Consequently, Amreteck will also provide services to help Bangladeshi companies with regulatory processes.


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[mukto-mona] Islamic scholar says Muslims should steer clear of non-Muslims



Islamic scholar says Muslims should steer clear of non-Muslims

"Praise be to Allaah. It is not permissible for a Muslim to make friends with a mushrik or to take him as a close friend, because Islam calls on us to forsake the kaafirs and to disavow them, because they worship someone other than Allaah."
- Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid

November 3, 2009

By Tarek Fatah
The National Post

Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid is a well-known Saudi cleric who has a large following in Canada and the West. Many young Muslim men and women, born in the West, get their direction about Islam and life in the West, not from their parents, but from so-called scholars like Al-Munajjid, who operate on the Internet.

"Sheikh" Al-Munajjid operates an Internet Islamic portal called "Islam Q&A" out of Saudi Arabia. It caters to Muslim youth not just in English, but Mandarin, Cantonese, Turkish, Urdu, French, Spanish, Russian, Uyghur and of course Arabic. 

For some time now I have been following the questions posed by Muslim youth and the fatwas issued by the "sheikhs" based in Saudi Arabia. It is fascinating to see how medieval-minded scholars serving a dictatorial theocracy named after an 18th century brigand are shaping the mindset of a segment of Canadian youth. And while this brainwashing takes place, the rest of us prize our slumber more than our liberties and values as a liberal secular democracy.

On November 3, 2009, a question asked by an anonymous writer caught my attention. Someone asked the Saudi sheikh: "Can a Muslim be a sincere friend to a kaafir? Is it permissible for a Muslim to be a sincere friend to a person who is not Muslim?"

The answer took my breath away. Sheikh Al-Munajjid replied in no uncertain words or ambiguity. He wrote:

"Praise be to Allaah. It is not permissible for a Muslim to make friends with a mushrik or to take him as a close friend, because Islam calls on us to forsake the kaafirs and to disavow them, because they worship someone other than Allaah."


Then, the Saudi cleric quoted from the Koran:

"O you who believe! Take not as friends the people who incurred the Wrath of Allaah (i.e. the Jews). Surely, they have despaired of (receiving any good in) the Hereafter, just as the disbelievers have despaired of those (buried) in graves (that they will not be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection)"


I picked up my copy of the Koran to read the same verse. Lo and behold, there was no reference to Jews, yet the Saudi cleric had found it within his jurisdiction to add words to the Koran as way to slam Jews.

As if the invoking of the Koran to discourage Canadian Muslims from befriending Jews was not sufficient, the Saudi cleric then invoked the supposed words of Prophet Muhammad. "Do not keep company with anyone but a believer and do not let anyone eat your food but one who is pious."

Then came the bombshell. Quoting again from the supposed words of the Prophet, the Saudi cleric urged Muslim youths to avoid living among non-Muslims, unless the objective was to convert them to Islam.

"Do not live among the mushrikeen and do not mix with them, for whoever lives among them or mixes with them is not one of us. But it is permissible to deal with them in a kind manner in the hope that they might become Muslim."


The Saudi cleric ended with a story:
"There was a Jewish boy who used to serve the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he fell sick. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to visit him. He sat by his head and said, "Become Muslim." (The boy) looked at his father who was with him, and he (the father) said, "Obey Abu'l-Qaasim (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)." So he became Muslim, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out, saying, "Praise be to Allaah Who has saved him from the Fire" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1290)."


Today, well-funded Islamist groups are working tirelessly to convince young Muslim men and women to view their non-Muslim fellow citizens with suspicion and derision. While Islamists are asking Muslims to refrain from befriending non-Muslims, there is no effort at any level in the West to counter the hateful message of isolation, segregation, and hostility towards Canada and the West.

Who will rise to challenge this cancer of segregation seeping into the conscience of Muslim youth? The same clerics who sit at inter-faith and multiculturalism conferences and breakfasts with politicians are the very people who endorse the anti-Jew and anti-Christian message coming from their Saudi masters.

Time has come to call a spade a spade. The question is, are there any Canadians willing to fight this hate at the risk of being accused of Islamophobia?

[mukto-mona] HUJI - IDP (Islamic Democratic Party) Connections and more : Some inside story



Please re-visit Mukto-Mona message #50020 Link:
 
 
to get a flavor of HUJI's international connections and judge
for yourself the behind-the-scene intrigues.
 
I am sure you will find that truths are stranger than frictions and
how things are done by the way of deceptions:
 

Aug 21 Grenade Attack
Staff Correspondent
The Criminal Investigation Department yesterday arrested Moulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, founder of banned Islamist group Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji), for suspected links with the August 21 grenade blasts. [read more at:
 
 
Backdrop - Julfiker Ali Manik' writeup was published
in Daily Star on: 2008-09-29
 
Huji leaders float party with govt nod
US citizen helped it get 'int'l support'
Julfikar Ali Manik
 

Leaders of the banned Islamist outfit Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (HuJi) Bangladesh have floated Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) with permission from the government.

Mostly Soviet-Afghan War veterans, they claim they formed a 15-member convening committee in May as the caretaker administration gave them the go-ahead after a probe found nothing that could link them to any subversive campaign.

Kazi Azizul Huq, an adviser of the newborn organisation, told The Daily Star, "The intelligence agencies gathered that we have no relations to any terrorist networks.

"The government however set some conditions. Those include ones that say the party must run as per the country's constitution, and not resort to violence to implement Shariah law."

Last Friday, IDP held an Iftar party at the city's Diploma Engineers Institution. It was attended by party leaders and guests including Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor of weekly Blitz and a campaigner for Israel, Amar Desh Assistant Editor and Human Rights Forum General Secretary Sanjeeb Choudhury, PK Barua of Bouddha Kristi Prochar Sangha and Chitta Francis, a representative of Christian community.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Naim Ahmed told The Daily Star that they allowed IDP to arrange the function as it was a religious one.

Replying to a query, he said they will definitely go for a closer examination before giving the organisation permission to arrange any political programme.

Sheikh Abdus Salam heads the convening committee. It was under his leadership that a group of Afghan War veterans launched HuJi at a press conference at the National Press Club on April 30, 1992.

Sources close to IDP said the outfit's ultimate objective is to establish Shariah law in the country.

Azizul Huq, on the other hand, said, "Our goal is to run the country as per the Charter of Medina that gives equal rights to all citizens irrespective of religion and ethnicity."

He said they want to introduce Shariah (the body of Islamic religious law) only for the Muslims. Other religious and ethnic minorities may follow the existing law of the land and norms of their communities.

"We don't want to impose anything on anyone. We'll put the Islamic laws into practice only if the people grant us an electoral mandate to amend the constitution, " Azizul continued.

"Even those of Muslims who won't want to follow Shariah will have the freedom to follow the existing law."

He said the government had suggested they [IDP] take measures to convince the international community that their move to launch the outfit had no relations with extremism.

The suggestion came in view of the fact persons behind the new party had involvement with HuJi, an outfit that was banned by the government for terrorism in October 2005.

Azizul said Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and Dr Richard L Benkin, an American citizen, helped in efforts to portray IDP in a positive light across the globe especially in the developed countries.

In an e-mail to this correspondent, Dr Benkin confirmed the statement. He said, "Mr. Huq is correct. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and I continuously try to bridge the gulf between religious communities throughout the world and always look for opportunities to promote a positive image of Bangladesh worldwide.

"Mr. Huq and I met for hours one day in Dhaka many months ago and recognised our common belief in God and faith. We also….. 'agreed to disagree' in the spirit of interfaith understanding and democracy.

"The newly formed Islamic Democratic Party opens the door for Muslims to separate themselves before the entire world from radicals and terrorists while at the same time affirming their strength in the Muslim [Islam] faith."

Shoaib, who was arrested at Zia International Airport in November, 2003 and charged with sedition in January, 2004, told The Daily Star, "The government gave permission to launch Islamic Democratic Party and host the Iftar party under the state of emergency. It's a green signal, and it allowed IDP to shed the names of HuJi and Islamic Gono Andolon."

He added, "Since IDP echoes the demand for establishing ties between Dhaka and Jerusalem, and upholds interfaith understanding, it is our responsibility to promote them at international level."

Earlier, speaking at Friday's programme, he said, "Islamic parties are stereotyped as anti-democracy. The emergence of IDP represents new trends in the country's politics as it believes in democracy while being an Islamic party.

"The name of IDP is connected to HuJi, an organisation that is widely criticised. Those who brand IDP as a terrorist organisation run on foreign funds."

He also said, "If Hizb-ut Tahrir, which is banned across the countries and had role in the Bali blasts, and anti-Liberation forces like Jamaat-e-Islami can operate openly, why can't IDP?"

Besides the one in Dhaka, IDP held Iftar parties in Chapainawabganj on September 6, Rajshahi on September 8, and Rangpur on September 15. Another one is scheduled to be held in Natore today.

Meanwhile, sources said IDP will form a full committee through a national convention before the ninth parliamentary election.

It also plans an alliance with other small parties--Islamic, non-Islamic and ethnic--and a token participation in the December 18 election, they added.

The party has already applied for registration with the Election Commission (EC).

Azizul Haque said, "We are preparing for registration on meeting the conditions specified in the application form. At the same time, we are working to have organisational structures for district and upazila levels."

The HuJi men who are now with IDP claim they had nothing to do with the blasts and some other acts of violence attributed to HuJi in general. Rather, it was a splinter group led by Mufti Hannan and Abdur Rouf that was responsible for the attacks.

They said they expelled Hannan from the organisation in 1998. After some time, they formed a political party named Islamic Gono Andolon against the backdrop of HuJi being listed as a terrorist organisation internationally.

During the BNP-led four-party alliance rule, Gono Andolon ran its organisational activities in secret as it tried not to be associated with the militant campaign that was being carried out by Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh at that time.

Gono Andolon was renamed Sacheton Islami Janata on August 19, 2006 following an understanding with the then government that allowed the organisation to work out in the open.

They have been trying to get permission since the caretaker administration took over in January last year, and obtained it six to seven months back, an IDP source said.

A former HuJi cadre said beginning in late eighties and working throughout the nineties, HuJi built up a network across madrasas. It organised arms training for students in hilly forest areas.

On different occasions, he continued, it sent trained youths to Afghanistan to participate in the war there. HuJi operatives were dispatched to Myanmar as well to fight for Rohingya militants against the Myanmarese army.
 
Related Bangladesh News:
Mr. Salahuddin Shoaib Choudhury, Editor, Weekly Blitz. ... Contact Person: Kazi Azizul Huq, International Affairs Secretary, Ph/Fax: (+880-2) 9881436, ...
bangladeshkhelafata ndolan.blogspot. com/2008/ 07/letter- to-saudi- king- regarding-madrid. html - 48k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
 
Is Israel behind New Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) ?
 
(1) It was attended by party leaders and guests including Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor of weekly Blitz and Lead propagandist for Israel in Bangladesh, Amar Desh Assistant Editor and Human Rights Forum General Secretary Sanjeeb Choudhury, PK Barua of Bouddha Kristi Prochar Sangha and Chitta Francis, a representative of Christian community.
 
(2)Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and Dr Richard L Benkin, an American citizen, helped in efforts to portray IDP



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Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
Call For Articles:

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68

http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585

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