|
__._,_.___
|
Nokia-BEI Roundtable on Progressing Bangladesh towards an Information Society The joint Nokia‐BEI Roundtable took place on October 18th 2009 at the Sheraton Garden, Dhaka. Speakers and analysts gathered to discuss strategies for the growth of the information technology (IT) sector in Bangladesh.
The government should ensure equitable access to new communication technologies to both rural and urban areas simultaneously, speakers said. President of BEI, Mr. Farooq Sobhan began the address by explaining how we can promote the continued growth of our IT industries and our information infrastructure so that all segments of our society can share the benefits of the Information Age. This is particularly crucial in the Bangladesh context, where many citizens still are not connected by telephone or computer.
"It is essential that the government commits to the goal of developing a truly inclusive and equitable national and global infrastructure," said Farooq Sobhan, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI). "Global infrastructure must reach rural people as well as urban, poor as well as wealthy, and those in developing and developed nations," said Mr. Sobhan. "Industry leaders and the government must work together to ensure equitable growth."
The discussion mainly focused on one of the present government's election pledges to create a Digital Bangladesh by 2021.Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice chancellor of BRAC University, presented a keynote paper. Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad was present as the chief guest. Choudhury said the whole country should be covered by information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure."The government should start implementing a plan of action in line with the ICT policy‐2009 as soon as possible," he said. he information minister urged ICT entrepreneurs to come forward with private partnership programme (PPP) ideas to disseminate new communication technology to the mass at affordable costs. "New entrepreneurship is needed to resolve the existing ICT sector problems," the minister said, adding that there is no alternative to developing the ICT sector to ensure good governance.
Prem Chand, general manager of Nokia Emerging Asia, Bangladesh, said there is no alternative to mobile internet. Bangladesh's internet penetration rate is only 0.3 percent, the lowest among Asian countries. "Introducing new communication technology through fiber optic cables makes no economic sense in the present technology growing market," Prem said, adding that mobile internet can narrow the digital divide. According to him, 50 percent users prefer access to the internet on their mobiles.
Habibullah N Karim, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Service, and Munir Hasan, former consultant of Access to Information Programme, Prime Minister's Office, also spoke.
Economic Contribution of IT Mr. Farooq Sobhan said that the transition to a high‐tech economy is occurring, not just domestically, but also globally. Ten years ago no‐one would have believed that today we would have streaming technologies, IP telephony, a wireless revolution, or electronic books. These new technologies and applications contribute significantly to our economic growth. Even in the face of recent economic turmoil, the Asian region has experienced impressive growth in its IT sector. Equitable Growth Speakers agreed that the private sector provides the energy, the initiative, the entrepreneurial spirit, the innovation, and the investment that is fueling this economic, technological, cultural, and social revolution. Mr. Sobhan articulated that the role that governments should and must play in "realizing the visions" for the new information economies. Among these key roles, governments should ensure equitable access to new technologies; provide a framework for investment, growth, and competition; open markets to international competition; and create an educated workforce that is able to meet the job demands of a digital economy.
He emphasized that it is essential that governments commit themselves to the goal of developing a truly inclusive and equitable national and global infrastructure. Expanding our global information infrastructure is critical, not only because of business imperatives, but also because it will help us meet basic societal needs. New technologies are connecting those who previously had no link to the global economy or to other societies.
These technologies are also bringing medical, educational, and economic services within the reach of people who never before had access to such information. A new project in Malaysia, for example, is connecting seven hospitals so they can engage in joint consultation, diagnosis, and treatment. A small hospital in a rural village, which lacks specialized expertise can now contact medical specialists in Kuala Lumpur. New technologies are even helping farmers improve their crop yields through new precision farming techniques, combining the Internet, computers, and the Global Positioning System.
Mr. Sobhan continued that Industry and government must work together to ensure that such growth is equitable. The global infrastructure must reach rural people as well as urban, poor as well as wealthy, and those in developing as well as developed nations. Private Investment and Competition Mr. Sobhan said that the promises of information technology fulfilled if citizens have affordable access to new technologies. And that leads to the second important role for governments: providing a framework suitable for investment, growth, and competition. We believe that affordable access will be possible only through competition and a regulatory environment that supports users and consumers, not national champions. In the telecommunications sector, we have already seen the fruits of this approach complexes to attract foreign investors and promote domestic investment. Competition among these private entities should continue to improve services and lower prices for Bangladesh. Moble Banking, Private Investment and Competition Speakers discussed that just recently on the 6th of October the Bangladesh Central Bank has given permission to a private limited company , allowing the transfer of funds through mobile phones from one individual to another via a mobile phone or through the internet.
While the applications of such technologies has been very successful in Kenya and the Philippines, the government should make the processes for obtaining such important licenses more transparent and give everyone a level playing field instead of choosing an arbitrary private company in order to reduce transaction for the common man.
By far the most successful example of mobile money is M‐PESA, launched in 2007 by Safaricom of Kenya. It now has nearly 7m users—not bad for a country of 38m people, 18.3m of whom have mobile phones. M‐PESA first became popular as a way for young, male urban migrants to send money back to their families in the countryside. It is now used to pay for everything from school fees (no need to queue up at the bank every month to hand over a wad of bills) to taxis (drivers like it because they are carrying around less cash). Similar schemes are popular in the Philippines and South Africa.
Conclusion Speakers and analysts agreed that the information technology potential of Bangladesh was mostly untapped. Great strides can be made in all sectors in Bangladesh if internet and information can be more evenly distributed to the masses through the help of mobile devices rather than computers. It was agreed that permeation of important pieces of information at critical time, facilitated through the use of mobile devices, would result in significant benefits to the economy. |
Appeals or request will not help. Our BDR has to get into the act.Ayubi
From: Md. Aminul Islam <aminul_islam_raj@yahoo.com>
To: khabor@yahoogroups.com; notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com; Bangla Zindabad <Bangladesh-Zindabad@yahoogroups.com>; Sonar Bangladesh <sonarbangladesh@yahoogroups.com>; bangla vision <bangla-vision@yahoogroups.com>; wideminds <WideMinds@yahoogroups.com>; vinnomot <vinnomot@yahoogroups.com>; Dhaka Mails <dhakamails@yahoogroups.com>; alochona <alochona@yahoogroups.com>; ayubi_s786@yahoo.com; faruquealamgir@gmail.com
Sent: Sun, November 15, 2009 10:51:37 AM
Subject: [notun_bangladesh] Stop killings by BSF, Khaleda asks
Newstaday on 15/11/09
Stop killings by BSF, Khaleda asks Rao
BNP chairperson and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia Saturday said her party is committed to maintaining friendly relations with India but stressed resolving the unsettled issues between Bangladesh and the neighboring country through the ongoing consultation, reports UNB.
The former Prime Minister expressed concern over the killing of innocent and unarmed Bangladeshi people, including the recent killing of a baby, in the border areas by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) troops.
She made the observations when the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao, paid a courtesy call on the opposition leader at her Gulshan office.
After the meeting BNP chairperson' 's Foreign Affairs Adviser Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury told reporters that Begum Zia told the Indian emissary that decision over various outstanding issues would have to be taken in a win-win way so that both the countries get benefited.
In this regard, Khaleda said, "India as a big country and will have to come up with a broad mind. As a result, the friendly relations will further be enhanced."
Regarding the killings by BSF, Khaleda told the top India official that she hopes that the Indian government will take appropriate steps to stop such killings.
The former Prime Minister recalled her bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in 2006 when she was Prime Minister. At the time, Begum Zia had apprised Dr Manmohan of Bangladesh'' s concern over India''s plan to construct Tipaimukh dam on the common river Borak. And she had also hoped that India would not take any step that harms Bangladesh'' s interests.
Begum Zia also mentioned her recent letter sent to the Indian premier over the Tipaimukh-dam issue and suggested carrying out technical assessment of the possible adverse impacts on Bangladesh.
Responding to Khaleda''s observations about the killings by BSF, the Indian Foreign Secretary was quoted as saying that "the Indian government always carries out investigation into the border incidents."
About Tipaimukh dam, Nirupama said Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh "would not do anything which goes against Bangladesh'' s interest".
On the wide trade gap between Bangladesh and India, the BNP chairperson told her that there is ample scope for import of goods by India from Bangladesh, which would help enhance the economy of Bangladesh as well as improve the bilateral ties.
Replying to a question Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury said, "The matter of transit was not discussed in the meeting."
The Leader of the Opposition, Khaleda Zia, conveyed greetings through the FS to the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi.
The meeting that lasted 45 minutes from 6:30 pm was held "in a friendly atmosphere", the reporters were told.
BNP secretary-general Khandaker Delwar Hossain and Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty were also present at the meeting
__._,_.___
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com
Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
Dear sirs,
Assalamu Alaikum.General Zia did nothing on 15th Auguast. There is no proof.Even the case in which Bangladesh Supreme Court has given judgment , there is no mention of Zia,.As Maudud Ahmad has said the judgment shows that Zia had no role.
Zia saved the country from falling back to Awami League’s BAKSHAL rule, one party dictatorship and also re-asserted the Islamic identity of the nation.
No other nation or group other than Bangladesh Army was involved. All other things are just Awami propaganda.
-----Original Message-----
From: khabor@yahoogroups.com [mailto:khabor@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of kaljatri@emailme.net
Sent: Friday, November 20, 2009 1:02 AM
To: khabor@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [khabor.com] FW: [Mukto-Mona] Re: General Zia was in the thick of 1975 killings in Dhaka
WRT: http://groups.
> The agents of Pakistan had already infiltrated into the army and
> started conspiring to kill the nascent democratic process brought
> on under the civilian political rule. The killers got support from
> the conspirator of all times named Gen. Ziaur Rahman.
Pakistani agents infiltrated Baksali supported army in 1975 ??
What a
ridiculous claim. No scholarly article/book has ever made such a
funny claim. The BD army in 1975 was very much a pro-Bangladeshi
force who had played the leading role in the war of liberation
against the Paki army. The officers who killed Mujib and toppled
Baksali regime were all active freedom fighters with missionary
zeal, unlike many AL leaders who were enjoying the sensuous
pleasures in Kolkata the entire time during the liberation
struggle). These army officers were all against Pakistani Gov. and
supportive of liberation war. They staked their life for it. Why
would they suddenly become Paki lovers in 1975? Doe it make sense?
It makes sense for them to become anti Mujib/Baksal. They were not
anti-AL even. They installed an AL gov. headed by Balist Moshtaque
comprising majority of then then AL parliament members
The reason they turned against Mujib and Baksal is manyfold. But
none of those manyfold reasons had anything to do with
infiltration by Pakistani elements. The manyfold reasons have all
been well documented by many scholarly writings by professional
journalists and intellectuals/
were the rampant corruption by AL/Baksal, the undemocratic
measures widely adopted by Mujib to silence/torture opposition and
keep his power through using Rakkhi Bahini and other private
armies (like Lal Bahini, Awami Shechchha Shebok Bahini etc). There
was widespread public resentment against the Mujib regime from
1974 onwards. So much so that ASM Rob could declare "Mujib, we
will peel your skin and make shoes out of it" to the thunderous
applause of hundreds of thousands attending his rally in Paltan.
Adding fuel to fire was the insulting of some army officers by
some AL hooligans and Mujib's siding with the hooligans. None of
these had anything to do with Pakistani elements. As I said the
army majors who fought against Pakistan in 1971 had no reason to
suddenly become Pakistan lovers in 1975. In fact majors Farook and
Rashid were very much nationalists then as they were during 1971
and totally opposed to the idea of reverting to one Pakistan. On
page 87 of Anthony Mascarenhas' "Bangladesh: A legacy of Blood"
Mascarenhas mentions that if Moshtaq had dared to unite BD with
Pakistan (There were rumours to that effect at that time) then "he
would have been immediately killed by Majors Farook and Rashid,
both staunch nationalists"
Zia was no Paki lover either, nor had any reason to be either. Zia
mentioned to Mascarenhas that he had been 'extremely suspicious
about Moshtaq hobnobbing with Pakistanis' (mentioned on page 88 of
Legacy of Blood).
The fact is they had every reason to become anti Mujib in 1975,
not pro pakistan. Anti Mujib does not mean Pro-Pak, a simple logic
that does not get through the skull of Awamists, just like
criticising Islam does not mean being pro-Christian/
Pro-India, a logic that does not get through the thick skull of
Islamists. In fact by diverting the blame to fictitious Pro-paki
elements the Awamist try to deflect the attention away from their
own misdeeds that led to the revolution and subsequent killing
in 1975.
>"conspiring to kill the nascent democratic process brought on
> under the civilian political rule"
>
??? What a joke. It is pathetic how unabashedly one can make such a
remark. It was Baksal who killed democracy. Does democracy mean
installing a one party rule? Does democracy mean banning all
newspapers except four that toes the official line? Does democracy
mean raising private militia to suppress political opposition.
Maybe thats what Awamists define as democracy. Just like the
Islamists declare an Islamic state as the true form of democracy
to them, the Awamists/Balists equate AL/Baksal rule as democracy.
Any other option is undemocratic to Awamists just as it is to
Islamists.
"The killers got support from the conspirator of all times named
Gen. Ziaur Rahman."??
Another unsubstantiated claim by the Awamists. If by supporting
means "not preventing the killing of Mujib" then not just Gen Zia,
then the entire nation, including the majority of the then AL
parliament members who joined the "killers" supported Mushtaq
government can be said to have supported the killers. None did
anything to protest/prevent the killing of Mujib. The ONLY person
who laid down his life to protect Mujib was an army officer who
was not even a freedom fighter, made no attempt to escape Pakistan
in 1971 and was repatriated after independence. He was Colonel
Jamil. He was just doing his duty as professional army offcier
assigned to protect the presdient.
Gen Zia did not do anything pro-active to support the killers nor
did he do anything to stop them. But in no way did he offer
support to the killers. In fact in Mascarenhas' Legacy of Blood on
page 51 Mascarenhas mentions that Gen Zia was one among major
Farook's hit list of army officers potentially offering resistance
to their missions thus may have to be eliminated. Mascarenhas
mentions on page 91 that Farook and Rashid had even considered
arresting Zia along with Khaled Mosharraf.
The responsibilty for stopping the majors from their mission lied
not on Zia, but on Army Chief Gen Shafiullah, a veteran freedom
fighter and AL's pick at that time. Even he must have felt so
disgusted with AL/Baksal not to have risked going against the tide
of Baksal Hotao operation. The entire events of 1975 had nothing
to do with Pro-Pak or pro- anything. Most people who welcomed the
elimination of Mujib were not pro-Pak, they were anti Mujib (Mujib
as known b/w 1972-75). Many of them were Mujib lovers up until
1973. There was no need or reason for Mujib killers to be Pro-Pak.
Mujib had already offered Bhutto a red carpet reception, got
Pakistan's recognition of BD, and wooed the Islamic countires for
joining OIC, which he did. And Pakistan then was ruled by Bhutto's
PPP party, Bhutto was an atheist and PPP was clearly soft towards
socialist ideas. So what's there for the killers to be pro Pak
unless they wer also very much an admirer of Bhutto, they
obviously were not. The unpleasant bitter pill of truth that
Awamists would not rather have people know is that there was
exchanging of sweets after the news of Mujib's death. Majority
were heaving a sigh of relief. A general sense of relief was felt
among the mass. The only feeling of fear and uncertaintly that the
Awamist is referring to was in fact a fear of reverting to status
quo through some counter coup, or of a civil war between the
supporters of AL and the new regime, which did not happen at all.
The BAL/Baksal supporters simply had no moral courage to fight
back knowing full well what kind of misdeeds they had committed
between 1972-75 and the level of public resentment/disencha
against them. There is no need to have been alive and witnessed it
first hand to see that. If the valiant freedom fighters and the
people fought against the Pak military and laid down 3 million (an
exaggeration but touted by Awamists, even if it was hundreds of
thousands still a huge sacrifice) then if the killing of Mujib was
unpopular with the people and was actually committed by Pro-paki
elements, then there would surely would have been a similar mass
movement against it. If popular uprising could defeat a formidable
and unified Pak army with all their military machine and numbers,
such a mass movement surely could have defeated a handful of
junior officers with six antiquated tanks (The bulk of the army
navy air force were not even under the command of those four
majors). That in itself proves the lack of popular outcry against
the killing of Mujib and against the end of Baksal. It is the
condoning and tacit support by the masses for which the 1975
revolt and killing met with no resistance. Anyone with a
common sense can put two and two together and come to that
conclusion.
It is ironic that this Awamist and many others shed crocodile
tears for Col Taher for being hanged by Zia's military court. Do
they shed tears for Siraj Sikdar when he was killed by simply
shooting on his back at Mujib's behest, which later Mujib bragged
about saying "Kothay aaj Siraj Sikdar?". Taher did the most
unprofessional thing in the army and he received army punishment
for that. It was not Zia who used Taher but the other way around.
It was Taher and the red brigade of Jashod who used Zia's
popularity in the army to accomplish their red revolution using
Zia as the front man knowing full well that he (Taher) or the
Jashod brigade would not command that level of respect or
acceptibility because of their bloody agenda of mass slaughter of
entire army officer corps and elite of the society eventually if
successfull. Zia tactfully managed Taher in turn to save the army
from such a massacre and anarchy, or stop the massacre from
further spreading. It is more ironic that Awamists praise Taher
when in fact Taher and Jashod symbolized anti Mujibism. They would
also have killed Mujib had thay gotten the opportuine moment.
(Remenember Rob's declaration of peeling Mujib's skin to make
shoes out of?) In fact they did not condemn or protest killing of
Mujib but considered it as the first dirty step done by others so
they could proceed with their own bloody red scheme, exploiting
Zia's popularity.
The rest of the ramblings about Zia's role in August killing is
the Awamists personal spin on the events in 1971. It shows lack of
professionalism and objectivity. One can only hope to get the best
picture of what happened in 1975 and beyond by reading
professional articles and books, not spin stories by Awami
bigots,leftist Jashod fanatics or the Islamists. History is
merciless, it does not necessarily favour one side or the other or
all.
- Jamil Asgor
Debdas,
Everytime I read your rant I get the feeling that you have no clue
about BD or our culture.
Stick with what you understand.
-qar
-----Original Message-----
From: SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn.com>
To: abid <abidbahar@yahoo.com>; abusayeeddr <abusayeedr@yahoo.com>;
afsarbhai <afsar_hossainbd@yahoo.com>; Aftab Kazmi
<aftab_kazmi@hotmail.com>; Ajmol ali <ajmol.ali@treas.state.nj.us>;
Alamgir <malamgir1@aol.com>; Alochana <alochona@yahoogroups.com>;
anis90 <anis90242@yahoo.com>; asghar <msa7011@yahoo.com>; Ashraf
<syguia@aol.com>; avijit <avijit_dev@yahoo.co.in>; baainews@yahoo.com
<baainews@yahoo.com>; banglanari <banglarnari@yahoogroups.com>;
celeti@aol.com <celeti@aol.com>; delwar <delwar98@hotmail.com>; Devdas
sarkar <dsarkar1@hotmail.com>; Farid <akhtergolam@gmail.com>; hannan
<sahannan@sonarbangladesh.com>; himu.rozario@comcast.net; iftikhar
<hnhtex99@yahoo.com>; inara_islam@hotmail.com; Isah Khan
<bd_mailer@yahoo.com>; javed <javediqbalkaleem@yahoo.com>; jiban
<imrulalqays@gmail.com>; kamal <kamal4000@yahoo.com>; Khabor
<khabor@yahoogroups.com>; khurshid <mirza.syed@gmail.com>; lal
<lalhgehi@yahoo.com>; mmozumder <mmozumder@doeal.gov>; mramjam
<mramjan@hotmail.com>; Munir <captmunir@gmail.com>; Nizam
<nizam_moer@sky.com>; Nizam <nzh.biman@gmail.com>; onasis
<cdm@dhaka.net>; Rosy <roseplanet@gmail.com>; saifpacific@yahoo.com
<saifpacific@yahoo.com>; Shamim <veirsmill@yahoo.com>;
turkman@sbcglobal.net; ulfat <ukabir@hotmail.com>; wahed
<wahedb@gmail.com>; yousafzai <well.kaleem@gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:39:07 -0500
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Bangladesh/Failed/State
The tone in the BNP/ Jamaat supported media outlet coverage of
Bangladesh has increasingly become apocalyptic. Folks, armageddon is
just around the corner. Imam Mehdi is set to return on 12th of April,
2012 to save the Hizbullah faction of BNP from the inferno of their own
making. Talk about 'Desher Bhab-Murti' !! Chickens are coming home to
roost. The culture of indemnity and impugnity promulgated by the
anti-liberation forces with the massacre of Bongobondhoo and his
family, is finally paying rich dividend. Bongobondhoo's cherished dream
of building the foundation of the nation on the basis of a secular
ideology, has gone up in the smokes. The proliferation of the Islamic
extremism and fundamentalism has been well documented. It is tearing
the very fabric of the nation apart. Everybody in Bangladesh knows that
the new generation of Bangladeshi militants are more lethal than the
Naxalities in India. The slaves of Allah will go to any length to
impose the 'Nizam-e-Shari-e-Tay Muhammadee' on the nation by any means
necessary. Today eleven officers were removed from the Army—including
two generals for their involvement in the grenade attack on Awami law
maker barrister Taposh. Folks, what is going on here? What else can
describe this convoluted thinking? Imminent demise of Awami led
government is inevitable via another 1/11? The nation must ask, why
the army officers are getting involved in the politics of the country?
If you look around, all the failed states are Muslim states—I ask you
to do some soul searching and some serious self-introspection. Muslim
states have to be propped up by loans to buy the guns from the
infidels---proppedup by money from Kafirlands--- proppedup by borrowing
secondary knowledge from the infidels? Folks let's face it-- it is the
poverty that causes these states to become failed states. In our case,
we are not only physically and materially poor--but also spiritually
bankrupt. The UBL's ultimately dream is to see one failed state after
another so that he can impose the will of Allah to 'save' the mankind
from the world gone mad. I say, now is the time for Allah to show his
courage and generosity and shower his slaves with unearned income i.e.,
oil, gas, and gold---otherwise, they are destined to join the exclusive
fraternitiy of 'failed states'.
SaifDevdas
islam1234@msn.com
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. Sign
up now.
------------------------------------
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.comYahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
alochona-digest@yahoogroups.com
alochona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
alochona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Dear Alochock,
Do you agree with this article?
I agree with part of it. This author is against some extream ideas and
I see his points. I failed to see what he stood for. Seems like he is
more interested in opposing than standing up for islam.
God gave us freedom to worship Him or to reject HIS faith. Muslims
supposed to follow Quran and Sunnah only. We are not supposed take clue
from Saudi or Canada.
Because fundamentals of Islam are sound. I see in some places this
"Syed" fellow is more focused on opposing than anything. Maybe this is
popular trend for clueless people but this is not Islam.
It seems major Hasan had issues with his lonely life and mistakenly
thought he was doing something noble. He violated direct order of the
noble Quran
(source- 5:32). You should not try to be better Christian than the
pope.
It is a sad situation. We should stand united against this senseless
killing.
This is not the time to blame islam for a frustrated man and poor army
managerment in Texas.
We should take opportunity to study authentic Islam and stand up for
humanity.
-QAR
-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Khundkar <rkhundkar@earthlink.net>
To: Alochona <alochona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:57:54 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [ALOCHONA] The Saudi-ization/ Radicalization of Islam in the
US by Syed Nadeem Ahsan, MD
Major Nidal Hasan and Us.Syed Nadeem Ahsan, MD The Saudi-ization/
Radicalization of Islam in the US places America and Muslim-Americans
at grave risk. The cover of this week's Time magazine asks; "Is Fort
Hood an aberration or a sign of things to come?" A perfectly reasonable
question given that a major driving force behind Major Hasan's
psychopathic rampage is his belief system, one that was acquired here
in the US at a mosque that is quite similar to the mosques you and I
might have been attending in our own towns. Mosques where
indoctrination of Muslims into the ways of the Wahabi is on
going. Speaking at the memorial for the fallen soldiers at Fort Hood,
President Obama told the crowd of mourners; "No faith justifies these
murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with
favor..." . This is a silly half-truth at best and a craven,
patronizing lie at worst. But Obama means well when he defends Major
Hasan's god, even when everyone knows that the god of the Wahabis does
indeed encourage slaughter of the innocent. You need to look no
further than the many thousands dead and dying in Pakistan for an
illustration. Major Hasan is merely the tip of a particularly sinister
iceberg, emblematic in both his bewilderment and actions, of the
worsening disarray that Muslims in the US are falling into. This
crisis is by and large of the making of the mosques that have the
unique misfortune of being squarely in the clutches of obscurantist
Saudi-begotten mullahs that are often from parts of the world where
Muslims are forever being humiliated by the belligerence of the
Israelis, Israel's surrogate; US foreign policy, and their own
dictatorial governments, and who, through uncontested ownership of the
bully pulpit, are brow-beating hapless American-Muslims into
unquestioned acceptance of a particularly poisonous brand of faith; the
Wahabi-Arab Islam of the sort Major Hasan practices. In 2006, six men
attending the Palmyra mosque in New Jersey were arrested and
subsequently found guilty of planning an attack on US soldiers
stationed at Fort Dix in New Jersey. Despite this, the leadership of
that mosque has failed to display any worthwhile contrition and has
steadfastly refused to change the tenor of the discourse at that
mosque. Similarly, the mosque in my hometown in New Jersey, built
mostly through the efforts of a Pakistani-American couple few years
ago, has over the last two years been taken over completely by
Saudiized radicals. The Imam, a young Saudi-indoctrinated zealot takes
every opportunity to torment young children entrusted to his care with
ironclad guarantees of hell if they do such horrible things as go
trick-or-treating on Halloween or even celebrate their own birthdays!
This man and his fellow guest Imams openly militate for good Muslims to
withdraw from the mainstream. They demand that Muslims minimize their
interactions with the mushrikeen and follow the Imams' edicts sans
question. The obscurantist, isolationist mindset they wish to
inculcate amongst American-Muslims is rapidly becoming the predominant
mindset, one that is an obstacle in the way of Muslims becoming fully
engaged citizens of this great nation, like the Jews or Hindus have
become, and one that will lead to the downfall of all Muslims in this
country as more Major Hasans launch suicide missions and fed up
Americans do all they can to restore order. In a recent article titled
"The Saudiisation of Pakistan", Pakistani academic/commentator Pervez
Hoodbhoy wrote: For three decades, deep tectonic forces have been
silently tearing Pakistan away from the Indian subcontinent and driving
it towards the Arabian peninsula. This continental drift is not
physical but cultural, driven by a belief that Pakistan must exchange
its South Asian identity for an Arab-Muslim one. Grain by grain, the
desert sands of Saudi Arabia are replacing the rich soil that had
nurtured a magnificent Muslim culture in India for a thousand years.
This culture produced Mughul architecture, the Taj Mahal, the poetry of
Asadullah Khan Ghalib, and much more. Now a stern, unyielding version
of Islam (Wahhabism) is replacing the kinder, gentler Islam of the
Sufis and saints who had walked on this land for hundreds of years. A
picture very similar to this is emerging in the US as well, creating
such monstrosities as the 9/11 hijackers (15 out 19 of whom were
Saudis!), Major Hasan and further oppression of Muslim women. The
Saudi-isation of a once-vibrant Pakistani-American culture too
continues at a relentless pace. Social events are becoming increasingly
segregated and Wahabi proselytizers can be found in numbers even at
completely secular community events such as Pakistan Day
celebrations. Islam's last remaining hope was the Muslims of the West.
But this hope too is being extinguished by the Saudi-Wahabis that have
completely taken over American mosques -- and more tragically, American
Sunday schools, where little minds are being filled with the kind of
fanaticism that leads to the sort of behaviour Major Hasan exhibited.
The odds are stacked against those that wish to rescue Muslim
communities from this scourge. The Saudi-Wahabis are too resourceful
and way too entrenched already for the rescuers to be able to mount a
meaningful revival. Muslims are becoming more marginalized each day and
Muslim children are in increasing danger of being ostracized by the
mainstream. The crisis for Muslim-Americans is compounded by the fact
that their leadership remains in the hands of such groups as the
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which supports the Saudi
regime, and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which is
composed of members of Jamaat e-Islami, a Pakistani fundamentalist
organization that helped to establish the Taliban. These organizations
are taking advantage of the fact that Americans don't like to interfere
in the religion of other people. But the reality is that Saudi Islam
isn't a religion, it's a politicized radical ideology. And the people
who are being taught this ideology are prime targets for recruitment by
terror organizations. And the true moderates in the American-Muslim
community are continually losing ground and being made to retreat
further and further from their non-Salafi Sufi/Barelvi antecedents; the
Islam of co-existence and the Islam of being an active part of the
mainstream. A small ray of hope would appear to be such movements as
the Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC), founded by Tarek Fatah, a
Pakistani-Canadian journalist and the Washington DC-based Center for
Islamic Pluralism (CIP). Both organizations are looking to counter
Wahabi madness through a belief in a progressive, liberal, pluralistic,
democratic, and secular society where everyone has the freedom of
religion. It goes without saying that that fanaticism and extremism
within the Muslim community is a major challenge to all of us. We must
stand opposed to the extremists and must present the more humane and
tolerant face of our community to our fellow-countrymen and to the rest
of the Islamic world. Because if things keep going in the current
direction, all of us, conservative-Muslims, liberal-Muslims,
secular-Muslims, cultural-Muslims, we will all be buried together under
the deluge of American outrage. And we all know our children deserve
better. ------------ --------- ----- The author is an academic
physician working in Philadelphia, PA, and can be reached at
dervaishbaba@hotmail.com
------------------------------------
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.comYahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
alochona-digest@yahoogroups.com
alochona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
alochona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/