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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Re: [ALOCHONA] Fwd: Fwd :My trip to Malaysia to Attend the WISE Conference



Dear Alochok,
 
It would be helpful if you specify where you disagree with WISE conference( Everything or some of it). Otherwise some of your posts looks like rant against the west. History shows us that, civilizations come and go. Once Muslims lead the world in knowledge and power and they have falled far from their glory days.
 
When the time comes there will be new powers to lead the world. However we should focus if we are working to improve the conditions of Muslims (If your concerns are with Muslim communities) or not.
 
During second world war two ships full of Jewish refugess were turned back to Europe to face death by the USA. Historically USA was not a country friendly to Jews. When Israel wanted to gain knowledge of atom bomb in the fifties, the USA decided to reject that project ( At Demona plant). France decided to help Israel in this regard. Today hard core Israelis do not consider France as their best friend. Rather the US became their trust worthy friend. I am sure they will find "Best friend" among Chinese or Indians in future if that serves their purpose. It is not a big deal !! :-)
 
Last 60 years Jewish community worked very hard to establish themselves in the US and make their case by using media and polilical institutions (Like the US congress--now it is almost owned by pro Jewish groups). Now most prominent US institutions are aligned with their goals as well. I respect the Jihad waged by the Jews who had faith in God (To their understanding) and worked to establish themselves. Actually they did not have many choices left to them.
 
I am afraid some of us Muslims forgot their responsibilities towards the world. Islam did not come for any particular community rather it came as a mercy and guide for human kind. Therefore, we cannot live our lives balming the west or other groups for our situation.
 
It is only natural west will be more comfortable with "Liberal" Muslims (Rest of us are hostile to them!). Those of us think that,  we carry "Authentic" Islam have to make an effort to reach out to the western world and remove their misconceptions about fundamental teaching of Islam. It is going to be hard and lot of patience will be required. This is the only way to spead peace for humanity. That is the true test of faith in Allah (SWT). Because He created everything under the sun and how we treat them will say a lot about who we are. ....
 
I do not consider myself highest authority of religion. But this is the teaching I found out whenever I read about Islam and history of the noble prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was sent as "Mercy" to all creations of the universe[ Source: Al Qur'an]. It is only fitting we have love and mercy towards all (Even if some of them do not like us).
 
Therefore, if I had power, I would join such conferences and make my case to the world. All of us has a mouth to speak and we can make our case clearly and logically like any other group. Inshallah If we have faith and do it in a rightous (And peaceful) way Allah (SWT) will help us.
 
The world knows what Muslims are against, this is the time to show them what we stand for..........
 
Respectfully,
 
qr



-----Original Message-----
From: Isha Khan <bdmailer@gmail.com>
Sent: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 10:52 am
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Fwd: Fwd :My trip to Malaysia to Attend the WISE Conference

 
----- Forwarded message ----------

From: Javed Ahmad

 
This program is a part and parcel of the ongoing effort called the "Faith Based Initiatives" introduced during the Bush administration. As the West is taking closer look into Islam they are realizing that this religion will become an inseparable part in the world societies in the future. Therefore, what they are trying is to 'modernize' Islam as per their choice and liking (as they did with other religions) to fit their agendas so that they could continue to rule without any problems. In other words, they are creating a new sect among the 73 predicted by our Prophet (SM). From reading the following paper one can clearly see that -

1. Majority of the participants are 'liberated' Muslims advocating for 'women empowerment' who do not want to give up their belonging to Islam but would like to remain a Muslim in their own terms.

2. The free program is fully sponsored by an American organization in Malaysia and NOT in the USA. Thus taking full advantage of their over inflated dollar value overseas that actually does not carry such a value.

3. Their aim is to accomodate some unislamic 'values' in the name of Islam with the expectation that they will be accepted by the Muslims. And they are counting on 'fatwas' by Muslims scholars to get this done. In other words, they are counting on some 'individual's fatwas' instead of the instructions in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

4. "Sufiism" appears to be main interest among the participants. But was our Prophet (SM) a sufi? Did he practice or advice his followers to practice sufiism? Sufiism itself is a sect.

5. Although the paper is claiming that the participants are taking more and more interest in Islam, but from their discussion and agenda it is apparent that majority of the participants are Islamically empty vessels. Their only weight is on their professional achievements in a secular background. None of them care about Islamic values and its way of life. None of them wear hijab or nikab.

6. So basically, it was a conference of the hypocrite Muslima's supported and funded by the Western financial system with a worthless currency that will soon collapse and will be dumped by all nations. This sort of efforts will continue as long as we value their currencies. In other words, only through their economic collapse these sort of anti-Islamic intrusions will stop.

--- On Tue, 6/1/10, Isha Khan <bdmailer@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Isha Khan <bdmailer@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd :My trip to Malaysia to Attend the WISE Conference
To:
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 9:34 PM


Please see this report.It gives us good understanding  of various trends among activist Muslim wome and what we should do.

Shah Abdul Hannan
sahannan@sonarbangladesh.com


My trip to Malaysia to Attend the WISE Conference

Dr. Syeda Sultana Razia,

Associate Professor, BUET

(Published in the Journal of BIIT, Dhaka )


I have traveled to Malaysia to attend the WISE (Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality) conference organized by New York based organizations ASMA (American Society of Muslim Advancement) and Cordova Initiatives. About 200 participants (mostly women)   from   about   60   different   countries   attended   the   conference.   The   organizers sponsored the airfare, and food/lodging for all the participants from 16    to 20    July 2009 in Impiana Hotel at Kuala Lumpur.

Despite few organizing pitfalls the conference was an enormous success in exposing the participants to the diversified activities of Muslim women from all over the world. It also provided  the  big  picture  and  directions  of  the  ongoing  development  work  of  women activists in Muslim world. The participants who were invited are mostly involved in real life work and could be classified as moderate to liberal Muslims. Among them were NGO workers, journalists/columnist/editors, writers, media personalities, lawyers, students and experts  of  Islamic  Shariah/Islamic  studies/sufism,  (I  met  one  lady  who  is  well  versed  in Ibnul  Arabi).  Women  like  Dr.  Nafis  Sadik,  (Under  Secretary  General.  UN),  Dr.  Amina Wadud, Samina Ahmad (Rock band Junoon's business manager), Santanina Rasul, (first Muslim  Senator  of  Phillippines,  elected  twice  in  1987  and  1992)  are  some  of  the renowned  names  participated  in  the  conference.  Marina  Mahathir  and  Mrs  Abdullah

Badawi of Malaysia were also involved with the organizers. For unknown policy reasons, the   members   of   the   mainstream   Islamic   movements   were,   however,   absent   in   the conference.

A number of presentations dealing with women empowerment were made by participants from  different  part  of  Muslim  world.  Several workshops  on  specific  topics  were  offered by the experts of related fields. An all female Shura council, Muftiyyah training program and Muslim women's fund were launched in the conference. A book of biographies of all participants were published and made available to the participants free of cost. My personal observations on the conference and participants are

1.   The   injustice   towards   Muslims   worldwide   gave   birth   to   a   people   who   are passionate  to  identify  themselves  as  Muslims  whether  they  are  adherent  to  the Islamic ideology or not. 9/11 gave birth to a similar brand of Muslims in American society.

2.   Marriage  and  divorce  law  as  practiced  in  different  Muslim  societies  are  the  two most   discriminating   laws   facing   by   Muslim   women   irrespective   of   their geographical   location.   Bringing   justice   to   female   rape   victims   is   another problematic area common to all Muslim societies.

3.   More and more Muslim women are studying Shariah, Islamic studies etc as topics of  interest  and  matriarchal  reading  of  Quranic  text  is  becoming  popular  among these women.

4.   Interest  in  Shariah  and  academic  degree  in  related  fields  (either  from  secular  or religious  school)  were  considered  as  the  main  criteria  of  selecting  female  only members of the Shura council. This council would be responsible for carrying out Ijtihad and issuing fatwa on different women issues on behalf of WISE.

5.   Hijab was treated as a cultural and optional practice of Muslim women.

6.   Practice   of   Sufism   and   spirituality   were   very   much   visible   in   many   of   the participants  who  were  well  versed  in  congregational  meditation  similar  to  those prescribed by silva or quantum method.

7.   It   was   reported   in   one   of   the   workshops   that   although   socially   and   legally prohibited,  sexual  promiscuity,  premarital  and  extra  marital  sex  are  becoming more common in many Muslim countries   (including Pakistan, Indonesia, Middle east, Jordan etc). It was also specifically mentioned that the virginity of unmarried boys and girls in Muslim society is becoming a myth rather than a reality. It was suggested that the stigma related to sex without marriage should be removed from

Muslim  society.  The  workshop  was  led  by  Ms  Seyran  Ates,  a  German  lawyer, writer and publicist of Turkish origin. She believes that marriage is not a necessary condition  for  forming  a  family.  In  personal  life  she  is  a  mother  of  one  girl  and never married.

8.   It was also interesting to observe that organization (NGO) like Sisters in Islam of Malaysia, although controversial, is effective in many ways and has strong Islamic philosophical base supported by personality like Dr. Amina Wadud.

Future considerations towards gender justice  

1.   Marriage and divorce law should be made more legible, convenient to both parties and   related   resources   should   be   readily   available.   Pre-marriage   training   and counseling regarding the requisites, rights and responsibilities of marriage should be arranged and the content of nikahnama should be made familiar to the potential brides and grooms.

2.   Punishment   and   conditions   for   punishment   of   adultery   (Zinah)   and   their applicability   in   contemporary   world   should   be   reviewed   and   revised   by   the mainstream scholars. Special attention must be paid so that rape case is not mixed up with adultery.

3.   In past, the strict interpretation of women dress code, i.e. hijab led to seclusion of women  from  social  life  and  caused  major  damage  to  Muslim  society  although situation is improving since last century. However, too many arbitrary and 'liberal' interpretations  of  Quranic  terms  Khimar,  Jilbab  and  Juyub  have  caused  the  dress code  to  lose  its  essence  of  modesty.  This  is  evident  in  many  westernize  Muslim societies where Muslim women cannot be distinguished from non-Muslims by the way they dress-up. In present world the dress code of Islam can be used as a guard against widespread vulgarity and nudity. Hijab with its essence of modesty should, therefore, be encouraged and popularized in Muslim societies not only to fulfill the religious obligation but also to combat the malaise of indecency.

4.   The breaking down of family as institution is complete in the West. The vibes of it is being felt in Muslim societies as a group of so-called progressives are trying to create social acceptance of sex without marriage as a natural phenomenon. It is an irony  that  when  the  activists  of  the  west  are  raising  voice  against  the  enduring sexual exploitation of women in the name of sexual liberation, our progressives are encouraging the very vise of sexual promiscuity in Muslim society in the name of social  need.  We  have  faced  similar  line  of  arguments  in  favor  of  legalizing prostitution  in  Muslim  societies.  Nevertheless,  it  is  imperative  that  Muslims  all over the world take necessary actions to prevent social permissiveness and family break down at once.

5.   The  patriarchal  reading  of  Quranic  text  as  well  as  interpretations  of  incompetent people  in  many  occasions  led  to  injustice  towards  a  particular  section  of  the society  i.e.  the  women  folk.  The  matriarchal  reading  of  the  text  is  potentially  as harmful  and  as  susceptible  to  unqualified  interpretations  as  patriarchal  reading. Thus  the  main  objectives  of  the  present  day  scholars  and  activists  should  be  to focus  on  the  methodology  towards  balanced interpretations and to put emphasize on  the  competency  of  the  interpreters  in  terms  of  both  intellectual  ability  and devotion.

6.   Last but not least, fatwa and interpretations should preferably be issued by a body of competent scholars (representing both genders and different school of thoughts) rather than individuals.

Finally,  my  write-up  would  be  incomplete  if  I  do  not  acknowledge  Ms  Daisy  Khan (Executive  Director  of  ASMA)  whose  brainchild  is  WISE.  She  is  an  example  of  those extraordinary  people  who  has  the  courage  to  give  up  profession  for  passion.  Ms  Khan spent twenty-five years as an interior architect before committing to full-time community service. I salute Ms Khan and her relentless team for organizing a successful conference.



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[ALOCHONA] Textile Minister on AL and the media



Textile Minister on AL and the media
 
 


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[ALOCHONA] Digital education



Editorial : Question paper leak at BG Press
 
No mercy must be shown to those involved

THERE is little question that corruption in government is a sad reality we have lived with for years. Even so, there is in us that certain feeling that as governance improves and public sensibilities get to be more sharpened, such wrongdoing will be rolled back and the country can move on toward its desired goals. That being the sentiment, it comes as a shock for all us that some government staff have been involved in the crime of leaking question papers in return for dishonest financial gains. The crime we speak of concerns the Bangladesh Government (BG) Press taking place in Rangpur and involving a number of candidates for the position of assistant teachers at public high schools. As a report in this newspaper on Saturday notes, elements at the BG Press sold question papers related to an interview for the positions for a rather staggering amount of Tk. 25 lakh. The interview was, of course, cancelled as a consequence of the leak.

The manner in which the whole scam was organized speaks of the sophistication and strategic planning that were brought into the scandal. Those involved made it a point to have some candidates peruse the question papers, on payment of Tk. 2 lakh each, at a guest house in Gangachhara upazila of Rangpur. They were to pay an additional Tk. 3 lakh each once the examinations were over. They were forbidden to take out the question papers or to copy their contents. They were only permitted to commit the questions to memory, which again was a bizarre situation. In any case, what is jarring is the involvement of government employees in such a sensitive area as a government printing press. Besides, when the matter involves a public examination, it is shocking that some employees there could so easily and recklessly set up links with corrupt elements and in exchange for money agree to let them know the questions beforehand. In simple terms, departmental confidentiality, to say nothing of trust, has been undermined here. Of course, such leaks of questions have happened before, particularly at educational institutions. But now that it is the BG Press which is involved, one can only guess what might happen --- and on a graver and bigger scale --- in future if the problem is not tackled right away.

Altogether 167 people have been arrested over the scandal. The authorities have constituted a five-member probe body to inquire into the incident. We urge that the body go into the details of the scandal and submit its report by the July 19 deadline given to it. Moreover, it is important that the report be made public in the interest of citizens. We also think that a wholesale survey of all such institutions be conducted immediately in order for any gaps or loopholes to be plugged for the future. And it goes without saying that those found guilty of involvement in the Rangpur BG Press scam be given exemplary punishment as a deterrence for those tempted to commit similar crimes in future. No mercy should be shown here.
 
 
 
 


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[ALOCHONA] Extortion, bid to control halls led to 30 factional clashes in 18 months



Jahangirnagar University :BCL off the leash
 
Extortion, bid to control halls led to 30 factional clashes in 18 months

Illegal toll collection, attempts to dominate other factions, establishment of control over dormitories led to violent factional clashes among Bangladesh Chhatra League activists in Jahangirnagar University over the last year and a half.

The university authorities' inability to punish culprits and central Chhatra League's powerlessness to control its JU unit have also helped the situation to deteriorate.

Members of the JU Chhatra League unit engaged in at least 30 violent intra-party clashes including two gunfights on university campus since the ruling Awami League assumed power in January 2009, the highest number of factional clashes in any educational institution in a span of 18 months.

The clashes left at least 200 people including teachers and policemen injured.

The clash on July 5 alone left 33 people, including a top university administrator, injured. Chhatra League men locked in the clash over taking control of a dormitory and a piece of land near the campus.

Talking to The Daily Star, Chhatra League leaders, activists and teachers of the university said the central committee of the organisation has hardly any control over its JU unit. The top two Chhatra League central leaders have little "acceptance" among JU unit leaders.

Taking control over dormitories and tender process of development work, collecting toll from public-transport vehicles at their stoppages, grabbing pieces of land in Savar and Ashulia that have ownership disputes and establishing supremacy over the rival group were the main reasons behind most of the 30 violent clashes, they added.

Sources said the JU unit collects around Tk 1 lakh from Bishmile Tempo Stand, a few factories in EPZ and ticket counters of buses every month.

JU Proctor Md Arzu Miah told The Daily Start that the politics of JU unit Chhatra League is no longer based on ideology, rather on various interests.

"Their activities damage the image of the university, hamper the academic atmosphere and are slowing down the development work of the university," he said.

Fifteen days after the Awami League assumed power, Chhatra League men engaged in a violent clash on January 18, 2009 leaving at least 30 people injured. Following the clash, Chhatra League central suspended the activities of its JU unit for a month. A day before the suspension was to end Chhatra League men had a daylong gun-battle between themselves.

Chhatra League central dissolved the committee of its JU unit on February 17, 2009 and announced a fresh committee of the unit on May 19 this year.

Central Chhatra League President Mahmud Hasan Ripon and General Secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Rotan, however, did not visit JU in the last 18 months fearing insult and attack by JU unit leaders, sources claimed.

After the July 5 clash, JU administration suspended 17 students, most of them activists of Chhatra League.

But no action was taken against the leaders of the two feuding groups--Chhatra League JU unit President Rashedul Islam Safin and General Secretary Nirjhar Alam Sammo--basically led their own groups in the clash.

Chhatra League activist Anik Kumar Saha of Batch-36 Drama and Dramatics department was photographed with a large lethal weapon on July 5. The photo was run by most dailies the next day. He is, however, yet to face any charges.

Alamgir Hossain of government and politics department is now behind bars and Mahfuzul Islam Mahi of the same department has been temporarily suspended from the university in connection with the clash. Both of them are widely known to have had nothing to do with the incident.

JU Proctor Arzu even admitted that there were some innocent students behind bars. He said the innocent would be released.

THE JULY 5 CLASH
The July-5 clash erupted when Enayed Kabir Emil and a few others of Nirjhar's group beat up Mostafa Manwar Sajeeb, an activist of Safin's group. The fighting spread fast.

Tension was running high between Safin and Nirjhar groups for a few days over taking control of a piece of land at Padua area and toll collection from bus and human haulier stands near campus.

Safin, however, denied his involvement in the clash and claimed that it was staged by some people who failed to get posts in the unit committee.

NO CONTROL
After 14 months of suspension, fresh committee to the unit was declared on May 19 this year. Chhatra League insiders claimed the central committee formed the JU unit committee in exchange for handsome amount of money.

Central Chhatra League President Mahmud Hasan Ripon, Safin and Nirjhar, however, refuted this allegation of money changing hands.
 


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[ALOCHONA] Interview with Recep Tayyip Erdogan



Interview with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in full

The Prime MInister of Turkey discusses the Kurdish separatist crisis with Martin Fletcher and Suna Erdem of The Times

The Times: Are you really serious about launching a military operation against the PKK in northern Iraq, or just trying to put pressure on the American and Iraqi governments?

Erdogan: I am the Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic and if you notice the motion we presented to parliament has the support of 507 MPs. There were 19 no votes. An administration that takes upon itself this kind of responsibility does not do this as a bluff. We are at the limits of patience and tolerance. We have lost thousands, tens of thousands of people. Britain lived through this with a small number of losses (he later clarifies this as referring to 'these latest terror attacks' rather than the IRA) and I cannot forget the response the British administration gave at the time. This business is very sensitive. We are using and will continue to use to the full all our authority on a national and international basis against this separatist terrorist organisation that is flouting international laws to base itself in a neighbouring country. Civilians are definitely not the target of this operation. The target of this operation is definitely not Iraq's territorial integrity or its political unity. The target of this operation is the terror organisation based in the north of Iraq.

The Times: In the case of northern Iraq are you talking about bombing or about ground troops going in?

Erdogan: Of course we cannot talk about these things now. The technical side is the responsibility of the relevant institutions. Undoubtedly they are better able to appraise the priorities of the case.

The Times: Would your rule out ground troops?

Erdogan: It would not be right to make any kind of distinction here. As I said, whatever is necessary will be done. So far we have acted by taking into account three dimensions: the political, diplomatic and military aspects. It is now time for some results.

The Times: You have previously mentioned that technology had developed and people have taken from that the idea that you will have a more technological, precision-based operation…

Erdogan: Of course in this case advanced technology is being and will be used in the most ideal way. But if you are talking about weapons of mass destruction of course there is no question of anything like that.

The Times: You are talking not about if the operation will happen but when the operation happens…

Erdogan: I am speaking with reference to the motion we presented (to parliament). This is a framework – if you notice the contents have not yet been spelled out. The Turkish parliament has given this authority to the government. Within this framework, when it will happen, how it will happen and in what geographic area it will happen – all this will be fleshed out after discussions and negotiations with the relevant institutions. We hope that this business can be resolved without any need for such an operation. But for this to finish the terrorist organisation must be driven out of northern Iraq, its training camps must be dismantled and its leaders must be handed over.

The Times: If you proceed with this operation it will cause a major breech in your relationship with the United States. President Bush has appealed to you not to use military action. Does that concern you?

Erdogan: We have told President Bush numerous times how sensitive we are about this issue but up till now we have not had a single positive result. America is our strategic partner. But in northern Iraq we feel that both the terrorist organisation and the administration there are sheltering behind America. They (the US and Iraqi governments) wanted to set up a trilateral mechanism, we said okay. We set up a trilateral mechanism. But this trilateral mechanism yielded absolutely no results.

How much more patient can we be? We have always given international support in the fight against terror. We were asked to help in Afghanistan and we took our place next to the United States in Afghanistan. We have commanded ISAF twice. At the moment the central administration in Afghanistan is also under our command. In the same way we took on similar duties in various regions. When Turkey has been behaving with such sensitivity it makes us sad to see American weapons being found in the possession of the terror organisation acting against Turkey. In our country a serious wave of anti-Americanism is fast gaining a momentum all of its own. This did not happen overnight for no reason. The developments in Iraq are very important here. In this case the American administration should think about why there are such developments in Turkey.

The Times: A military operation would also harm your efforts for EU membership because the EU has also urged restraint…

Erdogan: Until now we have not received such a request. Yet here we are using and will continue to use the rights given to us by international law. If there is a question of terror being used against you from a neighbouring country you have legitimate rights under international law and you will use them. When we use this right we do not need to ask permission from anyone.

The Times: You have by your own admission mounted 24 previous incursions into northern Iraq. Why would this one be any more successful than any of the previous ones?

Erdogan: It would be wrong to speak before we have done anything. Of course every operation aims to be successful. You may or may not achieve this – that is a different issue. The United States came to Iraq from tens of thousands of kilometres away. Why and for what purpose it came I cannot say. Whether it has so far been successful I cannot say. But if you ask me my personal opinion – there's no success that I can see. There is just the death of ten of thousands of people. There is just an Iraq whose entire infrastructure and superstructure has collapsed. These need to be correctly evaluated.

The Times: Are we talking in this case of an operation of a totally different scale to any previous attacks?

Erdogan: It would not be right to discuss this at the moment.

The Times: To what extent did the house foreign affairs committee's approval of the Armenian resolution make it more likely that you would take action against the PKK? Has it inflamed nationalist sentiment here, has it made you less willing to heed the appeals of president Bush?

Erdogan: For a start let me say with all sincerity that the American administration has taken all the steps it can with regards the measures taken by the Foreign Affairs Committee. I would like to thank President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and all other representatives of the senior administration who have made efforts in this direction.

But I look at this as a whole. The so-called Armenian genocide has its own dimension, the presence of the separatist terror organisation in northern Iraq has its own dimension. The developments with regards the so-called Armenian genocide have an ugly aspect of domestic politics about them. Because those who sign up to a campaign against Turkey in relation to the so-called Armenian genocide are really the ones firing a bullet at the friendship between America and Turkey.

I speak with great self-confidence when I say we have opened up our archives – let the Armenians open theirs if they have them. If any third countries have them let them open them up as well. Let Historians work, let art historians, legal experts, political scientists, archaeologists work. Let us make a joint decision based on the results of their findings. We have not run away from this. I wrote a letter to (Armenian President Robert) Kocharyan in 2005 and I have still not had an answer. The diaspora is working under a different premise. It is not possible for us to accept the taking of such steps with no basis on documents or research. Our history is not the history of genocides. Our religion would never allow this. Therefore we do not accept this.

The Times: If the house does approve this resolution how would you retaliate?

Erdogan: Would it be right for me to tell you now?

The Times: Yes…

Erdogan: There is a saying in Turkey – you do not measure a nappy for an unborn child.

The Times: Would American use of Incirlik (air base) be jeopardised?

Erdogan: (Laughing, shrugs) I don't know…

The Times: Quite apart from genocide the US and Turkey seem to be at odds on a whole range of issues from Iran to Hamas to Syria…and you yourself said in your article in the Wall Street journal: the relationship was like a spider's web. It could disintegrate. You said it was becoming increasingly hard to defend the relationship..How do ordinary Turks view the relationship with America now? Are ordinary Turks now questioning the value of that relationship?

Erdogan: I am not speaking about the American administration but let me speak about a way of thinking in America. I went to the opening of a 75,000 capacity stadium in Aleppo in Syria on the invitation of President Bashar Assad. A lot of things were written to the effect that my previous visit was not right. But when I went to the opening of this stadium I observed something interesting – I was told that Mr Lantos and Ms Pelosi were also in Damascus. So how do those who dislike my going to Syria square this with the fact that the leaders of the House of Representatives and the Foreign Affairs committee are visiting Syria?

The Times: Would you like to characterise the state of US-Turkish relations? Do you think they are in a state of crisis?

Erdogan: I do not think so. I do not want to think so. Because both we as the Turkish administration and the American administration are making efforts to continue our relations in a positive manner. But let me say this clearly: If a law relating to the so-called Armenian resolution passes through the US Congress then America might lose a very important friend.

The Times: You said earlier that you were very open to discussions of the whole issue of genocide? Why not let the Turkish people discuss it? Why not repeal article 301?

Erdogan: 301 is not an article that has anything to do with this. The contents of 301 are very different. 301 is actually an article that mainly relates to insults to the state administration of the Turkish republic. This is why it is about insulting Turkishness. But this is not about ethnicity. It includes insulting the head of state, insulting the Parliament speaker, I believe the Prime Minister is also included. Nevertheless we are working on 301. In the law of most European Union countries there are articles similar to this. Although we have yet to reach a conclusion we are looking at explaining the expression "Turkishness" with a separate paragraph. This would be to the effect that by Turkishness we do not mean any ethnic quality but an expression defining constitutional citizenship. Another area of change is related to whether the crime is committed at home or abroad. There was a 50 percent increase in the sentence if it was committed abroad, but we are planning to decrease this to the same sentence whether committed at home or abroad.

The Times: Isn't the problem with 301 has been the way it has been interpreted…Therefore don't you think these nuances will be ignored by gunmen who decide to shoot people based on conviction under this law. Isn't the problem that it symbolises too much now for any subtle changes to make much difference?

Erdogan: But the current article does not create the basis for anything like this. For one thing it has absolutely nothing to do with Armenians – it is not an article targeted at our Armenian citizens. It would be very wrong to come to this conclusion based on the Hrant Dink incident. At the moment there are 40,000 Armenians who have fled Armenia and come to live in Turkey. They are illegal in Turkey and we know about this.

The Times: Under the amended law would Mr Pamuk (a Turkish author) be allowed to use the word genocide?

Erdogan: Was he sentenced before any changes were introduced?

The Times: He was prosecuted….

Erdogan: There can be prosecutions. Any citizen can apply to the prosecutors' office and the prosecutor must open a case. But the court can then dismiss the case.

The Times: But in the real world you know and I know that EU countries that do not want Turkey to be a member will use article 301 against Turkey?

Erdogan: So far we have not come across anything like this, but as I said, there are similar articles to 301 in all European Union countries.

The Times: The Prime Minister's government has introduced a whole range of judicial and economic reforms, it has relaxed restrictions on the Kurds, diminished the power of the military. Do you ever feel frustrated that EU membership seems to come no closer whatever you do? Does you feel the EU is reneging on its promises?

Erdogan: Apart from feeling like this, of course EU countries are not completely standing by the promises they made to Turkey. We know this process is difficult. At the moment Turkey is far more advanced the latest 10 or 12 countries to join the EU, both in terms of the political Copenhagen criteria and the economic Maastricht criteria.

The Times: Does there come a point at which Turkey says enough is enough and walks away from the process?

Erdogan: Don't you think it is too early for such a question (laughs).

The Times: What will you say to Gordon Brown on the subject of Turkey and the EU given that the leaders of the EU's two other big countries, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, are both openly opposed to Turkish membership…?

Erdogan: Above all Britain has been at our side right from the beginning. Until December 17th (2005, when accession talks started), indeed on December 17th Germany and France also acted with us. They gave us their support. I cannot say that the period after December 17th has been free of trouble. But as you know we have just had Germany's Presidency and under Germany's Presidency we were able to open three chapters. Our current relations with Mrs Merkel and Mr Sarkozy have reached a good point. I believe that as we grow to understand each other this process will speed up. There will always be difficulties. There can be problems between friends but we can overcome these in a friendly manner.

The Times: But you are also saying that European countries are not standing by their word?

Erdogan: Yes I say this to them as well.

The Times: Which countries are not standing by their word?

Erdogan: This depends on the subject. The main political imposition at the moment is Cyprus. This is the main issue that is brought before us. But in the end our friends will realise that we are in the right. Because a big injustice was done to us and to northern Cyprus. The EU wanted our support for the 24th June referendum. They wanted the Annan plan to pass. Northern Cyprus said yes and southern Cyprus said no. Northern Cyprus was punished and southern Cyprus was rewarded. That was published afterwards and this is very important as well. But despite everything our European friends unfortunately included southern Cyprus in the EU. If I am not mistaken I have read in the newspapers that Mrs Merkel considers the awarding of EU membership for southern Cyprus a mistake.

The Times: Turkey badly wants to be part of the West but sometimes Europe treats Turkey with contempt …? How do you square those two attitudes…?

Erdogan: You cannot have grudges and hatred between nations. In general we answer them in a similar tone – sometimes this is loud and sometimes this is softer. Sometimes it has to be a case of "God give me patience". For instance my relations with Britain have always been good. Our relations with Tony (Blair) were very good. We have started well with Mr Brown and things are going well. I believe that it will be even better from now.

The Times: There was a headline in Newsweek a year ago asking 'Who lost Turkey?'. Is there any danger of Turkey turning towards Russia or Iran or the East?

Erdogan: We have no such aim. This has been decided and now we have a Turkey that has set up its institutions and rules according to this (Turkey's Western vocation). But I would like to particularly stress one point: We are saddened that The Times has allowed itself to be used for the PKK separatist terror group's propaganda. Because in Britain you have also paid heavily the price of terror. It is imperative that we develop a concept for the media based on a common stand against terror and a common sense of responsibility. We need a strategy that involves of course not just the British media but also Turkey's media.



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Re: [ALOCHONA] Re: The sky, the mind, the ban culture



Dear Ezajur,
 
As I have mentioned earlier about SBA there is no way you can expect any thing objective from him, he can criticise the whole world and in a very distictive literary forms but nothing against Awami League.
Today our biggest tragedy is we do not have any writers who you can read with an objective mind, if you want to read them either you need to put yourself in AL or BNP's mind set.
How much you try to bring it to their attention, no use. Otherwise, same columnist or writer could have benefit the country in a great way.
Amader pora kopal. 

--- On Wed, 7/7/10, ezajur <Ezajur@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: ezajur <Ezajur@yahoo.com>
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: The sky, the mind, the ban culture
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, 7 July, 2010, 3:28 PM

 
Syed Badrul Ahsan does everything possible to divert the reader from where blame lies - if blame lies with Awami League. Here he talks about everything under the sun in a crafty, roundabout way. He thinks he is very manipulative but for those who care enough to look twice his blind partisanship is very plain to see.

Which is why he will talk about Pakistan banning Mujib but never mention Mujib banning political parties, the press etc. Whatever the situation, these people will find a way of twisting things in favour of their party and their their nethri.

So he brings in Mujib, Tagore, Pakistan and even banning the sky.

But what he should be doing is writing about who is responsible for the current banning fad in Dhaka. But what can you expect? Under no circumstances will people like him attack those who are doing the banning if those who are doing the banning belong to their party.

And people like him are lead writers in the Daily Star.

It is a horrific situation.

Hey Badrul - talk about everything but don't talk about AL leaders who are behind the banning. Bloody rubbish Nethri system turns men into mice.

And Badrul is a mouse. Just like every other man who swears blind loyalty to his Nethri and doesn't have the basic morals to protest injustice within his party.

We are a nation of mice.

--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "ezajur" <Ezajur@...> wrote:
>
> Syed Badrul Ahsan is the Head of Awami League Current Affairs at the Daily Star. This piece is one of the best examples of what is wrong with intellectualism in Bangladesh today. This piece is deliberately diversionary and misleads the reader to a place far away from where the reader should be. It is political trickery posing as non partisan intellectualism.
>
> It is appalling that he is in such an important position and it is appalling that he is getting away with this kind of journalism - a kind of yellow journalism that hides both its real origins and its real motives.
>
> This is about as irrelevant and nonsensical a piece that you will find.
>
> Just what the politicians love to see in our papers.
>
> Instead of holding authorities to account Syed Badrul Ahsan has us reaching for our dictionary.
>
> Hey Badrul! Nowka! Nowka!
>
>
>
> --- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Ezajur Rahman <Ezajur@> wrote:
> >
> > The sky, the mind, the ban culture
> > Sadat Uddin Ahmed AmilSyed Badrul Ahsan
> > THE ban on Facebook could be lifted within days. Or perhaps by the time you read this in print, it might already have been withdrawn. But that is not what exercises our minds at this point. What we are upset about is the brusqueness with which the attack on Facebook was made. Of course, if there is anything obscene that has appeared on it, if the reputations of citizens, powerful or meek, have been ridiculed, all that the authorities needed to do was to go after those who indulged in such nefarious deeds. But to assume that an entire system can be done away with or simply run out of town only rekindles in us all the old thoughts of bygone rulers trying to govern us through control mechanisms that eventually did not amount to much. Control led to chaos. The mechanisms broke down.
> > The trouble with the post-modern era is that you cannot have all your wishes come true. All this technology around you is really daunting. More importantly, there is the matter of citizens' increasingly powerful sensibilities coming into play. Think back on the Tagore centenary celebrations in 1961 here in this land. Much effort was put into the job of trying to disrupt the proceedings by the Ayub Khan regime because it and its toadies believed Bengalis were actually celebrating the genius of a Hindu bard. Nothing worked for the regime, though. The presence of Justice Syed Mahbub Murshed at the head of the Tagore programme warded off the sinister shadow of the regime. The wolves then lay low, until the time came a few years later when Khwaja Shahabuddin, Ayub's information minister, finally clamped a ban on Tagore music in East Pakistan. That victory proved pyrrhic, though. By the late 1960s, Tagore was back and with him, with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
> > Rahman in the forefront, Bengali nationalism was in the ascendant.
> > Banning has never been a solution to a problem. It has been a problem on its own. Look at the record. Military regimes in Bangladesh and Pakistan, having shot their way into power, have gone for imposing a ban on or a suspension of the constitution. That act was speedily complemented by restrictions on the way women would move around. It is rather curious that one of the first things coup-makers do is push civilised laws under the carpet and go for an inspection of female anatomy, in the latter instance, eventually deciding what women should be wearing or not wearing. Well, as history informs us so gleefully, constitutions have always come back and women have certainly refused to have their couture chosen by soldiers propping up illegitimate governments. Usurper regimes have gone for a ban on politicians and political parties. Yahya Khan thought banning the Awami League in 1971 would resuscitate a dying Pakistan in our lives. In the event, the Awami
> > League only made sure that Pakistan was banned in Bangladesh for all time in December 1971.
> > There is something about the mind that rebels, always. When you ban a book, you are not only stifling intellectual freedom but also you are, at the same time, provoking people into wanting to read it. It is then that clandestine ways are discovered for the book to be distributed to as wide a circle as possible. You can threaten a writer with beheading; you can force a writer into exile. But do not forget that such ham-fisted measures only make the writer that much more appealing and readers that much more demanding. You can come up with all the excuses you can muster about the absence of moral dimensions in a movie and then clamp a ban on it. Once you do that, you are helping in the creation of an insular world for yourself. Insularity, you will of course remember, was what brought down apartheid South Africa and white minority-ruled Rhodesia.
> > There is a certain degree of arrogance which comes with banning. Turkey's generals, for all their appreciable role in upholding the country's secular traditions, made the mistake of arguing that women could not wear headscarves. The consequence was defiance. Watch the wife of President Abdullah Gul. She never lets go of her headscarf. And like her, other Turkish women have taken to ignoring the scowl of the army. Just as the state cannot decree what raiment people can get into, individuals or groups of individuals cannot and must not insist that a particular sect of believers be proscribed as a faith. You can observe your religion in all its totality, but you cannot turn it into a weapon to intimidate adherents of other beliefs. In much the same way, you cannot be self-righteous about your politics and then use it to hunt down people and destroy their reputations on spurious charges of treason. If you do, you will find the guillotine waiting for you. Do
> > not forget America's Joe McCarthy.
> > The mind is certainly wider than the sky. You cannot outlaw the sky, can you? Why must you then try putting the mind in fetters? Why not ban the ban culture itself?
> > Syed Badrul Ahsan is Editor, Current Affairs, The Daily Star.
> > Email: bahsantareq@
> >
>




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