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Sunday, June 7, 2009

[ALOCHONA] Re: Tipaimukh protests politically motivated : Indian HC



I agree with you Bhai Cyrus.

Shamim Chowdhury

Maryland, U.S.A.


--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Cyrus <thoughtocrat@...> wrote:
>
> If the Indian HC doesn't like our protests, he can go back to his motherland! We stand against India's continued control of water sources that affect our lives.
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "bd_mailer@..." bd_mailer@...
> To: Dhaka Mails dhakamails@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2009 9:58:39 AM
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] Tipaimukh protests politically motivated : Indian HC
>
>
>
>
>
> Tipaimukh protests politically motivated : Indian HC
>  
>
>  
> Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty questioned the wisdom of Bangladeshi experts speaking against India''s Tipaimukh dam as he said they don''t have basic data about the scheme and that they are raising voice getting "politically motivated",( UNB)
>
> "Your experts don''t have basic data--some of them, I am afraid, being politically motivated. They are raising the issue for other reasons," Pinak told reporters in reply to a question regarding the planned Tipaimukh barrage over the common river Barak while emerging from a meeting with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni Wednesday.
>
> He said the matter of Tipaimukh was not discussed Wednesday at the meeting but "we have provided information, whatever available, to Bangladesh side."
>
> The Indian envoy reasserted that Tipaimukh is not a ''water-diversion' ' project but a ''hydroelectric project'', and both Bangladesh and India would be beneficial from the mammoth project. He said traditionally the project will generate electricity which can be shared, if possible.
>
> "After the use of water for generating electricity, it would flow back into the river and flow its natural course," he told the journalists, explaining their design of the dam.
>
> Pinak further said the project would also help in controlling floods as, during rainy season, a lot of water rolls down the rivers and cause floods in downstream areas of Bangladesh.
>
> He further noted that if it makes some control of rivers, it would also help supply more water into rivers in the lean season when flow of water is scanty.
>
> The Indian High Commissioner said they offered Bangladesh team to visit the Tipaimukh barrage project site to see themselves what is happening. He said they would provide all available information about the dam to the team.
>
> Replying to a question about detained Indian national Daud Merchant and his associate Zahid, he said they might seek consular access for the detainees as they are Indian nationals.
>
> The Indian diplomat said he mainly discussed with Foreign Minister Dipu her visit to India on invitation from the new Indian External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna.
>
> He handed over the invitation letter to Dipu Moni today.
>
> They also discussed and decided to sit again for making detailed plan for visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India.
>
> http://www.newstoda y-bd.com/ frontpage. asp?newsdate= #19712
>



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[ALOCHONA] Re: Govt seems to be undermining Tipaimukh danger



BNP-Jamaat alliance was in power when Indian government finalized Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Project in Manipur in 2003. The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (neepco), the government agency entrusted with the responsibility of building power projects in the northeast, has been handed the project. In November 2005, it floated a global tender for the project. In July 2006, the pre-bid qualification of the tender for the first phase wasd opened. Initially Indian government budgeted five thousand crore for this project.

 

The ball was finally rolling from Indian side in 2003 while the BNP-Jamaat alliance government in Bangladesh was sleeping. Irresponsible, incompetent Khaleda government did not utter a single word about Tipaimukh from 2001 to 2006 while in power. It is obscure to believe India did not informed Bangladesh about their Tipaimukh project, therefore there is a possibility that BNP-Jamaat alliance gave a secret green signal to go ahead with this illegal unilateral decision and India took a chance on head bowing BNP-Jamaat government.

 

When all the unthinkable was happening with Indian unilateral decision only few miles from Bangladesh soil, two successive government, Khaleda-Nizami and Iazuddin-Fokhruddin failed to raise the issue with India and failed to inform people of Bangladesh about its danger.

 

People of Bangladesh learned about Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Project on river Barak, the second largest river in the region in Manipur as well as river Tuivai after Awami League led alliance came into power. For the month and half we have seen numerous seminar symposium making attempt to create awareness among common people as well as government.

 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had already started bilateral talks with Indian counter part on Tipaimukh project. Government has rightly decided to form two-examination committee. Out of this two committee, one will comprise all party parliamentarians and the other will include technical experts. Both committees will visit proposed Tipaimukh Hydro Eclectic project as fact finding mission, from there report Bangladesh will make its case on how to place Bangladesh interest on Indian unilateral decision on Tipaimukh hydro electric project.

 

Interestingly, Khaleda-Nizami alliance government all off a sadden wakeup from their deep sleep and trying to  make some buzz ward for political reason against Tipaimukh project, the project that they gave secret green signal to Indian authority in 2003 selling the interest of Bangladesh for mere political gain.

 

The nation still vividly remembers, Khaleda Zia led her delegation to India on 26 to 28 May of 1992 to talk to her counter part P.V. Noroshima Rao then Indian Prime Minister. During this trip she forgot to raise the question about not getting due shares of water from Farraka Barrage. After coming back from the tour India, facing criticism from press then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia acknowledged that she forgot to raise the question with her Indian apart.

 

This is extremely sad for people of Bangladesh that Prime Minister Khaleda Zia can forget to raise a life and death question with Indian authority. Interestingly while Khaleda Zia forgot to raise the Farakka issue she signed a treaty with Indian government on June 26 1992 on Tinbigha corridor for 999 years lease. We know among many other problems Tinbigha is one of the thorns between India-Bangladesh relations, Khaleda getting a chance to be in power for three times could not resolve it.

 

We as a nation must find all facts about Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Multipurpose project before interest of Bangladesh is dashed out one more time. We must stand as a nation and not allow India to erect anything, which will be against the interest of Bangladesh. However, to do that we must first learn about all if and but about Tipaimukh project. I hope Khaleda Zia will disclose all facts about Tipaimukh projects and her government's actions and deeds with Indian government during her last stay in government 2001-2006. Nation need to know if there was any secret deal with Khaleda-Nizami, alliance government in 2003 before Indian government gave the final authorization on this project and formed The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (neepco).

 

Sincerely,

Shamim Chowdhury

Maryland, USA


--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Mahathir of BD <wouldbemahathirofbd@...> wrote:
>
> http://www.newagebd.com/2009/may/28/edit.html
>
> Editorial
> Govt seems to be undermining
> Tipaimukh danger
> THE Awami League-led government, it increasingly seems, has somehow been convinced by its New Delhi counterparts that there is benefit for Bangladesh to be had from the construction of the Tipaimukh Dam/s on the river Barak. Ever since the Indian high commissioner disclosed late last week India’s plan to go ahead with the construction of the dam, at least three members of the cabinet said Dhaka would not oppose the project if it benefits Bangladesh. The commerce minister, Faruk Khan, as usual, came up with by far the strongest hint that the government may have been already convinced that dam could after all benefit, and not harm, Bangladesh, when he told journalists on Tuesday that ‘those who are talking too much against construction of the dam are talking without knowing anything…’ He did say the government ‘will soon send a delegation comprising experts and parliamentarians to see what is going on there and how it will benefit Bangladesh.’
> That is, however, hardly reassuring.
>    It would indeed be interesting to know who the commerce minister was accusing of ‘talking too much… without knowing anything’; after all, the individuals who have been at the forefront of the ever-intensifying wave of opposition to the Tipaimukh project are mostly experts with years of experience under their belts. Interestingly still, many of them are Indians. They are unanimous in their conclusion that the Tipaimukh Dam/s would wreak an environmental disaster of an unimaginable magnitude and adversely affect millions of people on either side of the Bangladesh-India border who rely on the Meghna river system for their livelihood. Needless to say, their conclusions are based on an ever-growing pile of scientific evidence.
>    The benefit that the government may be envisaging, i.e. import of electricity generated from the dam, could turn out to be a chimera. In an article published in New Age on May 21, Dr Solbam Ibotombi, who teaches earth sciences at Manipur University and is a staunch critic of the Tipaimukh project, writes that ‘the dam was originally conceived to contain the floodwater in the Cachar plain of Assam but, later on, emphasis has been placed on hydroelectric power generation, having an installation capacity of 1,500MW but only firm generation capacity of 412MW.’ If so is the case, what percentage of the 412MW of electricity the government expects to import from India, which is no less electricity-starved than Bangladesh, and at what cost? As argued by Ibotombi and other Indian experts, the cost involved here is not just the cost of electricity but the irreparable economic and environmental damage that the project is likely to cause.
>    When there is a growing body of scientific evidence as well as strong opposition within India against the Tipaimukh project, the argument put forth by the commerce minister and some of his colleagues, i.e. there may be benefit in the project for Bangladesh, can hardly be construed as being a product of naivety and inadequate knowledge. In fact, given the Indian government’s perceived predilection for the Awami League, it could very well be construed as the government’s willingness to submit to Delhi’s plans. Here, the credibility of the government is not at stake alone, the livelihood of millions of people in India and Bangladesh is as well. The ministers in question would surely have done a great service to the country and to themselves if they took the pains to gather the details of the dam project and also go through the scientific evidences that point at the potential economic and environmental damage that the Tipaimukh project would
> cause. If they had, they might have thought twice before suggesting that Bangladesh is likely to benefit from the project and that the critics of the project are ‘talking too much… without knowing anything’.
>
> Is there any army in the world that can win over 150 Millions people? Should we be afraid of any country?          
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>                                
>                               
>


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[ALOCHONA] Evil Ibn Taymiyyah



God had stopped backing Moslims before 900 A.D. because of people like this stupid Salahuddin and God had provided proof of that by letting QramTaiyn demolish 'Kaabaa' and taking 'Hajray AswaD' to Bahrain. They used to shit inside the demolished Kaabaa and rape daughters of Meccans in its compound.
 
MoTazilla had tried to change God's mind but Moslims had started slaughtering them and had killed that movement. God has not looked back at Moslims since then and this is why Moslims, who were once the most advanced in Sciences are now so illiterate, backwards and poor. JehaaDis amongst them have become Savages.
 
Moslims have invented nothing major for the last 800 years besides Sects. Not much difference has been left between Moslims and Animals because after Animals are bron, they also eat, drink, make babies and die like Moslims. Very sad situation.  

--- On Sun, 6/7/09, SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn.com> wrote:
 
Nizam Bhai>
Is this man retarded? Isn't my post absolutely clear about the cause of Muslim downfall? Cause being, the closing of the Ijtihaad Movement ( Independent thinking movement) started by Mutazillas back in 10th Century which started the glorious period of scientific Islam. Ibn Tahimiya, Abdu and Abdul Wahab decided that the reason the Muslims are in such dire shape is because they have left Quran and started bidah(innovation). One can disagree and give an alternative reason of Muslim lagging behind in science and technology. This Bhangi Kaa Bacchaa, Salauddin, does not give reasons for his disagreement and starts adhominims and personal attack. I don't know where the moderators are in this debate. They should ask the ilks of reactionary, intolerant brutes to counter an argument with reason. As they say, brute force I can handle, but brute reason? There is something unfair about being hit below the belt. Nizam Bhai, you are an enlightened man--you tell the forum why I am wrong in my historical analysis of 'where the muslims have gone wrong and why.I had requested this man to stop being abusive and i told him 'I don't know you, you don't know me' why you are hurling personal insults. We are all in search of truth and when truth wins, we all win. But he is bent on murderous tirade and intolerant behavior, that's why I have reported him to FBI in Washington, to keep an eye on his posts. By revealing the true identities of fellow forum members, he is inciting the fanatics to murder the apostates. He and his cohorts, have revealed the names of Turkman and Mohammad Asghar, putting their lives in great danger. They cannot travel to Islamic countries because, you see, Quran clearly calls for the beheading of the Apostates. This is the finest example of your tolerant Islam! Great tragedy is--the Muslims---still quote their Holly Book, where it says 'there is no compulsion in Islam'. If there is no compulsion in islam--then why I have to be murdered if i leave Islam? Muslims are so brain dead that they cannot see this clear Contradiction in Quran. 
 
SaifDevdas
islam1234@msn.com




 

From: nizam_moer@sky.com
To: s_ayubi786@yahoo.com; history_islam@yahoogroups.com; abusayeedr@yahoo.com; abutaher@gmail.com; afsaruddin2000@yahoo.com; aftab_kazmi@hotmail.com; ajmol.ali@treas.state.nj.us; akhter@erols.com; malamgir1@aol.com; alochona@yahoogroups.com; anisahmed63@yahoo.com; baainews@yahoo.com; bancan@gmail.com; banglarnari@yahoogroups.com; bsyed@worldnet.att.net; bakkah@comcast.net; celeti@aol.com; mustafizmrk@yahoo.com; drshabbir@bellsouth.net; enayet_2000@yahoo.com; farhadmazhar@hotmail.com; akhtergolam@gmail.com; mrisa@dhaka.net; friendzforallah@yahoogroups.com; mgsmibrahim@yahoo.com; sahannan@sonarbangladesh.com; hashimn@bellsouth.net; imamca@yahoo.com; bd_mailer@yahoo.com; itouchfree@yahoo.ca; jashimuddin@comcast.net; islam2743@yahoo.com; economytravel@comcast.net; kamal4000@yahoo.com; lahmed@apexlending.com; abusol123@hotmail.com; mahbub28se@yahoo.com; mbimunshi@gmail.com; mohammad_b_haq@yahoo.co.uk; mohiuddin@netzero.net; ayesha1970@hotmail.com; mozumder@aol.com; mramjan@hotmail.com; msa40@aol.com; mufassili@yahoo.co.uk; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; captmunir@gmail.com; mushtaq1@msn.com; islam1234@msn.com
Subject: RE: Evil Ibn Taymiyyah
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 14:38:14 +0100

 

He is clearing misunderstandings to know more. If you can interpret better, then do so and enlighten us.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Salahuddin Ayubi [mailto:s_ayubi786@yahoo.com]
Sent: 07 June 2009 14:12
To: history; abusayeeddr; abutaher@gmail.com; afsaruddin2000@yahoo.com; Aftab Kazmi; Ajmol ali; akhter@erols.com; Alamgir; Alochana; anisahmed63@yahoo.com; baainews@yahoo.com; bancan; banglanari; Bashir; Bob Siddique; celeti@aol.com; Colonel; drshabbir; enayet; farhadmazhar@hotmail.com; Farid; Faruque MW; friendsforallah; General Ibrahim; hannan; hashimn@bellsouth.net; imamca; Isah Khan; itouchfree@yahoo.ca; Jashim; jostna; Kabir; kamal; Lasker Ahmed; M. A Solaiman; mahbub28se@yahoo.com; mbimunshi@gmail.com; mohammad_b_haq@yahoo.co.uk; mohiuddin; Montu; MOZUMDER; mramjam; msa40@aol.com; mufassili; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; Munir; Mushtaq; Nizam; SAIF Davdas
Subject: Re: Evil Ibn Taymiyyah

What is this Bhangidas upto? Why is he spreadingg misinformation against Islam? Is he apaid agent of the enemies of Islam or is he a chicken fucker?
                          Ayubi

--- On Sun, 6/7/09, SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn.com> wrote:

From: SAIF Davdas <islam1234@msn.com>
Subject: Evil Ibn Taymiyyah
To: "history" <history_islam@yahoogroups.com>, "abusayeeddr" <abusayeedr@yahoo.com>, abutaher@gmail.com, "afsaruddin2000@yahoo.com" <afsaruddin2000@yahoo.com>, "Aftab Kazmi" <aftab_kazmi@hotmail.com>, "Ajmol ali" <ajmol.ali@treas.state.nj.us>, "akhter@erols.com" <akhter@erols.com>, "Alamgir" <malamgir1@aol.com>, "Alochana" <alochona@yahoogroups.com>, anisahmed63@yahoo.com, "ayubi" <s_ayubi786@yahoo.com>, "baainews@yahoo.com" <baainews@yahoo.com>, "bancan" <bancan@gmail.com>, "banglanari" <banglarnari@yahoogroups.com>, "Bashir" <bsyed@worldnet.att.net>, "Bob Siddique" <bakkah@comcast.net>, "celeti@aol.com" <celeti@aol.com>, "Colonel" <mustafizmrk@yahoo.com>, "drshabbir" <drshabbir@bellsouth.net>, "enayet" <enayet_2000@yahoo.com>, farhadmazhar@hotmail.com, "Farid" <akhtergolam@gmail.com>, "Faruque MW" <mrisa@dhaka.net>, "friendsforallah" <friendzforallah@yahoogroups.com>, "General Ibrahim" <mgsmibrahim@yahoo.com>, "hannan" <sahannan@sonarbangladesh.com>, hashimn@bellsouth.net, "imamca" <imamca@yahoo.com>, "Isah Khan" <bd_mailer@yahoo.com>, itouchfree@yahoo.ca, "Jashim" <jashimuddin@comcast.net>, "jostna" <islam2743@yahoo.com>, "Kabir" <economytravel@comcast.net>, "kamal" <kamal4000@yahoo.com>, "Lasker Ahmed" <lahmed@apexlending.com>, "M. A Solaiman" <abusol123@hotmail.com>, "mahbub28se@yahoo.com" <mahbub28se@yahoo.com>, mbimunshi@gmail.com, mohammad_b_haq@yahoo.co.uk, "mohiuddin" <mohiuddin@netzero.net>, "Montu" <ayesha1970@hotmail.com>, "MOZUMDER" <mozumder@aol.com>, "mramjam" <mramjan@hotmail.com>, msa40@aol.com, "mufassili" <mufassili@yahoo.co.uk>, mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com, "Munir" <captmunir@gmail.com>, "Mushtaq" <mushtaq1@msn.com>, "Nizam" <nizam_moer@sky.com>, ranuc29@hotmail.com
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2009, 5:40 AM

 
In 1550---A Great Mind Tariq-Al-Din, built An Observatory in Istanbul, unparallel in the history of mankind that had an accurate Mechanical Astronomical Clock for measuring the position and Speed of the Planets. Taqi al-Din's discovery of observational clock was more accurate than his contemporary---the Great Hazrat Copernicus!  The Scientists working there had the ability to describe the motion of the Planets, Sun and the Moon!!! Just like the Christian priests of that day, who had declared Copernicus and Galileo Kafir------Mullah's also declared Tarq-Al-Din Kafir and shut down the scientific enquiry. Chief Mufti of the Ottoman Empire, that great Slave of Allah, advised the Ottoman Emperor Sultan Murad III, that Allah does not like this scientific business and proof of that was the Plague in Istanbul that year! The bloody fool became convinced that this astronomy business is against the will of Allah. By Allah, in 1580 the greatest scientific laboratory was destroyed and a grand mosque was built in its place. Folk's ideas do have consequences. The above Fatwa was the direct result of following the Quran and Sunna. It was Ibn-Tahimiya who gave the Fatwa and I quote, "I have read all the scientific books and I declare today that this is all non-sense. All the answer is in this holly book—Quran"! He mastered eight subjects----that included Mathematics, Astronomy, Medicine, Physics and Chemistry. How a logical mind be so illogical and suicidal. That is my point---when you blindly follow someone else's thoughts, you are doomed. God has given every human being Aql. Just because Mohammed, Musa, Isa, or Einstein had said something, don't believe it blindly. Independently verify it and subject it to rigorous scientifically approved investigative methods. When the Industrial revolution was taking place in England---his followers, true to his teachings----were memorizing Quran. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the malaise that afflicts the Muslim Umma. We have become a footnote in the history's pages and it indeed makes perfect sense that we Muslims acquire the WMD, so that we can blow up this goddam world and commit mass suicide. When the Kafirs are thinking how the world will look like 1400 years from now---We Muslims are thinking even beyond----we are thinking how we will enjoy the Milk, Honey, Sharaban Tauhura, 72, 14 year old Huris and 14 year old green eyed boys! Even Allah is sick to His stomach with his Slaves. Allah should have done what British Council by a Decree did in 1102 and Lincoln did in 1857---He should have freed his Slaves!
 
SaifDevdas
islam1234@msn.com
To: History_Islam@Yahoogroups.Com
From:
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 20:38:23 -0700
Subject: *~history**Islam~*** Who was Ibn Taymiyyah ?





Who was Ibn Taymiyyah ?

Published by Admin on 2004/3/30 (8545 reads)

By Aisha bint Muhammad

The entire world of Islam was trembling with fright as an imminent target of Tartar oppression. Iraq, Iran, and Khurasan continued to be despotically ruled by the Tartars. Egypt, Sudan, Syria, and Hijaz were ruled by the Memluk turks. Simultaneously, a large Christian evangelical movement was mounting to censure Islam. The crusaders were incessantly attacking Palestine and the European Christians residing in Syria and Cyprus had become emboldened to criticize the prophethood of Rasoolullah (saws), compose works on the alleged truthfulness of Christianity, and to invite theological debate.

 

As the external pressures mounted upon, several internal problems plagued the Muslims. A so-called Muslim sect known as the Batinites was conspiring with the enemies of Islam to destroy the Muslims. They sought to propagate their creed which was based on Magian doctrine and Platonic concepts and spread misguidance among the Muslims. It was also at this time that a sufi sect, called the Rafaa'iyah, with its neo-platonic gnosticism and Hindu pantheistic ideas, had introduced the concepts of divination, and the use of charms and spells into Islam. In addition, other concepts alien to Islam had been injected into the Muslim society by influence of the dhimmis living in the Muslims lands.

By this means, the practices of worshipping, supplicating to, or excessively praising saints were also introduced to the Muslims. Even as the ignorant masses fell deeper into the pits of misguidance, some scholars, themselves, had become entangled in the web of theological rhetoric and philosophical jargon, thereby allowing heretical beliefs to creep into the Islamic creed. In the midst of this degradation, the other scholars of Islam were stagnant. An attitude had arisen among them that nothing could be added to the corpus juris of the shari'ah already formulated by the scholars of old and that any deviation from the corpus of one's own juristic school was a grievous sin.

 

So it was that the scholars sought to prove the validity of their own juristic school's claims rather than subordinate their interpretation to the supremacy of the Quran and Sunnah. The door of ijtihad was closed and with it any of the inherent dynamism and flexibility in the shari'ah that would have checked the problems of a rapidly changing and deteriorating society. Such was the situation of the Muslim Ummah in the seventh century after Hijrah. From among this ummah came a man who would change the time he lived in with his exceptional knowledge, devotion, courage.

 

He was a mujtahid and a mujahid and he fought all of the enemies of Islam, internal and external, being opposed all the way, and persevering even in the face of insurmountable obstacle. He was a great scholar, son of a great scholar, who was the son of a great scholar. Taqi al-Din abu al-'Abbas Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Halim, commonly known as Ibn Taymiyyah, had a family history which was just as illustrious as his own life. His grandfather, Abd-ul-Barakaat Majd ud-Din (d. 652 AH) was a renowned teacher of the Hanbali school. His father, Shahab ud-Din 'Abdul Halim (d. 682 AH) was the pulpiter of the great Ummayyad mosque and a professor of Hadith in Damascus. Ibn Taymiyyah was born on Monday, the 10th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal 661 AH in the city of Harran, Syria.

 

At the age of seven, his family moved to Damascus, fleeing from the Tartar invasion. He studied with over 200 sheikhs, among them his own father and four women. Ibn Taymiyyah was the model student due not only to his zeal for learning but also to his amazing mental capacity and particularly his prodigious memory. An eye-witness account of his amazing memory was preserved in the writings of a scholar: "Once a scholar of Haleb who came to Damascus heard of a prodigious child, Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, renowned for his marvelous retentive power. Coming to a tailor's shop near Ahmad's house he sat down there to wait for the child. After a short while, the tailor pointed out the boy sought by him. He summoned the boy and asked him to wipe off his table so that he could write on it. The boy handed over the clean tablet to the scholar who wrote 11 or 13 ahadith on it and then asked the boy to read them carefully once. Now, the scholar took back the tablet and asked the boy to repeat what he had read. The boy repeated them all without a single mistake. The scholar got the table wiped off again and wrote thereon a few transmitting chains of the ahadith. The boy went through these and again repeated the whole thing. Astonished at the feat of the boy's memory he remarked: 'If Allah wills him to live, he would be a genius without a peer in the whole world.' " [1]

 

From his childhood, he was never interested in games or sports, and the pursuit of knowledge consumed his life. He mastered all of the religious and secular sciences of his time giving special attention to Arabic literature, grammar, and lexicography. He also learned the laws of shari'ah, Jurisprudence, Hadith and Quranic sciences, and studied the Hanbali system of law under his own father. Besides this he also learned calligraphy and mathematics. A close examination of his work suggests that he followed none but the early pious Muslims (salaf al-salihoon) and it is for this reason that his movement is often called the salafi movement. He was the champion opponent against all of the different innovations that had infiltrated the deen in his time. He had a particular fancy for the tafseer (explanation) of the Quran. Ibn Taymiyyah, himself, explains the way he used to persist in pondering each verse: "Sometimes I have gone through as many as hundred commentaries of a single verse of the Quran. After I have dipped into these pages, I have supplicated Allah to enlighten me about the true content and significance of the verse. I pray to Allah thus on these occasions: 'Thou art the Exalted Teacher of Adam and Ibrahim. Favor me Thou with the essence of this verse.' " [2]

 

Among the other tasks that Ibn Taymiyyah took upon himself was the response to the contemporary Ash'arite school of dialectics that was them predominant in Syria and Egypt and which was in opposition to the Hanbalite position. He learned and mastered the study of dialectics, logic, and philosophy and to such a degree that he so forcefully argued against the Greek philosophers that no philosopher of note came forward to rebut his criticism. Ibn Taymiyyah always tried to prevent, by force if necessary, all accretions and innovations in religion. He taken upon himself the responsibility of acting as a public censor who would purge the deen of any heretical ideas. He formed a society for this purpose and even accompanied some expeditions to fight the guilty heretical sects that has conspired with the crusaders and Tartars.

His jihad was not only an ideological one, but he also personally participated in the battles against the Tartar army. In 699 AH, when the Egyptians army was unsuccessful in holding of the Tartar army from Damascus, almost all of the inhabitants of the city had fled and so the few remaining patricians of the city, among them Ibn Taymiyyah, decided to meet the Tartar king and ask for the peace of the city. While the others trembled in his presence and would dare not speak out, Ibn Taymiyyah was uninhibited and strongly defended truth and justice. One of his companions in the delegation recounts Ibn Taymiyyah's courage: "I was with the Sheikh on this occasion. He set forth in his address to the King the Quranic verses and ahadith enjoining fairness and just conduct. His voice gradually rising, he was drawing nearer to the king until his knees were about to touch those of Ghazan who was attentively listening to the Sheikh but didn't appear to be displeased with him. He was straining his ears as if struck with awe. At last he asked, 'Who is he? I have never seen a man like him -- so brave and courageous; none has made a dent in my heart as he!' the Sheikh was then introduced to the King. The Sheikh said to the King: 'You claim to be a Muslim. I have been told that you have with you a Qadi and an Imam, a Sheikh and a mu`adhdhin; yet you have deemed it proper to march upon Muslims. Your forefathers were heathens, but they always abstained from breaking the promise once made by them. They redeemed the pledges they made, but you violate the word of honor given by you. You trample underfoot your solemn declarations in order to lay a hand on the servants of Allah!' " [3] His companion adds that despite Ibn Taymiyyah's remonstrance in a strong language, the King bade him good-bye with the highest mark of respect. he ever set free, on Ibn Taymiyyah's recommendation, a good number of prisoners. Ibn Taymiyyah often used to say: 'Only he fears who has a sickness of heart.' [4]

 

Then in 702 AH, he participated in the battle of Shaqaab and helped defeat the Tartars Naturally, Ibn Taymiyyah began to be recognized as one of the leading scholars of Syria and his popularity was increasing but some of the scholars became envious of him and resented his trying to enforce the shari'ah. Ibn Kathir explains: "A group of the theologians was jealous of Sheikh Taqi ud-Din Ibn Taymiyyah because of his position in the court of the governor and also for his acting as a public censor who had taken upon himself the responsibility of enforcing what was lawful and preventing what was prohibited. They were envious of his growing popularity and of the love and respect accorded to him as well as of his learning and zeal for religion." [5]

 

As a result of this and strong opposition by some of the scholars to his views, Ibn Taymiyyah was imprisoned several times yet he never wavered in his belief and was unmatched in his generosity in forgiveness. In 705 AH, he was summoned to Egypt where he was interrogated in reference to his belief about the nature of Allah's attributes. Qadi Ibn Mukhluk Maaliki, one of Ibn Taymiyyah's fiercest opponents, was appointed as the judge in his case. He was imprisoned along with his brothers, Sharaf ud- Din 'Abdullah and Zaid ud-Din 'Abdur-Rahman. [6] Many had pleaded incessantly for his release until, after a year had passed, he was offered to be set free if he renounced his creed. The offer was made to him as many as six times, but he always refused, saying, "The prison is dearer to me than what I am asked to affirm." [7]

In prison he found his fellow prisoners emmersed in a life of sin and he raised his voice against these abuses such that not long after his arrival, he changed the whole atmosphere of the prison. A number of the prisoners became his devoted disciples who, on being released, opted to stay with their beloved teacher than to return to their families. [8] Perhaps nothing is as much of an indication of Ibn Taymiyyah's moral excellence as is his show of mercy and forgiveness to those who inflicted so much harm on him. In a letter he sent to Syria soon after his release, he says: "...I do not want that anyone should be avenged for my suffering or for leveling false allegations against me, for I have already forgiven everyone of them. I desire the well-being of every Muslim -- the same as I desire for myself. All those persons who discredited me or deposed false evidence against me or caused trouble to me are not the least accountable so far as I am concerned; no responsibility lies upon them on my score." [9]

 

This was only the first of the many times he was imprisoned and in every cases he forgave the perpetrators of the injustice against him and was patient with his fate. Still, some were not satisfied, and continued to put forth allegations against him. One of his rulings stated that no journey to a shrine, even if it be to the grave of Rasoolullah (saw) could be undertaken as an act of devotion under the shari'ah. His enemies used this seventeen year old statement to discredit him among the ignorant ones. The order for his arrest came on the 7th of Sha'ban, 726 AH, and when news of this came to Ibn Taymiyyah, he said, "I was looking forward to it. It has a lot of goodness and grace for me." [10]

While in prison he completed 80 recitals of the Quran and wrote several books and treatises. When the authorities confiscated paper and writing materials from him he wrote with charcoal on any loose sheets of paper he could find. He completed a 40 volume tafseer called al-Bahr al-Muheet. He wrote in total over 500 books according to Imam adh- Dhahabi, most of them in prison. While his enemies succeed in containing his person, they couldn't contain his mind, wisdom, and scholarship and while they considered that they were harming him, he had a different perception. He writes in a letter: "Thanks to Allah that we are now engaged in a fight in the way of Allah. The battle we are fighting here is not a bit lower in order than our previous warfare against Ghazan, the heretics of the hills and the propagators of pantheistic monism. This is undoubtedly a blessing of Allah on us, although most of the people are unaware of it." [11] And so he died as he lived, in a constant struggle for the sake for Allah (swt).

 

Zaid ud-Din 'Abdur-Rahman relates that after completing eighty recitals of the Quran, Ibn Taymiyyah started it again with him. However, when he reached the closing verses of Surat al-Qamar: "Lo! The righteous will dwell among gardens and rivers firmly established in the favor of a Mighty King." [54:54- 55] he expressed his desire to continue the recital with 'Abdullah ibn Muhib and his brother, 'Abdullah az-Zara'ee. [12] He was not able to complete this recitation. Ibn Taymiyyah died on the 22nd of Dhul Qa'dah, 728 AH. It is estimated that a train of 60,000 to 100,000 people, of which at least 15,000 were women, joined the funeral procession. [13]

 

Ibn Taymiyyah revived an otherwise dying society. He was the torch of tawheed, a fortress of courage, an encyclopedia of knowledge and a patient servant of Allah (swt). He surpassed all of the scholars of his time and even his enemies bore witness to this fact. His knowledge and works continued to have a marked affect on history and he is, without doubt, one of the greatest scholars of Islamic history. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Ibn Taymiyyah's status in the annals of knowledge is a statement of one of his bitterest enemies, Allaama Kamal ud-Din al-Zamalkaani: "Allah has made knowledge of all the sciences as easy for Ibn Taymiyyah as iron had been softened for Prophet Dawud. Whenever he was asked any question, he answered in a way that the audience thought him to have spent his whole life in acquiring knowledge of that very branch of knowledge alone and acknowledged as the greatest authority on the subject. Scholars subscribing to different juristic schools attended his discourses and each one of them learnt something that he had not known earlier. It never happened that he debated any point and was put to shame. Whatever be the subject matter about which he spoke, whether religious or discursive, he surpassed all the authorities on that particular subject. In penmanship, too, he was equally elegant." [14]

 

REFERENCES

[1] Abu Zahra, p. 56 (cited from al-'Uqood ud- Durriyah, pg. 21)

[2] al-'Uqood ud-Durriyah, p. 24

[3] al-Kawaakib ud-Durriyah, p. 25

[4] Nadwi, Saviors of Islamic Spirit, p. 31

[5] Ibn Kathir, p. 37

[6] Ibn Kathir, Vol. XIV, p. 38

[7] Ibn Kathir, Vol. XIV, p. 42

[8] al-Kawaakib ud-Durriyah, p. 181

[9] Abu Zahra, p.62

[10] Nadwi, Saviors of Islamic Spirit, p. 55

[11] Abu Zahra

[12] Nadwi, Saviors of Islamic Spirit, p. 59

[13] Ibn Kathir, Vol. XIV, p. 136-139

[14] al-Kawaakib ud-Durriyah, p. 5

 




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[mukto-mona] where are women and secularists of Muslim countries in Obama's speech in Cairo?

http://www.siawi.org/article791.html

Reinforcing presumed religious identities: where are women and secularists of Muslim countries in Obama's speech in Cairo?

by Marieme Helie Lucas (1)


siawi.org

June 4, 2009

It is beyond doubt that many people around the world, of various political opinions and creeds, will feel relieved after the discourse the President of the USA delivered in Cairo today. It is apparently a new voice, a voice of peace, quite far from Bush's clash of civilisations. But is it so?

I presume that political commentators will point at the fact that Obama equates violence on the side of occupied Palestinians to violence on the side of Israeli colonizers, or that he has not abandonned the idea that the USA should tell the world how to behave and fight for their rights, or that the Israelo-Palestinian conflict is reduced to a religious conflict, or that he still justifies the war in Afghanistan, etcŠ

All those are important issues that need to be challenged. However, what affects me most, as an Algerian secularist, is that Obama has not done away with the idea of homogeneous civilisations that was at the heart of the theory of the 'clash of civilisations'. Moreover, his very American idea of civilisation is that it can be equated to religion. He persistantly opposes 'Islam and the West' (as two entities- civilisations), 'America and Islam' (a country vs a religion); he claims that 'America is not at war with Islam'. In short 'the West' is composed of countries, while 'Islam' is not. Old Jomo Kenyatta used to say of British colonizers : 'when they came, we had the land, they had the Bible; now we have the Bible, they have the land'. Obama's discourse confirms it: religion is still good enough for us to have, or to be defined by. His concluding compilation of monotheist religious wisdom sounds as if it were the only language that we, barbarians, can understand.

These shortcomings have adverse effects on us, citizens of countries where Islam is the predominant and often the state religion.

First of all, Obama's discourse is addressed to 'Islam', as if an idea, a concept, a belief, could hear him. As if those were not necessarily mediated by the people who hold these views, ideas, concepts or beliefs. As Soheib Bencheikh, former Great Mufti of Marseilles, now Director of the Institute of High Islamic Studies in Marseilles, used to say: 'I have never seen a Qur'an walking in the street'Š

Can we imagine for one minute that Obama would address himself to ' Christianity' or to 'Buddhism'? No, he would talk to Christians or BuddhistsŠ to real people, keeping in mind all their differences. Obama is essentializing Islam, ignoring the large differences that exist among Muslim believers themselves, in terms of religious schools of thought and interpretations, cultural differences and political opinions. These differences indeed make it totally irrelevant to speak about 'Islam' in such a totalizing way. Obama would not dare essentialize, for instance, Christianity in such a way, ignoring the huge gap between Opus Dei and liberation theologyŠ

Unfortunately, this essentializing Islam feeds into the plans of Muslim fundamentalists whose permanent claim is that there is one single Islam - their version of it -, one homogeneous Muslim world, and subsequently one single Islamic law that needs to be respected by all in the name of religious rights. Any study of the laws in 'Muslim' countries show that these laws are pretty different from one country to the other, deriving not just from different interpretations of religion, but also from the various cultures in which Islam has been spreading on all continents, and that these supposedly Muslim laws reflect as well historical and political factors including colonial sources [*] - obviously not divine.

This is the first adverse consequence of Obama's essentializing Islam and homogeneizing Muslims: as much as he may criticize fundamentalists - which he calls 'a minority of extremists'-, he is using their language and their concepts. This is unlikely to help the cause of anti fundamentalists forces in Muslim countries.

It follows suite that Obama talks to religions, not to citizens, not to nations or countries. He assumes that anyone has to have a religion, overlooking the fact that in many instances, people are forced into religious identities. In more and more 'Muslim' countries, citizens are forced into religious practice [**], and pay dissent with their freedom and sometimes with their lives. It is a big blow to them, to their human rights, to freedom of thought and freedom of expression, that the President of the USA publicly comforts the views that citizens of countries where Islam is the main religion are automatically Muslims (unless they belong to religious minority).

Regardless of the fact that one is a believer or not, citizens may choose not to have religion as the main marker of their identity. For instance to give priority or prominence to their identity as citizens. Many citizens of 'Muslim' countries want to leave religion in its place and delink it from politics. They support secularism and secular laws, i.e. laws democratically voted by the people, changeable by the will and vote of the people; they oppose unchangeable, a-historical, supposedly divine laws, as a process that is alien to democracy. They oppose the political power of clerics.

Obama is claiming to defend democracy, democratic processes, and human rights? How can this fit with addressing whole nations through their supposed, hence imposed, religious identities?

Where is the place for secularists in Obama's discourse? For their democratic right to vote laws rather than be imposed laws in the name of God? For their human right to believe or not to believe, to practice or not to practice? They simply do not exist. They are ignored. They are made invisible. They are made 'Muslims' . Not just by our oppressive undemocratic governments - by Obama tooŠ And when he talks of his own fellow citizens, these '7 million American Muslims', did he ask them what their faith was or is he assuming faith on geographical origin?

In this religious straight jacket, women's rights are limited to their right to education - and Obama distances himself from arrogant westerners by making it clear that women's covering is not seen by him as an obstacle to their emancipation. Especially, if it is 'their choice'Š Meanwhile, Iran is next door, with its morality police that jails women whose hair slips out of the said-covering, in the name of religious lawsŠ And what about Afghanistan or Algeria where women were abducted, tortured, raped, mutilated, burnt alive, killed for not covering [***]?

At no point does he raise the issue of who defines culture, who defines religion, who speaks for 'the Muslims' - and why could not it be defined by individual women themselves - without clerics, without morality police, without self appointed, old, conservative, male, religious leaders - if their fundamental human rights were to be respected. Obviously, Obama trades women's human rights for political and economic alliances with 'Islam'Š 'Islam' definitely owns oil, among other things.

No, this discourse is not such a change for an American President: Obama remains within the boundaries of clashing civilisations- religions. How can this save us from the global rise of religious fundamentalism, which this discourse was supposed to counter? He claims that 'as long as our relationship is defined by differences, this will empower those who sow hatredŠ/Š promote conflictŠ', but the only thing he finds we have in common is ' to love our families, our communities, our God'Š Muslim fundamentalists will not disown such a program.
In God we trustŠ.


Footnotes

[*] for instance, from 1962 to 1976, the source for Algerian laws on reproductive rights was the 1920 French law; or, in 1947, the source for Pakistani law on inheritance was the Victorian law that the UK itself had already done way with.

[**] One Malaysian state made daily prayers compulsory; Algerian courts condemned to prison non fasting citizens in 2008; Iranian courts still jail women for 'unislamic behavior'.

[***] Shadow Report on Algeria. wluml.org

-----

(1) Marieme Helie Lucas is an Algerian sociologist, founder and former International Coordinator of the 'Women Living Under Muslim Laws' international solidarity network. Marieme is also the founder of 'Secularism Is A Women's Issue' (siawi.org)

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[ALOCHONA] Must read!



Pakistanis turn backs on 'erring' Taliban

 

As the fighting between the Taliban militants and Pakistani army becomes a war for the soul of Pakistan, Hanif Mohammed thinks the Taliban may have already lost one crucial battle.

 

On the 11th day of every Islamic month, my next-door neighbours in Karachi set up a sound system in the evening and start singing songs of devotion.  The house belongs to a banker who is also a minor spiritual leader of the Gilani sect, which originated in Iraq. Their evening usually begins with hymns for the Prophet Muhammad, set to Bollywood's hit tunes. Sometimes I observe them from my roof top. They are all middle-aged men, and most sport flowing beards. The long line of cars parked outside the house suggests that they have a preference for the latest, flashy models.

The finale of their spiritual evening is usually a rousing chorus where everyone joins in.

 

Imaginary past

The chant is difficult to translate, but it expresses their collective desire to get teleported to the holy city of Baghdad. "Karachi has its share of problems," a guest staying with us and listening to this chorus commented recently, "but surely I wouldn't move to Baghdad. Don't these people read the newspapers?"

 
" Until recently, many thought the Taliban would lead the way to this promised land "

My neighbours are not the only urban, middle class Pakistanis yearning for a return to an imaginary past in the Arab deserts - a puritanical utopia where they would live blessedly ever after.

Every day, in a thousand prayer and preaching sessions, the believers beg to be returned to Mecca and Madina.

And until recently, many thought that the Taliban would lead the way to this promised land.

Or at least create a replica at home.

For a long time the Taliban presented themselves as the lost link to a pure past, a conduit to a simple life and eternal salvation.

Only four weeks ago most Urdu television channels were acting as cheerleaders for the Taliban.

Most Urdu columnists in newspapers were presenting the Pakistani Taliban as the reincarnation of early Muslim warriors.

 

Change of heart

Now in a rare consensus they are all clamouring for an all-out war against them.

Even the people who were sitting on the fence - or considered the Taliban a localised problem - have suddenly realised that actually the Taliban are out to destroy their way of life.

Every single opinion poll carried out in Pakistan has concluded that the country is a hotbed of anti-Americanism.

But now, faced with a war against the Taliban, the nation seems to have united behind the most American of slogans: they are threatening our way of life.

 

How did we change our minds so quickly?

More than the government or the media, it is the Pakistani Taliban who are responsible.

This collective change of heart can be traced back to a two-minute flogging video that made headlines around the world.

Everyone knew that the Taliban flog and behead people, and when they want to show their softer side they just shoot them or slice off their ears. But nobody had seen them at work.

 

A young girl's screams

In this video men in regulation Taliban dress and beards are holding down a young girl and methodically whipping her.

The girl screams. She asks for forgiveness.

It is never clear what her crime is.

One of the men in the video tells the other one to hold down the girl firmly.

This series of images had more impact on the people's psyche than a thousand theological debates raging on television.

For the first time a young girl's screams silenced the Taliban cheerleaders.

Then the Taliban leaders, in a series of interviews, have been outlining their roadmap for the nation on television.

It was not just the Swat valley they wanted to purge of evils like schools, music, democracy, barbers and the judiciary.

If it was good for Swat, it should be good for the rest of the country.

And later they wanted to impose the same model on the rest of the world. They demanded that the government give them arms to carry out their mission.

It was a spectacular public relations disaster.

 

Gory images

When the government finally launched a military operation in Swat, the same TV channels which had broadcast elaborate debates clarifying supposed misunderstandings about the Taliban went looking in their archives for war anthems to support the Pakistani troops.

I wonder if this change of heart is genuine or a knee-jerk reaction that dictates that we must support our troops because they are fighting to protect our way of life.

 

Many Urdu columnists still go to great lengths to explain that the Taliban came close to establishing a model Islamic state in Afghanistan - or that the Pakistani Taliban are not real Taliban, but Indian agents. There is a set of gory pictures circulating on the internet claiming to support this argument.

The pictures show mutilated bodies of alleged Taliban, with their trousers pulled down to reveal their uncircumcised privates. So they are clearly not Muslims, is the message.

 

And it is supposed to convince us that the Taliban are actually not a product of Pakistan's dangerous drift towards religious violence but a conspiracy hatched against us by Indians, Israelis and, of course, Americans.

 

It is this thinking that needs to change before we can decide whether our way of life belongs in the here-and-now or somewhere in the suburbs of Mecca.

 

Only then we can do something to save that way of life.

 

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[mukto-mona] Gang membership and 'warrior genes' (World Science e-newsletter)



* Do sex cells hold the secret to long life?:
The secret of longevity may lurk within the genetic
activity of sperm and eggs, new research suggests.

http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/090607_germline


* Ocean acidification to trigger job losses, 
scientists warn
:
Ocean acidification, a consequence of human
activity, is set to change marine ecosystems
forever, researchers say.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090601-acidification


* "Warrior gene" found rife among young
thugs
:
Boys with a particular variant of a gene are more
likely to join gangs -- and to be among their most
violent members, researchers say.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090605-maoa


* Sandcastle secrets could help revive ancient
building technique
:
The secret of a successful sandcastle could aid the
revival of an ancient, eco-friendly building method,
according to some engineers.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090604-sandcastle


* When evolution isn't so slow and gradual:
Guppies introduced into new habitats developed new
and advantageous traits in just a few years, a study
has found.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090602-evolution




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[ALOCHONA] Fw: [ict_of_bangladesh] Former ACC chief’s sons in telecom business



FYI.

--- On Sat, 6/6/09, ICT of Bangladesh <ict_of_bangladesh@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: ICT of Bangladesh <ict_of_bangladesh@yahoo.com>
Subject: [ict_of_bangladesh] Former ACC chief's sons in telecom business
To: ict_of_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2009, 11:45 PM

Their obscure company awarded lucrative licence; inquiry likely soon

A parliamentary committee will soon initiate inquiry into gross irregularities and violation of rules by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in awarding lucrative licences to new companies on personal consideration, particularly during the tenure of the military-backed caretaker government of Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed.
Preliminary inquiry has revealed some startling cases of awarding licences in the telecommunication sector by formulating a palpably wrong policy titled " international long distance telecommunication services" ( ILDTS). It awarded one such licence of Nationwide Telecommunication Network (NTTN) to a novice company named Fibre@ Home Limited.
This company is officially owned by one Moinul Haque Chowdhury but Hasan Munafir Chowdhury (Meem) and Hasan Munakib Chowdhury, two sons of former chairman of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, are in its top management position. "Meem is the general manager and his brother Munakib is the marketing manager of this company.
It is learnt that within five weeks of submitting application, the company was issued the licence without ascertaining its background and experience according to sources.
It remains a mystery why the former chairman of BTRC, Major General (retd) Manzurul Alam issued the licence, post haste, to a relatively obscure company. Circles close to the Commission smell a rat in the whole transaction and maintain that there was no way this company could claim eligibility for the licence but for Lt General (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury's sons and back-door influence. They allege that the former BTRC chairman yielded to pressure. If this be the case, the proposed inquiry will have far reaching consequences. These circles believe that a thorough inquiry will bring out the skeleton in the closet tarnishing the image of the ACC, which Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury touted as crusader against corruption.
According to the existing ILDTS policy, the Fibre @ Home Limited can lay fibre anywhere in the country and the government will not have any say in the matter.
Brig Gen Zia Ahmed, PSC (retd), chairman of BTRC, told The Independent that many activities of BTRC were done violating government's rules during the period of caretaker government and all these would come out through inquiry.
"Necessary documents relating to NTTN licence will be placed before the parliamentary inquiry committee, if the committee so desires," he said.
"Some questions were raised about recovery of penalty from the private phone operators during the period and relevant documents will also be placed before the inquiry committee," he added.
The BTRC chairman said that the Commission would do everything according to government rules for ensuring its transparency.
"We are planning to amend the ILDTS policy to make it more effective and transparent, " the BTRC chairman informed.
The chairman also mentioned that the telecommunication sector is hostage to some powerful businessmen of the country due to issuance of licenses of International Gateway (IGW), Internal Connect Exchange (ICX) and International Internet Gateway (IIG), on political consideration.
Hasanul Haque Inu MP, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on posts and telecommunication ministry, told this correspondent that the parliamentary inquiry committee would look into all irregularities and mismanagement in the telecommunication sector, especially the BTRC for the last seven years, for containing corruption.
When contacted, an official of Fibre @ Home Limited , told this correspondent on condition of anonymity that Moinul Haque Siddique is the owner of the company but Hasan Munafir Chowdhury (Meem) and Hasan Munakib Chowdhury are its policy makers.

Source:
http://www.theindep endent-bd. com/details. php?nid=128823




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Re: [ALOCHONA] Sri Lanka's bloody war, India's role, who will write on West and UN




 
Sad but true statement.
It's better to wash away stain of blood and start again otherwise we all be stuck in 'Holocaust' Psyche.
 
 
 

From: Mohd. Haque <haquetm83@yahoo.com>
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Sri Lanka's bloody war, India's role, who will write on West and UN
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com, bangla-vision@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 6:29 AM



The rise and fall of Prabhakaran by M K Bhadrakumar

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran's death circa May 19, 2009, in circumstances we will never quite get to know, concludes a morality play.

As the curtain comes down and we leave the theater, the spectacle continues to haunt us. We feel a deep unease and can't quite figure out the reason. Something rankles somewhere. And then we realize we have blood on our hands.

Not only our hands, but our whole body and deeper down, our conscience - what remains of it after the mundane battles of our day-to-day life - are also dripping with blood.

Prabhakaran's blood. No, it is not only Prabhakaran's, but also of 70,000 Sri Lankan Tamils who have perished in the unspeakable violence through the past quarter century.

All the pujas we may perform to our favorite Hindu god, Lord Ganesh, for good luck each morning religiously so that we march ahead in our life from success to success cannot wash away the guilt we are bearing - the curse of the 70,000 dead souls.

Our children and grandchildren will surely inherit the great curse. What a bitter legacy!

A long time ago, we created Prabhakaran. We picked him up as an urchin from nowhere. What we found charming about him was that he was so thoroughly apolitical - almost innocent about politics. He was a simpleton in many ways, who had a passion for weapons and the military regimen. He suited our needs perfectly.

Which was to humiliate the Junius Richard Jayewardene government in Sri Lanka and teach it a hard lesson about the dangers of being disrespectful to India's status as the pre-eminent power in the Indian Ocean. Jayewardene was too Western-oriented and behaved as if he never read about the Monroe Doctrine when he read history in Oxford. We didn't like at all his dalliance with the Israelis and the Americans in our very backyard.

So, we fostered Prabhakaran and built him up as a prick on Jayewardene's vanities - like Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale of the Deccans.

Then, as time passed, we decided that he had outlived his utility as we had come to develop an entirely different outlook towards the pro-Western orientation of the Colombo government by that time. Our egotistic leader in Delhi who detested Jayewardene was no more in power and the new soft-spoken leader didn't share his predecessor's strong political antipathies.

So, we arm-twisted Prabhakaran to tone down and fall in line with our changed priorities. But we didn't realize that by then he had become a full-grown adult.

He resisted our blackmail and pressure tactics. When we pressured him even more and tried to collar him, he struck back. He dispatched assassins to India and killed our beloved leader. And he became our eternal enemy.

Yet, we couldn't do anything to harm him. He had already become so strong - an uncrowned king among his people. So we waited. We are a patient lot. Who can match us in infinite patience, given our 5,000 years of history? Our cosmic religion gives us a unique wisdom to be patient and stoic and to bide our time.

And then, the opportune time came. We promptly moved in for the kill by aligning ourselves with Prabhakaran's enemies. We armed them and trained them in better skills to kill. We guided them with good intelligence. We plugged all escape routes for Prabhakaran. And then, we patiently waited as the noose tightened around Prabhakaran's neck.

Today he is no more. Believe it or not, we had no role in his death. How and when he died shall forever remain an enigma wrapped in a mystery. We will of course never divulge what we know.

All that matters is that the world woke up to the death only after the May 13 polling in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Otherwise, the parliamentary election results may have gone haywire against us. Strange are the ways of the Indian democracy.

We have had our revenge. Nothing else matters for the present.

What lies ahead? We will continue to make noises about a "political solution" to the Tamil problem that Prabhakaran championed through violent means.

Of course, let there be no doubt that we will periodically render humanitarian assistance to the hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians who have been herded into camps and may languish there till the dust settles down. We will demonstrate that we are indeed capable of the milk of human kindness. After all, the Sri Lankan Tamils are part of our historical consciousness.

But we must also be realistic. We know in our heart of hearts that the scope for a political solution in the fashion in which our leaders seem to suggest publicly is virtually nil.

The Sinhalese will never allow the world to dictate to them a political solution. More so, they will promptly and conclusively rebuff any attempt by us to seek a role in what they will now onward insist as strictly their internal affair.

Always remember that Sri Lanka is one of the last bastions of Theravada Buddhism and preserving that legacy is the Sinhalese people's precious tryst with destiny. At least, that is how they feel. We have to accept the weight of their cultural nationalism.

They see Sri Lanka as the land of the Sinhalese. How could they allow us Indians who wiped out Buddhism with such ferocity from the sub-continent interfere with their keen sense of destiny as the custodians of that very same great religion? Never, never.

If we try to pressure the Sinhalese, they will approach the Chinese or the Pakistanis to balance our pressure. They are capable of doing that.

The Sinhalese are a gifted people. We all know few can never match their terrific skills in media management. They have always lived by their wits.

Equally, they are fantastic practitioners of diplomacy. We suspect that they may in fact have an edge over us on this front, for, unlike us who are dissimulating from day to day as if we're a responsible regional power, and dissipating our energies in pastimes such as hunting down Somali pirates in distant seas, they are a highly focused lot.

They have the grit because they are fighting for the preservation of their country's future identity as a Buddhist nation.

Only last week, they showed their diplomatic skill by getting the Russians and the Chinese to stall a move in the United Nations Security Council to pressure them.

The Europeans fancy they can try the Sinhalese for war crimes. What naivety!

We asked the Sinhalese in private many a time how they proposed to navigate their way in the coming period. They wouldn't divulge.

But we know that it is not as if they have no solution of their own to the Tamil problem, either. We know they already have a blueprint.

See, they have already solved the Tamil problem in the eastern provinces of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara. The Tamils are no more the majority community in those provinces.

Similarly, from tomorrow, they will commence a concerted, steady colonization program of the northern provinces where Prabhakaran reigned supreme for two decades. They will ensure incrementally that the northern regions no more remain as Tamil provinces.

The Tamils will be made into a minority community in their own northern homelands. They will have to live among the newly created Sinhalese settlements in those regions to the north of Elephant Pass.

All this will indeed be within Sri Lanka's "federal structure". Sri Lanka will continue to adhere to parliamentary democracy.

Give them a decade at the most. The Tamil problem will become a relic of the bloody history of the Indian sub-continent.

The Sinhalese are good friends of India. Our elite and their elite speak the same idiom. We both speak English well, play golf and like chilled beer. We should, therefore, wish them well.

As for the blood on our hands, true, it is a blessed nuisance. But this is not the first time in our history that we're having blood on our hands.

Trust our words. No lasting harm will be done. Blood doesn't leave stains.

 

 

Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar was a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. His assignments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey.

Source: http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KE20Df03.html



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