--- In mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com, "Robin Khundkar" wrote:
>
> Dear All:
>
> We should all be proud of her. She is really a role model for many of our young stars. Really great news, but how is it that we missed out first time?? May be there are others we don't know about.
> But for now: Saera accept my adulations, though young in years, and many years younger to me - you are our STAR.
>
> Best wishes,
> Sandip
>
>
> Saera's Success Story
> By Shamim Ahsan Khan
> Daily Star
>
> A Norwegian by birth and a Bangladeshi by blood Saera Khan is the first
> Bangladeshi descent to have become a Member of Parliament in Norway. Saera
> achieved the milestone at the age of 22 when she was elected an MP in 2001.
> Though born and brought up in Norway she has not forgotten her roots buried
> deep under the soil of Bangladesh. And she is proud of Bangladeshi culture
> and social values, which she owns by birth. She is now in Bangladesh on an
> unofficial visit, mainly to meet her relatives, most of who live in Dhaka.
> However, she will take the opportunity to visit some of the Norway-funded
> projects such as children shelter homes, vaccination programmes and a few
> others that deal with street children.
>
> Saera was born to an educated family. Her father Kamaluddin Khan went to
> England for studying Law before he finally settled in Norway about 35 years
> ago. The eldest child of the family, Saera has two younger brothers. Saera
> is doing her MA in Social Economics and Politics. Her mother teaches at a
> school for disabled children in Norway.
>
> Saera's political career began quite early. She joined Labour Youth, a front
> organisation of Social Democratic Labour Party at 16 and became a member of
> the City Council. It was perhaps the family environment, which imbued in her
> a natural interest in politics. Saera's father had been a leader of the
> Foreign Workers Union, an organisation for establishing the rights of
> foreign workers in Norway. Kamaluddin also helped Justice Abu Sayeed
> Chowdhury who later became the first President of independent Bangladesh to
> arrange news conferences in Norway through which Sayeed informed of the
> liberation struggle of Bangladesh to the Norwegians as well as the rest of
> the world. Abu Sayeed also stayed in his flat during his stay in Norway.
> Saera knew these things and was greatly inspired by her father's emotional
> attachment and strong feeling for his motherland. These certainly inspired
> Saera immensely.
>
> Now at 23, Saera is a full-time politician. The prestigious office of the
> lawmaker has brought with it a huge responsibility. " Being an MP means much
> more than just enjoying free cars and foreign tours as we see it in
> Bangladesh. It is a full-time job that requires hard work, dedication and
> professionalism," Saera notes how demanding the job is. However, what makes
> Saera's job doubly daunting and a challenging one is that through her
> election she has been entrusted with huge expectations of the minority
> community whom she represents. In fact it was the overwhelming support of
> thousands of immigrants from Asia and Africa that has won Saera a berth in
> the national Parliament. So it is now her moral obligation to take up the
> contentious issue of the rights of the minority and racial discriminations
> that the minority community are often subjected to. Saera is very much aware
> of the huge challenge ahead of her and expresses her firm commitment to live
> up to the expectations of her electorates.
>
> Only one year into the parliament Saera has already made her mark. One of
> the areas where minorities are discriminated against is when they apply for
> jobs. What happens is that some employers just throw away job applications
> when they come across names (of the applicants) which seem non-Norwegian.
> Saera has come up with a proposal that says provision should be made so that
> application forms no longer carry the name of the applicants. The proposal
> was greatly appreciated and will soon come up for debates in the House.
> Saera relates another incident concerning minority community. In Norway
> learning to swim is mandatory for all children in school. A small
> organisation of Muslim people pleaded with her to do something regarding
> swimming lessons because they don't want their girl children swimming in the
> same pool with the boy children. Saera took up the issue with the concerned
> authority and arranged different schedules for boys and girls.
>
> Saera already a famous name in Norway, is a role model for the minority
> community. Saera speaks five languages ie French, English, Norwegian, Urdu
> and Bangla and travels extensively to Brussels, London, Copenhagen, Berlin
> where she represents Norway in different delegations at meetings in the
> European Union. Young, smart, educated and well-versed in political affairs,
> Saera's achievement is certainly a great inspiration for other girls among
> the minority community. While it is a remarkable achievement on an
> individual level, Saera has also made Bangladesh proud. Saera's relation
> with Bangladesh has been more than just a linkage through her parent's
> homeland. She grew up in an environment that has been essentially
> Bangladeshi in culture. She also has great admiration for the culture and
> social values of Bangladesh--- family relations, respect towards seniors and
> hospitality being some of them. Then, of course, she is a great fan of
> Bangladeshi food--korola bhaji, hilsa fish, biryani, and futchka are among
> her favourite food.
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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> Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
>
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