Re: [mukto-mona] A letter of appeal to Mukto-mona friends

Who is talking about right to bear arms?

On Sunday, February 2, 2014 5:51 PM, Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

While our old friend Dr. Anisur Rahman has inappropriately put Dr. Jiten Roy and me in the same category in terms of gun ownership, let me make it clear that Dr. Roy and I have significantly different positions on this issue.

 

First, to comment on Dr. Roy's post on the thread, বাংলাদেশের মাটি থেকে বিদায় - খালেদা জিয়া বিএনপি জামায়াত সবাইকে বিদায় বাংলাদেশের মাটি থেকে, most civilized countries do not give the people the "right" to bear guns; they provide "privilege" to bear guns. There is a difference between "right" and "privilege." Do you know that for the citizens of the USA, getting a driver's license is a privilege, whereas owing a gun is a right? When one needs a license with full justification, it is a "privilege", not a "right." That is what most civilized countries have as far as gun ownership.

 

Two things that I most dislike about the USA are the gun culture and the alcohol culture. I consider it an utmost shame for any country that callously allows a mentally sick student to buy guns legally and then kill 32 students and professors at a university, or a mentally sick man to buy guns legally and then kill 23 lovely little children at an elementary school.

 

Now, as for religious minorities owning guns in Bangladesh, as I wrote below, if they had the legal right, I would have been willing to provide money to buy some. That does not mean I want people in Bangladesh to have the right to bear guns. My statement was necessarily theoretical, as people do not have the legal right to bear guns.

 

Now, let me make a statement that is not so theoretical. The religious minority community leaders can seek licensed guns with the justification that their community is clearly vulnerable to absolutely unjust barbaric atrocities by Muslim criminals. A just and responsible government should have no problem giving many such licenses. I would support that action by the minority community leaders, and respect that decision of the government.

 

Sukhamaya Bain

 

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From: Jiten Roy <jnrsr53@yahoo.com>
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2014 1:48 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] A letter of appeal to Mukto-mona friends

 

I agree with Dr. Bain that most important part of the minority protection is the resistance movement by the religious minorities. The first phase of this process is the mental preparation to start resistance movement. Religious minorities need to start it among themselves, and minority leaders can help them organize. It reminds me of the speech by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: "Ghare ghare durga gorae toloo (Build fort in every home)."

The next phase will be the logistical help, in which others can contribute.

I am not for rebuilding the damage with contributions from the religious minority community, as this was not an act of Mother Nature so that no one is responsible for it. There is a responsible party; why are we trying to let them get away from their responsibilities. However, I would be interested in the humanitarian aid to the affected religious minorities.

Government should raise fund for rebuilding the damage using judicial process; the perpetrators of these heinous crimes must be liable for these damages. Judicial process must impose heavy fines, in addition to imprisonment, so they can learn something from their evil acts. If they fail to pay, their party will be responsible for the damage.

The above step is a must as a deterrent measure. If this is not done, such incidence will continue unabated pace. The ball is in the government's court. It must be played wisely for the sake of our country. I am glad – Prime Minister has been vocal on this issue. Religious minorities should campaign for rebuilding the damage by the government.  

If atrocities are committed during the Hartal, called by a party, that party will be liable for all property damages.

Also, I agree with Dr. Bain that if individuals had the right to bear arms, many of these minority persecutions would not even occur. This is a vital point for reducing small crimes and VIP culture in the society. The fact is – only criminals and VIPs have protection in the undeveloped countries. This is a discriminatory practice and should end ASAP.

 

Jiten Roy

On Saturday, January 25, 2014 11:43 AM, Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

Dear Professor Roy:

 

Thank you for your appeal to mukto-mona through Avijit. More generally speaking, I greatly appreciate and admire your work for the dignity and rights of the religious minorities in Bangladesh. Instead of enjoying a leisurely life at retirement, you have been working hard due to your caring mind for people who continue to be oppressed by religious hate-mongers.

 

Having said that with complete sincerity, I would like to express a bit of my mind to you.

 

I have been helping my family, friends and neighbors in Bangladesh pretty much continuously since my arrival in the USA in 1981. For outside of my family, my help has been aimed at empowering people through education. As my family has achieved a reasonable degree of financial solvency (due to their better education), my help over the last seven years has gone mostly to outside of my family. Even for education, I am totally opposed to help a poor person to pay for private tutors. I believe the culture of teachers not teaching in the classroom and making money by forcing students to come to them later must stop. I consider this a serious moral decay in Bangladesh. At least I am not willing to help that culture.

 

As for the hatred and atrocities against religious minorities committed by Muslims, I think they must be addressed socio-politically, in terms of educating the Muslims, supporting and protecting the religious minorities, and punishing the criminals. Most of each of these three actions must be taken by the government. Today we help a victim with rebuilding his house, tomorrow the criminals come back to burn it; how would that really help the victim?

 

Honestly, if Bangladesh was like the USA, where owning guns is a legal right, I would have been willing to help the victims buy some guns to protect themselves. Since that would be illegal in Bangladesh, we need to find smarter ways to empower the victims. One way would be to go press the government on punishing the criminals. While the present government's action of rebuilding Ramu and the plan of rebuilding Malorara are appreciable, I think to really solve the problem, the criminals must be punished in terms of sentencing them to death and life in prison as well as making them pay for the rebuilding costs.

 

Personally, I am willing to have the victims suffer so that they would get angry enough to stand up and defend themselves, and even die for defending their dignity and rights. Thus, I am opposed to personally help them rebuild.

 

I plan to write more comprehensively on some of the issues that I mentioned above.

 

Thanks again.

 

With best regards,

 

Sukhamaya Bain

    

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From: Ajoy Roy <roya_k2003@yahoo.com>
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2014 1:50 PM
Subject: [mukto-mona] A letter of appeal to Mukto-mona friends [1 Attachment]

 

[Attachment(s) from Ajoy Roy included below]

Attention:

Dr. Avijit Roy

Moderator & members of Mukto-mona Groups 

e/mail: charbak_bd@yahoo.com ; mukto-mona@yahaoogroups.com

Dear Avijit,

 

For a long time I have not been not in touch with you. As you know these days I am pretty busy with so called minority persecution almost throughout the year 2013. 2012 year witnessed the devastating communal violence at Ramu, Cox'sbazar on the Buddha Communities and on their monasteries. I myself visited the cite, saw the extent of man-made devastation could be by the fanatics which included not only the Jamatis and BNPs but a section of Awami League followers being influenced by the false propaganda that through a Facebook a Buddhist young man insulted the Prophet of Islam (sm).

 

Recently our team visited the affected areas of Karnai in Dinajpur where thousands of men and women were persecuted, manhandles, women were insulted, houses and business establishments broken, set fire and looted the properties. I have a sent a detail report to Mukto-mona. Now we have to do something positive materially to rehabilitate most affected families say about 100-150. We made an assessment. The programme needs ~ 40-50 lac BD taka.

 

You once hinted that Mokto-mona wants to do some thing positive. 50 lac (5,000,000) BT taka will be around ~ 62,500 US$. Can Mukto-mona Friends come forward to raise the fund for the victims of Karnai village, Dinajpur.

 

I very honestly appeal to Mukto-mona members to come forward to raise the fund for the sake of human sufferings. We did the similar rehabilitation programme at Annada Prasad village and at Khedaimari School, a char Island in River Brahmaputra a few years back.

 

I am enclosing here with the rehabilitation programme of Karnai people.

 

With love to you and very good wishes to your Mukto mona groups    

 

Yours affectionately

Baba

(Professor Ajoy Roy)

DU, Dhaka.

24 January 2014-01-25

Ps: can you send the link in which you wrote about me 'Tini Bridha Holen etc. I lost the article of yours that I and your mom liked very much, and want to preserve it. Do something for it. I am physically passing very hard days. Cost of my own and your mom's treatment plus the domestic expenditure almost became unbearable. Please don't take it otherwise. Some how I am managing.      

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