Dear Subimal Chakrabarty,
Thank you for your positive and well thought-out contribution in the debate. Democracy in a society can only survive and flourish if people have the aptitude to discuss and debate an issue, no matter how sacrosanct it may be or deemed to be. If mob rule, public protests, political jiggery-pokery overtake the basic strands of human rights and dignity, then democracy becomes the ultimate casualty. Unless we accept that nothing is above the law and no issue is off-limits, we cannot call ourselves civilised living in a democratic country.
- Anis Rahman
From: "Subimal Chakrabarty subimal@yahoo.com [mukto-mona]" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, 6 October 2014, 1:22
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] [Mukto-Mona Writers' Corner] 'What happened to 'freedom of speech?''
It is understandable why BNP-Jamaat gharana has made a big issue out of ALS's recent remark on Hajj. It is unfortunate that some genuine Awami Leaguers have joined the chorus. I thought all Awami leaguers believe in freedom of speech and secularism which was one of the state principles at the time of birth of the nation.
We are now hearing about conspiracy theories explaining why ALS played such a risky game. I am not going into that. I am trying to understand the issue from the point of view of Islam itself on which Dr. Rahman has written pretty well.
Hajj is the fourth one of the five pillars of Islam. But it is not mandatory. Only those who can afford must perform Hajj. A big part of this affordability obviously involves money. I am not aware if it is permitted in Islam for the government to spend money from the national exchequer to partly or fully finance Hajj. Is it ethically tenable that only a group of the economically privileged class will perform Hajj while a vast majority will never have the chance to do it? This question is so pertinent for a country like Bangladesh for which foreign exchange is always a critical issue.
ALS's comments were very crude no doubt; he should be given an opportunity to elaborate on his position on the Hajj issue.
Hajj has it's economics. It boosts Saudi economy. We have to see how much Bangladesh Biman is benefitted? It has environmental issue as well as has been pointed out by ALS.
It is noteworthy that similar questions arise in case of other religious festivals also. Sacrifice of cows during Eid is one such case. Hindus make idols every year spending crores of rupees or taka and then throw away them (bisorjon) in water creating huge environmental hazards. And they make idols again after one year. I know al l this creates seasonal employment for many people. Our leaders should have the courage to debate over all these. There is nothing wrong in doing so. We need to do every thing in a better way. The Indian PM although a veteran RSS member has appealed for making lavatories instead of temples. We should learn from it.
Omar Khaiyam has said in one of his short verses that people had misunderstood the prophet's Hadith (Nazrul's translation from original Persi). If I look at the teachings of the prophet of Islam I feel that his followers have misunderstood his teachings to a great extent. I believe that many things many Muslims are doing today in the name of religion would not have got his approval. Flying a plane to SA and then living in a five star hotel to perform hajj, and buying sacrificial cows spending hundreds of thousands of taka to show off are two of them them.
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 5, 2014, at 12:28 PM, "Mukto-Mona Writ ers' Corner charbak_bd@yahoo.com [mukto-mona]" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Mukto-Mona Writers' Corner has posted a new item, 'What happened to 'freedom of
speech?''
A Rahman
The chorus of condemnation of the ex-Minister for Post, Telecommunication and
Information Technology, Mr Abdul Latif Siddiqui (ALS) for raising some pertinent
questions regarding Hajj and its implications are raging not only in Bangladesh
but also in all countries of the world where Bangladeshis live. On Sunday, 28
September afternoon local time, Abdul Latif [...]
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