Sonar Bangla

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Some Journals of last year 2007

Bismillah ar Rehman ir RahimSUFISM IN BANGLADESHThe Sufi principles and practices of Bangladesh are completelytraced to the Quran and the Hadith. The mystical expressions of theQuranic verses of the Prophet are the direct sources of Sufism. Theconcepts of nafs (self), zikr (remembrance), ebadat (prayer),morakaba (meditation), miraj (ascension), tajalli (divineillumination), faqr (spiritual poverty), tawhid (Unity of God), fana(annihilation) and baqa (subsistence) are all the basic sources ofSufism, as practied in Bangladesh.The regular Sufi practice in many of the Khaneghahs in Bangladesh iszikr and sama (qawwali). Surrounding the Pirs, the zakers startperforming zikr, La ilaha illa LLah, or repeating the word. Sufismin Bangladesh is a silent and spontaneous movement. The Sufis andthe Sheikhs in India and Bangladesh are believed to have shown manymiracles and divine activities. The Bangladeshi people are tenderminded in terms of religious principle, they can be easily convincedif they are given the right direction and shown the right pathtowards truth.SUFI DARGAHDargah Sharif a Persian word referring to the grave of a wali auliaor sufi. In the subcontinent, buildings have been erected upon thegraves of Sufis and dervishes.There are many dargahs in Bangladesh :SHAH JALAL AT SYLHET,SHAH AMANAT IN CHITTAGONG,SHARFUDDIN ABU TAWWAMAH AT SONARGOAN,SHAH ALI AT MIRPUR,KHAN JAHAN ALI AT BAGERHAT,SHAH ALI BAGHDADI AT DHAKA.SHAH ALI AT SYLHETShah Jalal was a sufi saint of Bengal and is the most celebratedpersonality of the region of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Shah Jalal commandsgreat respect of Muslims of the Indian subcontinent and is regardedas a national hero by Bangladeshis. Shah Jalal's name is associatedwith the Muslim conquest of Sylhet, of which he is considered to bethe main figure. He lies buried at Sylhet.Early Life & EducationBorn Shaikh Makhdum Jalal ad-Deen bin Mohammed, he was lateraffectionately renamed Shaikh-ul-Mashaikh Hazrat Shah Jalal al-Mujarrad (the last name meaning "the bachelor", on account of hiscelibacy). Shah Jalal's date and place of birth is unclear. Varioustraditions, folklore and hostorical documents suggest differentideas. A number of scholars claim that he was born in 1271 in Konya,Turkey, and later moved to Yemen, either as a child or adult, whileothers contest he was born in Yemen. He was the son of a TurkishMuslim cleric, who was a contemporary of the famous Persian poet andSufi saint, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi. He was educated and raisedby his maternal uncle, Syed Ahmed Kabir, in Mecca. He excelled inhis studies and became a Hafiz (one who has committed the Quran tomemory and was proficient in Islamic theology. He achieved Kamaliyat(spiritual perfection) after 30 years of study and meditation.Travel to IndiaAccording to legend, his uncle, Sheikh Kabir, one day gave ShahJalal a handful of earth and asked him to travel to Hindustan withthe instruction that he should settle down at whichever place inHindustan whose earth matched completely in smell and color theearth he was given, and he should devote his life for thepropagation and establishment of Islam there.Shah Jalal journeyed eastward and reached India in c. 1300, where hemet with many great scholars and mystics. He arrived at Ajmer, wherehe met the great Sufi mystic and scholar, Pir Khawaja GharibnawazMuinuddin Hasan Chisty, who is credited with the spread of Islam inIndia. In Delhi, he met with Nizam Uddin Aulia, another major Sufimystic and scholar.Conquest of SylhetTradition goes that a Hindu king named Gaur Govinda ruled the Sylhetarea, then predominantly Hindu. Sheikh Burhanuddin, a Muslim wholived in the territory under his control once sacrificed a cow tocelebrate the birth of his son. A kite snatched a piece of flesh ofthe slaughtered cow and it fell from its beak on the house of aBrahmin Hindu, for whom cows were sacred. According to anothertradition, the piece of flesh fell on the temple of the kinghimself, which he took as a great offence. At the order of the king,Burhanuddin's hands were said to have been cut off and his sonkilled. Burhanuddin went to the Sultan of Gaur, Shamsuddin FiruzShah, to whom he submitted a prayer for justice. The Sultanaccordingly sent an army under the command of his nephew SikandarKhan Ghazi. He was, however, defeated twice by Gaur Govinda. TheSultan then ordered his Sipahsalar (armed forces chief) Nasiruddinto lead the war.At this time, Shah Jalal (R) was requested by Nizam Uddin at thebehest of sultan firoz shah to travel to Sylhet along with sikanderkhan gazi to rescue Sheikh Burhan Uddin. With his 360 followers,some of whom were from Yemen ,tukistan ,alrum,turfan,bukhara,tirmiz,arabia,herat and others from Delhiincluding his nephew Hazrat Shah Paran, he reached Bengal and joinedthe Muslim army in the Sylhet campaign.Knowing that Shah Jalal was advancing towards Sylhet, Raja GaurGovinda, the king, removed all ferry boats from the river Surma,thereby cutting off any means of crossing into Sylhet. Legend has itthat Shah Jalal crossed the river Surma by sitting on a Jainamaz(prayer rug). Upon reaching the opposite bank, he ordered the azan(call to prayer) to be sounded, at which the magnificent palace ofGaur Govinda shattered. With Shah Jalal's help, the king wasdefeated by the Muslim armies after a fierce battle, and the Kingsubsequently fled.During the later stages of his life, Shah Jalal devoted himself topropagating Islam to the masses. Under his guidance, many thousandsof Hindus and Buddhists converted to Islam. Shah Jalal become sorenowned that even the world famous Ibn Batuta whilst in Chittagongwas asked to change his plans and go to Sylhet to meet this specialman. On his way to Sylhet, Ibn Batuta was greeted by several of ShahJalal's disciples who had come to assist him on his journey manydays before he had arrived. Once in the presence of Shah Jalal, IbnBatuta noted that Shah Jalal was tall and lean, fair in complexionand lived by the masjed in a cave, where his only item of value wasa goat from which he extracted milk, butter, and yogurt. He observedthat the companions of the sheikh were foreign and known for theirstrength and bravery. He also mentions that many people would visitthe sheikh and seek guidance. Shah Jalal is therefore instrumentalin the spread of Islam throughout north east India including Assam.Later lifeAccording to legend, Shah Jalal found a match to the earth his uncleonce gave him, and according to his uncle's wishes, he settled downin Sylhet, near Choukidhiki. It is from here that he preached Islamand became a celebrated Muslim figure in Bengal. He and hisdisciples travelled and settled as far as Mymensingh and Dhaka tospread the teachings of Islam, such as Shah Paran in Sylhet, ShahMalek Yemeni in Dhaka, Syed Ahmad Kolla Shahid in Comilla, SyedNasiruddin in the region of Pargana Taraf, Haji Daria and Shaikh AliYemeni.Shah Jalal's fame extended across the Muslim world. The Persianexplorer, Ibn Battuta, came to Sylhet and met with Shah Jalal. Thegreat Mughal poet, Hazrat Amir Khusrau gives an account of ShahJalal's conquest of Sylhet in his book "Afdalul Hawaade". Even todayin Hadramaut, Yemen, Sheikh Makhdum Jalaluddin's name is establishedin folklore.The exact date of his death is unknown, but he is reported by IbnBattuta to have died in 746 AH (1347 A.D). He left behind nodescendants, as he remained a bachelor his entire life, hence thename "al-Mujarrad" ("the unmarried"). He is buried in Sylhet in hisDargah (tomb), which is located in a neighbourhood now known as DargLater lifeAccording to legend, Shah Jalal found a match to the earth his uncleonce gave him, and according to his uncle's wishes, he settled downin Sylhet, near Choukidhiki. It is from here that he preached Islamand became a celebrated Muslim figure in Bengal. He and hisdisciples travelled and settled as far as Mymensingh and Dhaka tospread the teachings of Islam, such as Shah Paran in Sylhet, ShahMalek Yemeni in Dhaka, Syed Ahmad Kolla Shahid in Comilla, SyedNasiruddin in the region of Pargana Taraf, Haji Daria and Shaikh AliYemeni.Shah Jalal's fame extended across the Muslim world. The Persianexplorer, Ibn Battuta, came to Sylhet and met with Shah Jalal. Thegreat Mughal poet, Hazrat Amir Khusrau gives an account of ShahJalal's conquest of Sylhet in his book "Afdalul Hawaade". Even todayin Hadramaut, Yemen, Sheikh Makhdum Jalaluddin's name is establishedin folklore.The exact date of his death is unknown, but he is reported by IbnBattuta to have died in 746 AH (1347 A.D). He left behind nodescendants, as he remained a bachelor his entire life, hence thename "al-Mujarrad" ("the unmarried"). He is buried in Sylhet in hisDargah (tomb), which is located in a neighbourhood now known asDargah Mohalla, named for his Dargah. His shrine is a significantplace of interest in Sylhet, with hundreds of devotees visitingdaily. At the Dargah is also located the largest mosque in Sylhetand one of the largest in Bangladesh.ah Mohalla, named for hisDargah. His shrine is a significant place of interest in Sylhet,with hundreds of devotees visiting daily. At the Dargah is alsolocated the largest mosque in Sylhet and one of the largest inBangladesh.ChittagongThe Dargah of Sah Amanat is a holy shrine located in the heart ofthe town.The 17th-century Shahi Jama-e-Masjid and the other Qadam MubarekMosque. The Chilla of Bada Shah stands to the west of Bakshirhat inthe old city.Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah (R) at SonargaonSharfuddin Abu Tawwamah was a medieval scholar, sufi saint and anIslamic philosopher. Born in Bukhara and educated in Khurasan, heattained great reputation as a Hanafi jurist and traditionalist(muhaddis) and was well versed in Chemistry, natural sciences andmagic. He came and settled in Sonargaon towards the end of thethirteenth century AD. The exact date of his coming to Sonargaon isnot known. During the reign of Sultan Giyasuddin Balban (1266-1287)he came to Delhi, from where he proceeded to Bengal. It is assumedthat he might have come to Sonargaon sometime between 1282 and 1287AD. Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri, who later became a famous saint inBihar, accompanied Abu Tawwamah to Sonargaon as his disciple.At Sonargaon Abu Tawwamah established his khanqah where in allbranches of Islamic learning as well as secular sciences weretaught. Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri studied under him at Sonargaon for22 years.There are references to the compilation of valuable works atSonargaon, such as the Maqamat, a unique work on Islamic mysticism(tasawwuf) by Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah; a Persian book on fiqhentitled Nam-i-Haq, either written by Abu Tawwamah or compiled(1304)) by one of his disciples on the basis of his teachings; anearly fourteenth century work on fiqh entitled Majmu-i-Khani fi Ain-al-Ma'ani by one Kamal-i-Karim; the Tafsir-i-Tatarkhani and Fatwa-i-Tatarkhani compiled at the instance of Bahram Khan alias tatar khan,the Tughlaq governor of Sonargaon, and a Sanskrit dictionary Shabda-ratnavali compiled by Mathures, a court poet of Musa Khan. In hisManakkibul Asfia, Shah Shaib, a contemporary of Abu Tawwamah, hasprofusely praised him. The fame of Abu Tawwamah spread in the Muslimworld including the Indian subcontinent, Arabia and Iran.He died at Sonargaon in 1300 AD and lies buried in the graveyard atthe Dargahbari premises in Mograpara, near the site of his khanqah.Shah Langar's Dargah is situated at village Muazzampur (Mahjampur)in sonargaon thana of Narayanganj district, within the enclosure ofthe Muazzampur Shahi Mosque, which lies to its north. There is anold well within the compound. Numerous people visit the tomb(dargah) every year. Nothing is known about the saint who liesburied there. Local people also call him Shah Alam ShahKhan Jahan at KhulnaKhan Jahan local ruler and celebrated sufi saint. Khan Jahan(popularly known as Khan Jahan Ali) was entitled Ulugh Khan and Khan-i-Azam and flourished at Khalifatabad (modern Bagerhat) in the firsthalf of the fifteenth century AD when the Later Iliyas Shahi Sultannasiruddin mahmud shah was ruling at gaur.Khan Jahan, a noble under the Tughlaqs, seems to have come to Bengaljust after the sack of Delhi (1398) by Timur. He acquired the forestarea of the Sundarbans as jagir (fief) from the sultan of Delhi andsubsequently from the sultan of Bengal. He cleared up the denseforest in the Sundarban area to set up human settlements, and soongot the Masjidkur and adjacent areas on the eastern bank of theKobadak suitable for habitation through the untiring efforts of hisdeputies Burhan Khan and Fateh Khan. Local tradition ascribes toKhan Jahan the first Muslim colonisation of a part of greaterJessore and Khulna districts. The titles Ulugh Khan and Khan-i-Azamof Khan Jahan, as inscribed on his tomb, suggest that he was not anindependent freelancer but that he owed fealty most probably to thesultan of Gaur. He ruled over the pargana of khalifatabad stretchingup to Naldi to the north of Narail.Khan Jahan was a great builder. He founded some townships, builtmosques, madrasahs and sarais, roads, highways and bridges,excavated a large number of dighis in the districts of greaterJessore and Khulna. Besides his fortified metropolis of Khalifatabad(modern Bagerhat) he built three townships, such as Maruli Kasba,Paigram Kasba and Bara Bazar. He is said to have built a highwayfrom Bagerhat to Chittagong, a twenty-mile long road fromSamantasena to Badhkhali, and a road running from Shuvabara toDaulatpur in Khulna. The most notable of his architectural monumentsare shatgumbad mosque (c 1450) at Bagerhat, masjidkur mosque (c1450) at village Masjidkur, his own tomb (1459) near Bagerhat and asingle-domed mosque attached to his tomb. Of the large number ofdighis and ponds excavated by him the most notable are the KhanjaliDighi (1450) near his tomb and Ghoradighi to the west of ShatgumbadMosque. Khan Jahan introduced a new architectural style in hisbuildings, which is named after him. The Khan Jahan style is seen ina group of buildings in the greater districts of Khulna, Jessore andBarisal. Khan Jahan who might have been an officer of the Gaursultan betrays in his buildings an affection for the Tughlaqarchitecture of Delhi. This amply suggests his acquaintance with theTughlaq style of architecture and perhaps his earlier involvement inTughlaq administration.Khan Jahan died on 25 October 1459 (27 Zilhajj 863 AH) and wasburied in the tomb built by himself. He is revered by people andnumerous people visit his tomb. An annual fair is held on the dargahpremises in the bright half of the lunar month in the Bengali monthof Chaitra.Hazrat Shah Ali Bagdadi at MirpurThe tomb of Hazrat Shah Ali Bagdadi (R), a sacred place andhistorical relic, is located at Mirpur.Hazrat Shah Ali Bagdadi (R) came to Bengal to preach Islam andfinally settled at Mirpur. He died in 1480 and was buried here.During the War of Liberation in 1971 the Pak army in collaborationwith the Razakars killed many people including the intellectuals. Inmemory of the martyrs a memorial has been established here.Engr. Shuvo

Bombing: An Evil Power of Political Violence in Bangladesh

When the whole world is ill with the violence of bombing, its inauspicious paws and claws will overshadow the underdeveloped countries much more profoundly than the richer ones, it is quite natural. Recently in Bangladesh, ghastly bomb bursts occur in such places as are beyond people’s imagination, though it is not an unusual phenomenon, when past records exist. Hundreds either die or become disabled for life-time from such heinous bomb-attacks; yet none seems to have any headache or anxiety on the matter. When a heart-rending incident occurs, people of this poor region soon react saying, “oh! No”. Then the next morning, they ask one another, “What happened yesterday?” None knows, what is going on, why and by whom but one thing is clear to everyone that bombing is an evil power, with which sportive politicians are playing a bloody game. No other means of political violence is so effective in intimidating people as it is proven to be. So, political leaders use one or a body of their own party activists, or hire one or a group of terrorists to carry and drop bombs targeting either at an individual, people, place or equipment.The testimony of the past
In independence war of 1971, freedom-fighters used bombs and mines to destroy culverts, barrages, police stations etc. aiming at the damage of communication system among the foes. There is the evidence that they used hand-grenades too in some operations. Thus people got the test, thrill and training of using bombs to show negative power. From then until now, innumerable incidents of bombing have occurred in our country, though the attackers were from different parties in different time.During the years of 1972-75, evidences of bombing incidents in different places of the country were found in the then newspapers. Government supporters and communist extremists attacked with bombs on each other in clashes, strikes, on party offices, government buildings, newspaper offices etc. Bomb attacks accelerated from January to March 1975 in Dhaka and many other places of the country.In the ruling period of Late President Ziaur Rahman, bomb-attacks continued in various places of the country. During the government of President H.M. Ershad, lethal weapons were made available in the hands of student wings of the then ruling party Jatiya Party; so bomb explosions became common on the campus of Dhaka University in 1985. Again, blasts occurred in strikes while opposition movements geared up in order to overthrow autocratic ruler Ershad in November 1990. After 1990, these incidents somewhat lessened for some years but again accelerated from 1999 onwards.Recent IncidentsIn the recent years, incidents of bombing have increased drastically and dramatically. Those are not only taking huge lives, but creating fear also inside the hearts of people. A chronicle of major incidents is listed here.1999*Udichi Concert: Time–bombs were exploded at Udichi Concert in Jessore inMarch. It took 10 people’s lives.*Kadiani Mosque: Blast was targeted at the Mosque of Quadiyani community inKhulna in October. Quadiyani community is a minority sector in Bangladesh.2001Bomb-blasts occurred in/at *CPB Rally at Paltan Maydan in January. (Several people were killed.)*Ramna Batamul in Pahela Baishakh. (10 innocents were killed.)*Baniachar Mission in Gopalganj.*Narayanganj Awami League Office (19 died in June.)*AL Rally at Mollarhat in Bagerhat in September.*An Election Rally of AL Leader Suranjit Sengupta.2002The major explosions occurred in/at* Roxy Cinema Hall and a circus party in Satkhira. (3 persons died)* Cinema Halls in Mymensingh in December (19 innocent people were killed)2003Bomb-blasts occurred at-*The Pagla Pir Mazar at Sakhipur in Tangail.*A Madrasa Mess in Dinajpur in February.2004*The Shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R): Two deadly blasts occurred – one on January 12 and the other on May 21.*Oros (A Muslim Ceremony): There was a Muslim ceremony in the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) on January 12. Powerful bombs were kept secretly under the ground where lying about 200 camps of people. At night, explosions started, which took 3 lives (another 1 wounded person died later) and the number of the injured was more than 50.*British High Commissioner: British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury, newly appointed in Bangladesh, whose origin is from Sylhet, came to the shame shrine on May 21 to take part in the Friday prayer. After his prayer, when he came out of the Mosque of the Mazar, someone threw a grenade towards him. It dashed against his belly, rebounded and exploded. By chance, he saved his life. But 8 people died and more than 100 including British High Commissioner were wounded.*Mass-Meeting of Suranjit Sengupta: There went on a meeting of Suranjit Sengupta, a central leader of Awami League in Dhirai of Sunamganj on June 21. Grenade attacks on that meeting caused 1 person dead and more than 50 people injured.*Cinema Halls: Another incidents of bombing occurred in two cinema-halls in Sylhet named Manika and Rang-mahal on August 5.*Gulshan Hotel: In the night of August 7, a strong bomb-attack (though later diagnosed as grenade attack) was staged in front of the Gulshan Hotel in Taltala in Sylhet, targeting the city mayor named Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran. Though he could save his life by chance, about 30 persons were wounded. The severely injured leader of Awami League―Ibrahim Ali died later.*The Anti-Terrorism Mass-Meeting of Awami League: On August 21, an anti-terrorism meeting of Awami League was going on in front of the Awami League Office standing on the Banga-Bandhu Avenue in Dhaka. A series of Grenades, measured up to 13, was thrown targeting Sheikh Hasina, former Prime Minister, from the top of the near building. 20 people including some central leaders of Awami League died and over 200 were injured.2005*Bomb-Blasts in 63 Districts: It was the largest blast-incident in the history of Bangladesh, which simultaneously broke out in 63 districts out of total 64 at a time in the 17th August. Different newspapers published different number of bomb-blasts and of the injured. According to four largest national newspapers, these incidents of 300-500 blasts resulted in 2 killings and 100-200 injured. All bombs were targeted to intimidate government and people, and placed in places of importance like the stair of Zia International Airport, Hotel Sheratan, the Supreme Court (Dhaka) etc, but mainly aiming at courts and government establishments. With all bombs, leaflets were left in the name of a government banned Islamic militant group named Jama’atul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) demanding to the government for the replace of country’s democratic judiciary with the Islamic Law.Bomb-Attack on two judges: A deadly bomb-attack took two valuable lives of two judges cruelly on November 14. They were Senior Assistant Judges of the District Judge Court of Jhalakati one named Sohel Ahmed Chowdhuri (35) and the other named Jagannath Pare (32). On that day at 9 am, they were waiting for another judge by sitting in a microbus in front of the Judges’ Quarters located in Officers’ Para of Jhalakati District City for going to the court. The attacker Mamun, later arrested, threw a strong bomb inside the vehicle from a very close distance. He was later identified as a member of the suicide-squad of a banned Islamicmilitant organization named Jama’atul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB).Suicide Bomb-Attack in the Court-Areas of Chittagong and Gajipur: Members of the suicide-squad of JMB attacked on lawyers, police, and ordinary people in the court areas of Chittagong and Gajipur at the same time on November 29. 10 persons including policemen, lawyers and attackers died. The number of the injured was over 150.Suicide Bomb-Attack at the Office of District Administrator: The Islamic militants piloted suicide-bomb attack at the entrance of the office of District Administrator called Deputy Commissioner (DC) in Gajipur on December 1. This incident took 1 human life and injured 30 including 3 journalists, 7 policemen and 8 lawyers. The young attacker was in the disguise of a traveling tea-seller with a tea-flask, inside of which he was bearing deadly bombs.Blast in front of Udichi and Shatadal: A blast occurred in front of the offices of two cultural organizations named Udichi and Shatadal in Netrakona district at 10:30 am on December 8. In this incident, 7 persons died and 50 were injured. A Letter of JMB was recovered from the spot of blast in which JMB demanded to replace Islamic Law with Democratic judiciary in Bangladesh.Reasons behind the sceneIn Bangladesh, the violence of bombing was before and is still working on even with more vile power. People expected that it would diminish gradually. But the expectation still remains a dream and the panic of bombing never leaves this helpless region. Why? The curious mind tries to find some answers:1. The past Experience: When a nation achieves liberation through a hard and bloody struggle, in post-independence period, it usually involves itself in terrorism for some years. The reason is that, at the time of war, people get trained to be unkind in taking heinous actions upon the foes. When the war is over, those experiences still work on their behaviors. Their taste for blood remains unchanged. Some nations can come out of this dark world by the right direction of charismatic, honest and patriot political leaders, while others can’t, if unfortunately they are directed by the corrupted, selfish and deviated leaders as has happened in case of Bangladesh for years endless. This is why Maniruzzaman says, ‘Revolutionary mass upheaval generally weakens the people’s respect for authority, law and discipline; and it brings in its wake social, economic and political disorders.’2. Intolerance: People submerging in extreme poverty may lose their patience to a greater extent. If a great number of these people are illiterate, they may be more difficult to handle with. This is why the members of all political parties in Bangladesh have least tolerance power. They can be ruthless and senseless in taking any means of violence, whether it is bombing or rather any worse means, they don’t mind.3. Influence of International Terrorist Groups and Other Organizations: Recent bombing incidents of Bangladesh are so pre-planned and well-organized, it seems that, internal militants or extremists of political parties solely can’t claim the responsibilities of those. Specialists argue that there is a linkage between internal terrorists and external terrorists. Arms and finance are supplied from the external world through this linkage. Among the international terrorist groups, banned by US, the most notorious ones are Abu Shayef Group (Philippine), Jamia-Al-Islamia (Indonesia), Hammas, Harkatul Mujahidin, Hijbullah, Al-Jihad,Al-Qayeda, Qumplun Mujahidin Malaysia etc. Some even claim, Indian guerrillas have hands behind the bomb-attack in Sylhet. Some armed militant groups of Myanmar have been active in Chittagong Hill tracts for a long time. The police and the detectives have found the connection between Rahinga militant groups and the native Islamic militant organizations, such as, JMB, Harkatul Jihad, etc. Some Islamic NGOs including Revival of Islamic Heritage Society active in Bangladesh are under suspicion. Revival of Islamic Heritage Society of Kuwait once worked in various countries as an assistant organization of Al-Qayeda. The most wanted Islamic militant guru Bangla Bhai was once a member of Al-Qayeda, while got trained in Afghanistan. So, renowned political scientist Dr.Tareq Shamshur Rehman, in his article ‘Terrorism: From Dhaka to Baslan’ said that the suspect about the linkage between external power(s) and the bombing incidents of Bangladesh can’t be cancelled out.4. Ghosts of Foreign Countries: Apprehension is high among the people and the analysts on that there may be shadows of the ghosts of foreign countries behind the bombing incidents, piloted in Bangladesh from the past to the present. Who knows whether all those are not conspiracy cases, planned and backed by the upper hands of the governments of one or more countries? Their hidden motives may be to create chaos and turmoil inside this country, which will benefit them by imposing their control over our social, economic and political areas. In this relation, many refer to the names of some countries, such as India, Pakistan, US, Saudi Arabia etc.5. Political Parties: There is no doubt that many political parties were involved in the cases of bomb-attacks in the past and are still working. For some years after Liberation, the Sarbahara Party and other communist extremist groups piloted bomb-attacks separately in many places of the country. The leading political parties such as Awami League, B.N.P. Jatiya Party, Jamaat-I-Islami Bangladesh etc. also attacked on one another in many different times. Presently, the names of various Islamic militant groups have been heard in the cases of bomb and grenade explosions for the last 5 years, such as Harkatul Zihad, Hijbut Tahrir, Hijbut Taohit, Sahaba-Sainik Parishad, Talamiz-I-Islam, Jama’atul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), etc. Many claim that Jama’atul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB), Harkatul Zihad, Ahle Hadith and other Islamic militant groups, which were involved in major bombattacks in the last five years, are either secret wings of Jamaat-I-Islami Bangladesh or its patronized organizations. Generally all parties, either governmental or opposite, rear terrorists, who dare to commit any fatal crime.6. The Torrents of Illegal Weapons and Ammunition: The availability of weapons and ammunition can turn a sober nation into aggressive one. An illiterate and poor people, empowered by weapons, will be prone to committing terrible crimes. At the time of war, Indian government supplied arms including bombs, grenades and mines to freedom-fighters as well as trained them about how to use explosives. As a result of these, after liberation, 1972-1975 years were highly chaotic, and frequent bomb-bursts occurred all over the country.Even after the liberation, the supplies of illegal arms and ammunition were intruded in Bangladesh through Indian borders and are still getting intruded. There is an evidence of the supply of illegal arms and ammunition including 233 grenades, seized by the army in border areas in November, 1974. According to the detectives, there is a connection between the militant Islamic groups of Sylhet and the extremist organization of India named ‘Tripura National Volunteers’ (TNV). TNV sells its self-made bombs and collected grenades to the militant groups of Bangladesh. It is hypothesized that these Islamic fundamentalist groups have used these bombs and grenades in the recent incidents.The largest Illegal supply of arms and ammunition in the history of the country was seized from the wharf of Chittagong Urea Manure Mill by the high officials of the police on April 1, 2004. With other seized weapons, there were 27 thousands and 20 grenades.From all these, it can be concluded that there must have been such many a great number of Illegal arms and ammunition Supply which were never seized and this process continues behind the eyes of people. So, terrorists are getting those explosives in hands easily to do violence. Also news comes often in the national dailies on the matter that bombs are being made in many places inside secretly. For all these reasons, explosives have become easy to reach, and bombing incidents occur frequently.7. Law is a Dead Horse and Justice is its Broken Trappings: When law is nothing but the written words, it is like a dead horse. And if law is powerless, justice loses its beauty. It becomes then the means of injustice. Last five years, 25 major bomb-explosions were launched, but the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) could do a little except submitting final charge sheets and the genuine culprits could flee from almost all cases. For the investigation of the grenade attack of August 21, 2004, five intelligence agencies worked, such as, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Detective Branch (DB), Special Branch (SB), National Security Intelligence (NSI), and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). Also, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) worked too. International organizations like INTERPOL and FBI assisted them. Yet the case still remained clueless, which proves that powerful persons from inside and outside the country don’t want to reveal the truth. Injustice and Lawlessness encourage offenders to do more violence.8 God Fathers: The terrorists’ patrons, whom people call ‘God fathers’, are the reasons of bomb-explosions behind the real actors. Late Siraj Shikdar, the chief leader of the Sarbahara Party, was accused of many bomb-bursts between 1973 and 1974. Maolana Habibur Rahman, Vice Chairman of Islamic Alliance Group, is well-known as a religious extremist in the politics of Sylhet. There is a connection, found by the detectives, between him and Mufti Hannan, accused of many bomb-explosion cases. Detectives conceive that a circle, led by these two leaders, is involved in the plot of grenade-attack on the shrine (Mazar) of Hazrat Shah Jalal (R) in Sylhet. Two absconding leaders of the banned Islamic Militant Group named Jama’atul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) are a real threat not only to the people living in the North Bengal, but also to those of the whole country. Shayakh Abdur Rahman is the central Amir of this group and Bangla Bhai is the operational chief of JMB in the North Bengal. Though Bangla Bhai is active in Rajshahi and Naogaon Districts giving his party name as Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), it is a disguised name of Jama’atul Mujahidin. Another militant guru is Dr. Galib, now kept in the police custody, who is the leader of another Islamic group named Ahle Hadith working in 16 districts of the North Bengal as well as in Khulna, Kustia, Jamalpur and Narayanganj. It is suspected that he is the spiritual leader of the Jama’atul Mujahidin. These three militant gurus are inter-linked and their three parties are nothing but three fake names of one Islamic militant group in disguise. It is now clear that they made their followers stage bomb-explosions on August 17 (2005). Both the leaflets recovered from the spots of blasts asking the government to establish Islamic Law and bomb explosions in courts prove that their aims of these blast incidents were to make pressure on government to release Dr. Galib, to take off the charges filed against Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai, and to withdraw ban from their Islamic parties. It is predictable, they can endanger the future of the inhabitants of this land seriously. In the South-West Bengal, the communist extremist groups are exercising violence being undaunted. Mrinal, leader of the New Revolutionary Communist Party, Main Jamaddar, leader of a killer group, and Shoeb and Suman, daring cadres of Janayudda, are the kings of terrorism in the south-west zone. Recently Mrinal died by the cross-fire of RAB. The extremist communists are accused of killing Humayun Kabir Balu by bombing on June 27, 2004. Balu was the editor of a local newspaper of Khulna named ‘the Daily Janmabhumi’. Before five and half months of this killing, another journalist of Khulna, named Manik Saha was killed in the same way.
Besides, among many top-terrorists and other criminals, listed or not listed by the police, absconders and free-walkers may be implicated in separate bombing incidents all over the country.
Therefore, it is clear, God Fathers explode bombs in their own areas by their retinues, though they may be involved in other cases too outside their local regions.How to manageThe situation in Bangladesh is grave and threatening but not yet out of the control. If certain steps are taken with sagacity, further crisis will not arise with irresistible appearance. Here, some recommendations are provided.1. High Alerts in Borders and Ports: Illegal arms, terrorists and ammunition enter the country through borders and ports. So, deployment of high police officers, detectives and the army is necessary in those areas to watch over illegal activities of illegal traders and to catch them red-handed.2. Ban on the Illegal Production of Explosives: Newspapers’ reports show that terrorists often make explosives clandestinely in many places inside the country, which is highly threatening to peace-situation. To stop this crime, special police branches, such as, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Cobra, Cheetah etc, appointed by the BNP government, should continue investigation without being biased.3. Proper Wages and Training for the Police: Little wages of the police has forced them to be involved in crimes in unison with the terrorists. People are confused why the police is reacting strangely on the bombing-case of August 21, 2004. Also, the police have failed to catch the real culprits accused of the major bombing incidents, staged before or may have helped them to flee; who knows, what the truth is. Proper wages, which will suffice them, and proper training may make them dutiful. And it will reduce terrorism largely.4. Marking Crime-zones: Government should mark some areas as crime-zones so that it can give more attention to improve law and order situation of those areas and can seize the absconders, such as, Dhaka, Khulna, the Forest Sundarban, inaccessible parts of Chittagong Hill Tracts, where training camps of Islamic militants were already found. In those areas, more army and police should be deployed.5. Responsibilities of the Ministry: For long years, terrorists have thriven under the shade of ministers. Many ministers and MPs rear terrorists, keeping them untouched by law like the mother of birds. If the Judiciary is separated from the Executive and if it independently carries on prosecution against the involved ministers and MPs, the unlawful situation of the country will improve significantly.6. Modern Spying Technology: We need to improve our spying technology as much as possible. At first, we need to export some technology and equipment from abroad. Then, we have to build up our own mechanisms. Digital audio recorders can be used in telephone sets in order to record secret conversations of national and international terrorists. In big cities, miniature digital auto-cameras can be set on the streets to watch over the movements of criminals.7. Ban on Religious Political Parties: All kinds of religious political parties should be banned immediately. Intolerance and violence accrue from religious politics, as we have seen in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan etc. Analyzing the major bomb-explosions from 1999 to 2004, detectives have found some similarities between these incidents and that is the places of attack are of a common class, as, cinema halls, cultural ceremonies, mazar (shrine) etc. Islamic militant groups count these places as the centers of un-Islamic activities. So they may havetargeted them to destroy culturally and finally. If religious politics isn’t banned, these unexpected incidents may not be avoided.8. Friendly Relation and Consensus: Friendly Relation and Consensus between the government and all other opposite political parties about common national issues can help improve the whole situation dramatically. If the enmity between them goes on, revengeful bombing attacks will be repeated.9. Imprisonment of Terrorists: As long as the top terrorists and their retinues are roaming outside like phantoms with free hands, the country is more dangerous than a forest. Better it is as early as the police arrest them and send them to jail. But if ministers help them to get bails, what is in practice in our country for long, all endeavors to stop any kind of violence including bombing will be meaningless.10. Reduction of Unemployment: There is a saying that an empty brain is the working place of the Satan. The young generation has now gone astray being depressed from unemployment-status. If statistics is counted down correctly, it will be proved that none but the young are generating violence practically in the field. As long as more public and private industries are established creating more posts, incidents of explosions or others will not stop.11. Values and Patriotism: The degradation of values within all classes of people is the chief cause of many-sided and devastating violent activities. People have a very little concern about what they do. They are destroying themselves and their property by bombing without any hesitation. Mass-media can work together to develop values and patriotism of people. Specially radio, TV, newspapers can be the most helpful in this ground. They can use some sentences in daily advertisements to build rapport inside citizens for the country. SpecialTraining of values should be compulsory for the police and other branches related to law and order. In foreign countries, there are special courses for criminals to develop their mental conditions. This will fit for our prisoners in this critical condition of the country.12. Enlightened People: As Professor Abu Sayid says, we need enlightened people now. An illiterate nation can be more aggressive than the literate one. This is the reason why bombing incidents seldom occur in Australia, Europe and America, when it is common in Africa and Asia. Ruling and opposition political parties hire people, mainly youths and adolescents, for picketing on the street in the day of strikes and these people’s behaviors are really savage. If these millions of people are enlightened by education, the destructive activities will reduce to a greater degree.Last wordsLife is no more secure in this poor land, rather shadowed by an evil power named bombing, which some wretches are using as the strongest means of political violence. None knows what will happen next to him. It is as though one kind of civil war. Some mentally sick persons of the same nation are taking the test of the blood of their own brothers. Bombings not only take huge lives and leave huge people unproductive, but also destroy the national wealth, which push back the country to some years. This is not the time for blaming each other. In this critical moment, expectation lays on one thing that government and other political parties will work together and behave in the democratic way discarding personal egos, enmity and hatred and a consensus on how to face this crisis is the first necessity. This only can bring end in this dark period. We hope for the starry night in Bangladesh flamed with the heavenly light of conscience, not soaked with blood and brutality.
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Bombing: An Evil Power of Political Violence in Bangladesh

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Violence Against Small Girls

The most sorrowful aspect of the problem is that families of the victims are often too poor to support the court cases which take even five years to complete, writes Rifat FatimaShe is too small to understand why she is lying in a hospital bed. The seven-year-old girl is hardly bothered about doctors, nurses or the next-bed patients. If she has any emotion she keeps it to herself. Or else she spends time drawing flowers, butterflies or fish. However, one person who is profoundly worried about her is the girl''s middle-aged mother. "She understands nothing about her plight," says the mother of the girl, who has been brought to the hospital after she was raped by two wayward boys at her Mandail village in Keraniganj. The small girl from a poor family was fishing in a pond when she was attacked by the boys from politically-influential families. Her small age did not matter at all. Violence against women has been common and widespread in Bangladesh. Girls as young as three are also becoming victims of rape and sexual assaults, according to police records and media reports. A recent report of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum suggests that violence against small girls is rising in Bangladesh. Last year, 361 small and teenage girls were raped, says the report. And 41 of them were murdered after rape. It is evident that cruelty against small children, especially girls is increasing. Experts have explanations, why. "The decline in moral character of the society is one of the reasons why our small girls are becoming victims of such barbarism," says Prof AKM S''aduddin, who teaches at the Dhaka University''s Social Science Department. There are other factors too, he explains. The factors are: the sense of immunity from trial and punishment; lengthy and knotty process of justice. "The offenders dare to commit crimes such as rape since they know that they would not have to pay for it," says S''aduddin. Rubayet Ferdous, a teacher at Mass Communication and Journalism Department of the same university, has attributed the crime to some other factors. "Rapists are driven not only by sexual desire," says Ferdous, "The sexual crime is being used as a weapon to insult the rivals or take revenge." "Rape is a tool to settle scores in disputes over land or something else among rival families." In Bangladesh, most rape victims are from poor families. The offenders are largely from the families who control the society, especially in villages. This phenomenon explains why, despite having some stringent laws, Bangladesh is still lagging in the task of taking the offenders to court. Most often than not the offenders hold money and muscle, which in turn help buy support from politicians, police and the administration. Reports about rapists threatening the victims or their families are in plenty. That''s why many rape cases do not make it to police records. There are also instances of withdrawal of cases by the victims in the face of threat from the rapists. This is what has recently happened in the rape of a small girl at Burichang Upazila in Comilla district. The offender''s family promised to give 10,000 taka to the victim''s family in out-of-court settlement of the case. Instead of paying the compensation money, the offender started threatening the girl''s family with death or dire consequences. The offender, allegedly a member of the ruling party''s student front, also stopped the girl''s poor family from filing a police case. Families of the victims are often too poor to afford the court cases which take years to complete and quite a good amount of money. This brings into picture a number of rights groups which take up the legal fight in favour of the victims. Ain-O-Salish Kendra is one of such groups. Says Advocate Neena Goswami of Ain-O-Salish Kendra: "We have a law that provides for death penalty as maximum punishment for rape or violence against women. But it takes at least three years for a trial to complete. There are trials that run for more than five years." There are many reasons why the trial takes so long. The courts are overwhelmed with huge pending cases. In rape cases, the investigating police officer plays a vital role as a witness. Transfer of such investigation officers causes delays in the trial. Public prosecutors are too busy with cases. It has been observed that they can''t always give enough attention to such cases. There are police officials who are reluctant to take up rape cases because they want to avoid the trouble of investigation and standing as a witness. "So, we need a massive social awareness and cooperation between police and members of the public to effectively curb rape crimes," says Mohammad Shahjahan, a former Inspector General of Police, now Vice-chancellor of Asia Pacific University

Sonar Bangla

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Some Journals of last year 2007

Shuvo Nababarsha 2008

SUFISM IN BANGLADESH

Bombing: An Evil Power of Political Violence in Bangladesh

Bombing: An Evil Power of Political Violence in Bangladesh

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Violence Against Small Girls

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