Minority situation –Reply to Avijit – Part IV

Syed Rahat Zaman

In continuation to Avijit Roy’s reply on Minority situation; I would say; my first posting (posted in the Vinnomot though) simply presents the correct information in the process of Avijit’s understanding (and also misleading views) of a theme; it does not have anything on Jaffor Ullah at all that the second one have. I do not know what objected Avijit from not circulating that at all? Though he has given an explanation for not posting the second one but nothing on the first one yet! Well you don’t have to anymore.

I would appeal Avijit and his aid Rahul, not to circulate any of my postings in the MM thread in future. In fact, I did send one yesterday; as usual you have ignored that; so my humble request is to dismember me from your Mukto-mona thread; and please do it as soon as possible; I will be always grateful to you.

No, I am not unhappy or disappointed; I have been trying to learn some “good” qualities from respected Jaffor Ullah; in fact, I have learnt the style of putting somebody in the write-up from him; believe me! I am quite sure that eventually, I will be dismembered from MM thread very soon and the first indication is that three of my consecutive postings have been turned down without pretty much convincing explanations. Therefore, I better make my own appeal to remove my email address from MM thread.

I am happy that Avijit and MM dislike those who run websites by suggesting others not to invest in Bangladesh for a reason that the minorities have been repressed there but I would still ask him if he knows any such website that in the name of minority groups (of a country); circulating such venom, derogatory and disrespectful comments on the majority, discouraging foreign investments, etc, except the case of Bangladesh. I have not come across any yet.   Or just tell me some sites that display pictures indicating a majority mob beating a minority man and vandalizing his home and property as if that only happens in Bangladesh and not elsewhere; would you be able to show me any website run by some Indian minority group that contains pictures of mosque demolition or torturing Muslims in that country? I know you won’t be able to do that especially the sites that you prescribed for somebody recently. Have you ever denounced such web-based propaganda against a country, its religiously majority population and its various interests by a section of religiously minority people?

 Arundhuti Roy never suggested in disfavor of investing in India to the world community or something similar that some people tend to portray Bangladesh in the name of minority repression. Where’s Avijit’s reply on my reasoning that Bangladeshi majorities are also victimized by the outlawed people everyday same as the minorities that should be considered as the “Bangladeshi reality” today. The way the recent killing of doctor Mukherjee has taken place is probably pretty much same that of many victims belong to the majority community; as time to time miscreants who are mostly blessed by a section of politicians, target the rich and wealthy for Chadabazi. This incident would less likely be justified as a communal one or as a hate crime if you truly understand the nature of crime, culture of politics and apart the inefficiency of our administration today.

About Bikash Halder (sorry, I missed the last name in the previous posting); to tell you very frankly; I used to personally know him that probably you (Avijit) and Rahul never did. He was one of the few privileged Bangladeshi Foreign Service officers who was sent for long-term higher training in the overseas with taxpayers money that he eventually paid off later in the most appropriate manner! After the training, he was awarded a posting that had given him responsibility of a very important mission in a country that Bangladesh highly values its bilateral relationship with. There is no reason to accept the fact that he was never given any good appointment, as he was a minority. He was eventually posted to British administered Hong Kong in the early nineties that at that time in Bangladesh’s viewpoint, a very important one in terms of investment and trade. The Indians initially helped Bikash but lately after briefly staying over there he exploited his Bangladeshi diplomatic passport and other connections relocating a third country that offers immigration benefits. There is nothing to accept as “discriminatory” that Bikash had highlighted in support of his defection. There are many people in the service who have their own reasons of feeling such “discrimination” but none opted for a defection. I can provide you tons of such service agony among many that I know; instead accepting Bikash’s lies.

Avijit, Jiban Kanai Das is not only in the army top brass but there are also other “Hindus” (the word that Rahul would prefer) serving like, Brigadier General Joyonto, Colonel Ananta apart from other various religious and ethnic minority groups. But the point is that if we have some more theses Jiban Kanai Das and Joyontos then would that be able to make any change in the minority’s life? The same also applies for Dr. Kalam, some other Muhammed, De Costa or Barua’s appointment if that would save the life of minorities in India at all. I am sure the answer is no but the good thing is that though you have agreed on this point but unfortunately not Rahul, as what I find in his write-up. Rahul, I was discussing on minority-majority in Bangladesh-India context and thus brought the Naga-Mizos, Tamil-West Bengal Bengali, Bangladeshi CHT minorities, etc, but not at all from any Hindu-Muslim view point that rather you did.   

Avijit, I appreciate your kind cooperation for posting my views in the past. I have all respect for your and your aid’s decisions not to post my recently compiled write-ups that have not complied the MM opted guideline. I would like to thank you for explaining on that a bit in order to be with you in the future but I must say that no matter how you prescribe our patriotism should be; you folks are only partially successful making people thinking good. I feel on some issues that you folks are very much biased in your opinions and among those, unfortunately, one is the minority situation.

Well, I know, you will deny my minority situation observation, that is fine; – but it is true that more or less, many of your regular/ irregular readers have already foreseen the reality -a distinct illustration of vested interests that is totally unacceptable in terms of an honest approach achieving the actual minority situation. Your tangible objectives are absolutely great that is making Bangladesh a better place for minorities; making majority feeling that they have been doing injustice to there minorities but I won’t blame many that find incompatibilities in your process of achieving that with other covert interests. In other words, you are simply not doing the right job to make the situation better, inculcating positive attitude with tolerance rather fueling for explosions. From MM kind of propaganda on minority situation issue; one would simply develop a completely wrong perception on Bangladesh that would neither expedite the process of obtaining precise awareness nor contribute minorities achieving their legitimate rights. But I must say that apart you have also been doing a good job by discussing some useful knowledge-based topics that generate better understanding on relatively delicate issues; and time-to-time which are also refreshing in some extend.  At this time of saying good-bye; please accept my appreciation for many such contributions that I am personally benefited from.