Captive freedom in US
Taslim Hasan Sabu, University of Dhaka
Shindi Shihan, anti war worker in the US who lost her son in Iraq, was arrested recently before the speeches of the State of the Union. She went to the function wearing a shirt painting "the number of murder 2245." According to her view the police officer that arrested her, termed her as "protester" as if it is a crime to protest. While she was walking in front of the police officer opening the jacket due to warm atmosphere, he swooped on her to arrest. When she asked him about his rude attitude to her, he replied, "as you protested". (The daily Prothom Alo, February 5, 2006.)What is the implication of freedom of speech in the US ? If Shindi is persecuted for showing the message 2245, where is freedom? She was treated illegally and brutally due to her protest. According to her writing which was published (the translated version) in the daily Prothom Alo , there is no freedom of wearing dress i.e. personal freedom, freedom of speech as it is not allowed to say anything against the government over telephone (as there is tele taping) in the US. So this is the intellectual poverty of US political system as they are torturing Shindi physically rather than going for discussion with her. The US has become bankrupt morally and intellectually in not only its own territory but also in Iraq and other places, as they are torturing people inhumanely in Abu Graib and Guantanamo Bay. This is the sign of declining trend of western civilisation.
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