Answer
to a question
This letter is in response to Iqbal Ahmed's letter
in the July 11 issue of SWM. In his letter he condemned
the Madrasa students, activists and leaders of Islamic
parties, including the Khatic of Baitul Mukarram mosque
for not condemning the heinous attack of the Pakistani
city of Quetta. He commented that if such an attack
by non-Muslims occurred in Bangladesh, they would
have called a “Jihad” against all non-Muslims. Obviously
his opinion is exaggerated. To take revenge on innocents
rather than culprits is not in their character. They
would seek true justice by the law and government
on such an attack. We have gotten used to seeing incidents
vehicles being attacked and innocent peoples' shops
being demolished by college students including Shibir
activists. It is often done in the name of protest
against injustice. I ask Iqbal Ahmed whether he can
show me a single violent act against Hindus in Bangladesh
during the Gujrat incident which involved a madrasa
student. The massacre of Quetta is really tragic and
punishable but such atacks and counter-attacks happen
quite often in Pakistan. However I oppose all sorts
of crimes.
Faroq, Feni
SWM
-- Real Issues
It is always refreshing to read SWM. The articles
are important and sensitive to the socio-political
situation in our country. Last week's (July 18, 2003)
issue consisted of articles that were interesting
and informative, such as the Cover Story on Speedy
Trial Tribunal, as well as fun loving, such as the
various columns that always make my Friday morning.
I look forward to reading SWM every Friday because
it gives me hope to think that there are so many intelligent,
down-to-earth, sharp-witted, realistic and yet hopeful
minds working for our country. Congratulations and
continue to produce such good work.
K. Arshad
Uttara
Public
Reading Rooms Necessary
Last
week's letter on the importance of public reading
rooms caught my attention. I would like to congratulate
Hadiul Islam Bhuiyan (Anwar). I, too, support the
establishment of public rooms. It is an old idea for
a foreign country but a new concept for us. If our
government sets up some form of public reading rooms,
it would be very helpful for students of all backgrounds.
It would especially be helpful in rural areas where
there is not enough public reading space and no suitable
options at home either. Our government should ensure
a proper reading environment in addition to other
educational facilities. Thus reading rooms should
be opened for students with a separate reading section
for female students. I hope our government takes this
into account and thinks about the importance of establishing
public reading rooms in the near future.
Afroza
Sultana
University of Dhaka
Why
'Dhaka' Diary?
I
am writing about the Dhaka Diary section of your magazine,
which I find very interesting. Some time back, there
was a letter written by Mithun Kumar Das of CU suggesting
a change in the Dhaka Diary column. It would be better
if the name could be changed as it is a little biased
towards the people who live in Dhaka. What about the
rest of Bangladesh? I felt really happy that my own
thoughts were reflected through someone else's writing
but I was a little taken aback when I found no answer
to the letter. I mean, it was a question that was
directed towards the magazine but it did not get a
reply.
Abu Sahadat Mohammad Omair
Middle
Rampura
Eidgah, Chittagong
Dear
Omair,
Thank you for the point you made. If we get enough
anecdotes for our Dhaka Diary section from people
outside Dhaka then we would be glad to change the
title of the column. We are always ready for new ideas
but we have to get enough responses from our contributors.
Why don't you take the initiative by sending in diary
accounts from Chittagong?
--
SWM
Traffic
Jams
It
is the monsoon season and the weather is always clammy
with moisture. The last thing that we desire it to sweat,
but that is an impossible task when one has to pass
through Mohakhali. The place is so congested that it
takes about thirty minutes to cross 200 feet distance.
This takes longer when our noble army denies the free
entry into Cantonment during certain hours, even after
the government has given permission to let light vehicles
pass during the daytime. What about the people commuting
by buses or riders? Why do they have to go through this
'congested hell' when they wish to go to Farmgate? Can
there not be another route that takes people from Uttara
to Farmgate through Cantonment? I think the government
should come up with at least a temporary solution to
solve the commuters problem.
A
concerned denizen
Great
cover on Zafar Iqbal
Your
cover story on the 4th of July on Zafar Iqbal was really
impressive. Though I haven't had the pleasure of reading
any of his books, the story made me really happy and
gave me hope. I was inspired to read the story of the
child that grew up to become a writer, and finally,
a reputed personality. It is really hard to target books
for all generations, and Zafar Iqbal has done a lot
to master this fine art. He has a level of writing that
makes little children squeal with excitement and a similar
excitement can be felt in his adult targets. My complements
go to Shamim Ahsan for his wonderful story that has
brought out not just a fine writer, but an idol for
others to follow.
Azizul
Hoq, Cox's Bazar
Contributions
are welcome and should be sent through e-mail, fax and
the postal address. Articles should be within 1,200
words. Articles submited will not be returned.
Letters to the Editor should be sent
to
dsmagazn@gononet.com
|