Letters
In the Name of Belief
I read with interest your cover story "Crime in the Name of Belief". It is true that a few illiterate and ignorant people in the remote rural areas misuse and misinterpret the Fatwa. This must be condemned. But isn't it a fact that such Fatwa cases are very few and far between? I think your story could give some people the impression that people are being stoned to death in Bangladesh every day.
I have never heard of violence in the name of Fatwa in the urban areas or even in most villages. I fear your coverage blows this whole Fatwa issue out of proportion. Just because some zealots in a remote area misused a provision of Islam, you cannot criticise the whole theme of Fatwa or give Islam a bad name. Perhaps your writer did not intend to do this, but some people will be quick to attack religion based on hearsay evidence. It also gives the country a negative image.
To put the whole thing into perspective, I request you to write positive stories on matters of faith. What is the true message of Islam? Why are many people looking to Islam for spiritual solace in Europe and USA? Why are young people going to the mosque in larger numbers? How does Islam envision peace and equality?
Nirjhor Kabir Supto
Dhaka
Against The Tide
It is said that the development of a country depends on the efforts of both men and women. Only men cannot take the country to a higher level of success. So in every progressive society, importance is given to the development of women. But to achieve this, the support from men is definitely needed. At first, their mentality should be changed because they think of women as a showpiece of the house. If they think positively and extend their helping hand to women then women can easily overcome their obstacles. But it is very difficult for a woman if she wants to rise to the highest level of any sector by herself. Men and women should complement each other. This will definitely make the world a better place.
Tahmina Akter
Department of Marketing
University of Dhaka
Proper environment for Girls
These days everything is changing for the better but in our society women are staying in the same position as before. We hear a lot of speech about women empowerment. What is the real picture of girls' childhood? Especially in the villages, most of them go to school up to class 9 or 10. Then they simply face marriage as parents are worried about their safety. When a girl is not well trained and educated at the time of growing up how will she be a proper guide for her children? So lack of family education creates a lack of morality and conscience, and the whole society suffers as a consequence. If we are to prosper as a nation, we must guarantee proper education and a progressive environment for women.
Subrata Roy
Department Of Business Administration
Shahjalal University Of Science & Technology, Sylhet
Mosquito Menace!
Mosquito menace has become the talk of the town in Chittagong city. The problem is becoming more serious day by day. It is becoming so intolerable and annoying that there is hardly any respite from this threat. People from all walks of life particularly the students (S.S.C and H.S.C candidates in particular) being the worst sufferers cannot concentrate on their studies properly leading to poor results. There was a time when sprays or coils would be effective against this menace. But nowadays the maddening song of the mosquito is not to be stopped by the coil or the mosquito repellent spray. Somehow these winged monsters have developed resistance to these repellents. In addition people are becoming prone to different mosquito borne diseases like malaria, dengue etc. Load shedding is adding to this problem -- when the fan is off, the mosquitoes have field day. This creates an unbearable situation. Under the circumstances, I would like to draw the attention of the authorities and the mayor of Chittagong. We are paying taxes, don't we deserve better?
Md.Ziaul haque
North Hali Shahar
Chitagong
Our Government Hospitals
We know that Dhaka Medical College Hospital is one of the largest medical hospitals in Bangladesh. People from the villages come to Dhaka city to get treatment in Dhaka medical college. Sadly enough there is a huge number of drug addicted people loitering outside the hospital. Now if we go inside the medical hospital we will see a very crowded place. The number of doctors and nurses is negligible compared to the large number of patients. Hence many patients are deprived of much needed care .The beds are all booked and hence the new patients have to lie down on the floor. According to a news channel the sweepers and other support staff run the wards and control who gets a bed and who doesn't. This is the reason why people who have money don't go to government hospitals for treatment whereas they choose to spend huge amounts for treatment in private clinics. The media has tried to highlight the problems of many hospitals but still no change has occurred. Although the rich can afford the posh and expensive treatment the poor are neglected and are denied basic medical care. I urge the authorities to treat this matter with urgency.
Md Mahbubur Rahman
Dhaka
Cartoon of the Week
Cartoon by Tanmoy
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