Say “NO” to Bengali Nationalism
March 14, 2008 – 8:45 pmFirst let me tell you NO, I’m not on drugs, nor I am drunk for writing the title. Some may think that I’m a Bengali nationalist, the truth is I’m not, I’m a patriot and there is a big difference between nationalism and patriotism.
The columnist Sydney Harris says:
Patriotism is proud of a country’s virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country’s virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, “the greatest,” but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.
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Nationalists, followers of nationalism, have love for their own country; however there is hatred toward other nations. Such as the hatred of leaders of India and Pakistan toward each other. Nationalism is what caused the destruction and degradation of Germany as Adolf Hitler’s nationalism led him to put down anyone who did was not German descent or who did not speak German. The favor of Bengali Nationalism will only lead to the backward society of Bangladesh. Nationalists usually refuse change as they want to keep things the way it is and refuse outside influence to come in. Nationalists usually look down and show aggression to people of non-Bengali background. Muhammad (SAW) spoke against nationalism as it divides Muslims among themselves. Nationalists are the one’s who are and have slowed down Bangladesh’s progression, as they do not want outside influence.
Patriots, followers of patriotism, are the ones who love and have pride for where they are from. Patriotism does not encourage hatred for other countries or people of other origin. I consider myself to be a patriot as I have love for Bangladesh, since that’s where I’m from, and I encourage diversity among people of different backgrounds to come and live with Bangladeshis.
President Pervez Musharraf’s Visit to Bangladesh
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In 2002 President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan came to Bangladesh and showed regrets of the 1971 massacres. He, by doing so, acknowledged that there was a genocide. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the elected leader of Bangladesh at that time, accepted the Pakistan President’s reconciliation.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said:
Thank you, Mr. President, for your candid expression on the events of 1971. This will, no doubt, help mitigate the old wounds.
The leader of Bangladesh at that time accepted the Pakistan’s leader’s reconciliation; however, Bangladeshi nationalists accused the President Musharraf by saying that it’s not good enough. I spit on the the nationalists’ words; what President Musharraf did was better than what most Pakistani leaders have done with the past, as his visit and words of regret was very significant to create a stronger bond between the Muslims states. A formal apology is still needed from the Pakistani leadership, but this is good so far. In the years to come the apology will come, insh’Allah.
Islam First
Bangladesh is a Muslim country and us Bengalis need to put Islam above all. In Bangla, shob che prothom Islam, in Urdu, sab se pehle Islam, in which Islam should not be treated below anything else, it should be put first above any representation.
Tags: islam, nationalism, Nationalists, patriot, patriotism
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18 Responses to “Say “NO” to Bengali Nationalism”
Pakistani nation believes the genocide was more a propaganda by India but there were incidents for sure and Pakistani nation was never in favor of that but we have to see the root causes.
In Pakistan right from the beginning there is a lot of influence of Feudal class and the poor people of Pakistan were always deprived, the problem of provincial autonomy was in Pakistan as well but due to poor communication between the to wings the Hindus of East Pakistan were able to propagate the Indian propaganda a genocide was a result of the realization of a fact that most Hindus were working against the Union.
Pakistani Nation never consider Bengalis as a separate entity we even today believe that they are our brothers. Remember in the 1999 Cricket World Cup when we lost to BD and Wasim akram said that we lost to our brothers but Shaikh Hasina said that the memories of 1971 are revived the statement was really a hurting one.
I personally believe that what Muti-ur-Rehman(a Bengali pilot of PAF) did was wrong but there ware mistakes on our side as well and president Parvaiz Musharraf’s apology is a right step.
What is needed that Bangladeshi government should develop a union with Pakistan and we are always ready for such a Union.
By Muhammad Salman Khaliq on Mar 15, 2008
Dear Azmi this not strickly related but I hope you enjoy reading this article and find it informative. It was emailed to a journalist in the UK.
The Prisoner of Dhaka
http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=479
Well John as always you write well, and you have good intentions no doubt, BUT I think even though the case of Moudud Ahmed is very sad—–no due process for an ex law minister—–the irony!, you have to understand the background of the country, and the over all situation and history, to put it all into context, otherwise it looks like a case of another banana republic doing funny things to its once high and mighty——-and inadvertently reinforces racial stereotypes. This is not a justification of his poor treatment, and at a personal level I do not know him, or his life history, but an attempt and explaining the deeper wider issues which finds him in such a sorry state. As an investigative journalist you would normally be addressing such things anyway, as you have done with many other cases.
First Bangladesh is a British managed puppet state—–and most of the leading political actors from the BNP, Awami League head to London for their political approval or policy ideas, or to invest their loot taken from the poor people of Bangladesh.
A good deal of the state structure is also trained by the British, most notably the army, where each year the best cadets from the army are sent to train at Sandhurst. So the military elite is British orientated. The last time I checked the Bangladesh military was ‘125,000′ strong.
Again, making the same point as before, lets not tut tut righteously, and say quietly to ourselves that this is another case of a Third World banana republic being brutal to its own—and shrug, because it does not explain a lot of background things. As with the above point we should ask who controls the local Third World actors who does these things? To what extent is the brutality in South America, Africa and Asia the random manifestation of local actors or the coordinated actions of Western corporations and government agencies?
As to Britain, what it has done in the UK, most notably in Northern Ireland and in other instances, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan is far worse than what the military regime in Bangladesh is doing, or has ever done. The Bangladesh military is disciplined, and the country does better under military rule.
I myself tried to practice as a Barrister in Bangladesh in 2002, in the Chambers of Tawfik Nawaz? Well known and clean Barrister. I experienced many many difficulties, as a result of which I had to leave the country eventually, after a very short time. Clearly somebody powerful didn’t want me working in that country—-the BNP was in power then, and the British were as active as ever.
The people of Bangladesh must eventually find their ‘freedom’ from the clutches of the British neo-imperialists, and the genocides exacted by that imperial power upon the poor wretched people of that country and region.
You have done great work for Bangladesh and her people a you have done for others around the world, and I honor you for that. You were great with Cambodia and East Timur, so lets hear about Bangladesh a little bit more. But permit me to educate you a little about the wider issues, which finds the country in such a state.
These are random factors which have effected adversely the attitude of the British state towards the people of Bangladesh. It is not meant to be a criticism of the British people, or even 99.999% of the population who have better things to preoccupy themselves with, but rather a criticism of the bureaucrats and elite around London who formulate policy which have adversely affected the fortunes of that country:
* The ‘Black hole of Calcutta’ 1757 incident falsely used by the British to justify their conquest of India—–’The dreaded Bengaali’ ‘The evil conniving slippery Bengali……’ ‘The Bengaali Babbu know it all’ mainly directed as Hindu Bengalis.
* The history of British rule in Bengal started off badly and only got worse. Bengal was the ‘Pearl of India’ in the eighteenth century, and only after 50 years of British rule, after they had plundered it, it became the poorest state in India. In 1769 in order to grow cash crops like Indigo and jute, local farmers were banned from growing rice, and as a result 10 million people died—-Warren Hastings the serving governor of Bengal was taken to trial for that crime this but was eventually cleared, of course. Misrule continued in the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. In 1943 just when it seemed the Japanese were about to Invade India from the East, the British surrounded the state of Bengal, passed laws prohibiting rice imports from surrounding states, sent agents to buy up the rice in Bengal, and finally ringed the state with police and paramilitaries to forcefully starve and kill 3-6 million people, and thus keep ‘control’ of the state——on the assumption that there ‘might’ be rebellion. You understand the callousness and paranoia of the Raj.
* The British are color averse, speaking as one who has grown up in the UK. Most Bengalees are brown to dark brown people of Indo-Burmese stock—80%. Racism defined British rule in Bengal, and still does. It is no coincidence that the British empire entirely involved subjugating and exploiting people of color.
* Britian is an Islamophobic country traditionally—Crusades etc. It becomes more Islamophobic with the Jews of London and their control of the media, and the creation of Israel.
* Bengal was the first major Indian state to experience British rule. With it came Western ideas and knowledge. Put together this with Brahmanical education in high caste Hindus, and what you had was a major advancement of high caste Hindus taking advantage of Western education, and fusing it with their traditional Indian knowledge, from the eighteenth into the nineteenth century. Thus naturally this new breed of educated Bengalis become conscious of themselves and they spear headed the intellectual drive for independence. The political class for India’s independence was dominated by Hindu Bengalis, and it irritated the British no end———just another evidence of the ‘dreaded Bengaali’. The Bengaali Hindu political class defeated early British efforts to divide the state of Bengal along religious lines–1905—–1912, using Satyagraha—peaceful resistence. After the British created the Muslim League in Dhaka, East Bengal in 1905. The British in a huff in 1913, took the capitol of the Raj from Calcutta to Delhi, as far away as possible from the ‘dreaded Bengaali’.
* 1857 Indian Liberation war. Of the three armies of the Raj, which controlled India, it was the 139,000 strong Bengal Presidency army which rebelled and fought the British. There after Bengalis and especially Brahmins were banned from being recruited into the Raj army. The Liberation war created further animosity, as there were wide scale fighting and extreme brutality by both sides against armed forces and civilians alike—–Severe British brutality against locals and harsh police tactics, similar to those of the Ulster constabulary continued right up to independence in the states of Bihar, Orissa and BENGAL—three of the most impoverished states of India, and areas of continued rebellion even now by Naxals–it has become part of the culture, inherited from the British.
* From 1919–1947, there was renewed armed struggles by armed groups of Bengali fighters against the British. In that time two British governors of Bengal were assassinated, along with many civil servants and police.
* The great Indian political leader from Bengal Subhas Bhose who advocated Indian independence through armed struggle, with foreign assistance appeared on the Burmese border in 1944, with an army of 40,000. They were defeated by the allies, but the psychological effect on the British and Indians alike was tremendous, and one of the key factors the British judged it was time to leave India.
* The British as part of their divide and rule policy created many frictions in Indian society. One of these was the creation of prejudice and friction between states in India. They deliberately propagated the image that Bengalis as sly, devious, feeble and weak and not be trusted (no noble characteristics and thus not be accorded any respect——Apu redux). This had adverse affects after independence when the Punjabi dominated government of Pakistan took over, where the majority of the people of the new nation of Pakistan were ‘Dreaded Bengaaalis’ 56%. And so this artificially created state by the British just couldn’t gel, and whilst Bengalis couldn’t become leader of overall Pakistan, they couldn’t even become leaders of their own part of the country—–continuation of colonialism. When the Punjabis finally left East Pakistan in 1971, they left with a vengeance, not something one would characterize with true fellow countrymen and fellow Muslims. The British had educated the Raj army well. See the performance and behavior of the Pakistan army in Baluchistan and FATA.
* Sections of the British elite can exhibit the feminine /Jewey character of holding historical grudges over a very long period of time, well past their sell by date.The East India Company was a Jewish run operation, and the Rothschild’s and the Jews basically financed the British empire, and were its main beneficiary. Around 3,000 Jew/gentile families around London, exemplified by the cities wealth did well out of the British empire, whilst the rest of the British population did the grunt work, and superficial flag waving. This historical grudge is best exemplified by the hatred that is directed by London towards Russia, with the help of the Rothschilds tools in Washington. They with their American agents financed the Russian Communist revolution which claimed the lives of up to 40 million people in that region. But like a psychopath who hates their victims———they are not done yet; they want more. Its irrational hatred because all the Russians are asking for is a little bit of dignity, fair treatment and to be recognized for what they are——————-but no! no! damn it no!
* There are no Bengalis living in the UK——–true to this historical grudge. The 300,000 ‘Bangladeshis’ that are living in the UK are technically ASSAMESE. They over overwhelmingly come from the Syhlet district of Bangladesh which in 1947 was part of ASSAM, but was latched on to East Bengal——East Pakistan, because of its Muslim majority. The ‘Bangladeshis’ who live in the UK are at the bottom of British society living in some of the worst houses, enjoying living standards below that of all other ethnic communities including Africans. They subsist in the country by running their private economy consisting of restaurants. The unemployment rate is high; they live in inner city ghetto’s and their education is poor. Drugs and prostitution has been introduced into the community by state institutions, since the early nineties, as way to help weaken the community.
* Human nature is random and over overwhelmingly irrational, contrary to the modern myth of the rational Western man—– a load of baloney. It was just bad luck that Mughal India was the richest nation on earth, and BENGAL its richest part. This reputation attracted the wrong crowd criminals from London aka ‘The East India company’———-and since 1757 for Bengal it has been one unremitting bad experience. This is a cautionary tale to all the nations on earth about London, its Jews and the Rothschild’s. All nations have a duty to themselves to find out which companies are their fronts, from the UK, Holland and the USA, and then avoid doing business with them. These people don’t believe in live and let live, sharing wealth, and have been a source of major problems for Europe in the nineteenth century, and the world in the twentieth century. Since they have never been held to account, so they continue with business as usual——–because educated people in the know fear to question this fact. You see its not politically correct.
* Paranoia, the very serious business of empire, power, military conquest has its own set of logic, separate from the normal rational world.
* Humans are creatures of habit, and once a trend is set, humans don’t like to change them that easily. British rule was bad from the beginning in Bengal, and it has continued since.
Because of these factors, the country has experienced many problems since 1947:
* The very first governor of East Pakistan was a British Civil servant, because the political leadership of the country was marginalized, or not allowed entry from India, whilst the British consolidated their new artificially created country—Pakistan, the perennially failed state managed by the UK/USA.
* Then West Pakistanis ran East Pakistan like a colony, with all its heads being non-Bengalis, right up to 1971. This is stuff you are well familiar with, so I won’t go over this too much except to say that during British rule of the sub-continent, they encouraged differences between the various states. So the ‘marshal race’ Punjabis who were recruited into the Raj army were indoctrinated into hating/looking down on Bengalis.
* Then there was the 1971 war, and all the devastation that came with that.
* The 1971 December 13th massacre of the 270 Dhaka intellectuals of professors, journalists and artists seems on the surface like a bog standard ISI covert op. using Islamic fundamentalists nutjobs, but when you look at the issue in greater depth (Channel 4 did an excellent documentary on this event in 1997, and I encourage you to watch it) it looks like the orders came from the ISI masters in London. Most of the Islamic fundamentalists who did the dirty deed, including their leader went on to live in London, and ran a very large Mosque in the East End, until the channel 4 program exposed them. The leader of the group, Moinuddin Khan was invited to 10 Downing street and shook hands with the PM, John Major. I hope John you do a thorough investigative report of the links between the British state, with Islamic fundamentalists going back to the last century, and how local intelligence agencies use such people, in Third World societies. It ties in with Australia, especially under Howard.
* From 1972-75 Bangladesh went through a very difficult period of destabilization, and an eventual coup, backed by the USA overtly, and the UK covertly. John I don’t know how much you are into elite ‘conspiracies’, but if you are into the NWO thing, and that the Rothschilds of London are the main operators, and people like Brzezinski and Kissinger their tools, then you will understand the picture of why Shiekh Mujib ur Rahman was invited to the UK in 1975, and then upon his return when all the pieces for the coup were set, the army massacred his entire family including a child of a few years. That just about sums them up doesn’t it? Without being too narrow, if you really are into explaining the problems of Third World societies then all you have to do is look at the ‘The City’ and the Rothschild’s, whilst developing a strong conscience saying that ‘I’m not anti-Semitic’—-merely objective, looking at cause and effect.
* Then General Zia ul Rahman.1975–81……………some stability and development. He himself was not corrupt but he did out of insecurity allow corrupt men into his cabinet—-setting a bad example for future democratic governments. He armed and politicized the students unions—very very dangerous. He allowed British military trainers into the country after an absence of 30 years in 1977—-unforgivable, on the advice of the Callaghan Labor government! He focused development of the nation on a Western model not suitable for Bangladesh from the 1950’s, when instead he should have invested heavily into infrastructure; education; export and industry—-in addition focus on institution building of the bureaucratic center—strong anti-corrupt efficient state institutions—-the secret of Singapore’s success, and still not a democracy. He squandered the huge amounts of help the Carter administration gave him—maybe we should not expect too much from a military man with minimal education. Relations deteriorated with India during his tenure. He was invited to the UK on a state visit, whilst in the UK the pieces for the coup was fixed by the UK, and he was killed upon his return in 1981 by the UK. Indira Gandhi partly got the blame wrongly !
* General Ershad 1982-90. Not corrupt, built up the countries infrastructure, and some development took place. He was a womanizer, but not a major problem all things considered. Lost power in 1990, after a popular uprising.
* Since then we have had the two women, in democracy constantly bickering about the past, with no real development.
Obviously Bangladeshis can’t go through history blaming their national problems on the British significant as it has been, but sooner or later they have to take matters into their own hands. With a population of 150 million, rising to 350 million by 2050, sooner the better.
Regards,
Mostaque A Ali.
http://mostaqueali.blogspot.com
By Mostaque A Ali. on Mar 15, 2008
Dont be coward to delete this comment.
If you really need to be spate upon by ppl come to farmgate and speak it louder.
Being a country first ruled by the buddists, then hindu razas, then some greece ppl, then by muslim mughals and finally by christian English and traitor pakiis, bangladesh needs Nationalism to prove herself that she had never been a mere understemated brother(bother) of Pakis, we have and had a far older and enriched history and culture than pakis. Islam is a part of our our 3 thousand year old culture, not our nationality niether any bangladeshi would like to introduce himself as muslim than a bangladeshi and sometimes bangli.
By hate pakis on Mar 15, 2008
If you talk about civilization than Pakistan has more ancient civilization, Mohenjo Daro is one of the world’s first cities which is five thousand year old don’t talk about ancient culture we all have a ancient history. Islam is a bonding factor which binds 1.5 billion Muslims so be a Muslim first.
By Muhammad Salman Khaliq on Mar 15, 2008
the author of this propagandistic column is a mere opportunist, trying to propagate military-religious dictatorial values. People, beware of such pakistani jamaati propaganda ! this is jamaati agent ! wahhabi jamaati monarchist forces want to kill off any hope for Sonar Bangla, they fear Bengalis ! STOP JAMAAT !!!
By awami dalal on Mar 15, 2008
Wow, this post has caused a stir, well I can give a good response to everyone.
@Muhammad: from the beginning you said “Pakistani nation believes” as in what the people believe, “the genocide was more a propaganda by India”. I know not much of it is propaganda but remember the military government of Pakistan chose which history to show the people of Pakistan and which to cover up. And you are right, there was the Feudal class system from the beginning and a lot of people were deprived not just in East Pakistan but in West Pakistan also.
You said “we even today believe that they (the Bengalis) are our brothers” which I know is true because I have experienced it myself from other Pakistanis. Not many Pakistanis see me as an outsider but just another fellow Muslim.
@Mostaque: Thank you, that post is well explained of the history of the Bengal.
@hate pakis: I won’t delete your comment because I want everyone to see what you wrote. You said “Islam is a part of our our 3 thousand year old culture.” Now tell me, how much bullshit can you fit in your head? Islam was introduced to the Bengal in the 12 century AD by middle eastern migrants Sufi missionaries. The Bengali culture revolves around the Hindu religion; such as Durga Puja, which is a Hindu celebration by the Bengali Hindu community in West Bengal and Bangladesh. For someone to be pure Bengali is to be Hindu. Your ignorance will only destroy your dignity. In Bengali Muslim weddings the “holud” celebration is actually a Hindu practice passed down to the Bengali Muslim community now as a symbol of the culture. In Bangladesh the bowing and touching of the elders’ feet is a Hindu practice, tell me which part of Islam tells about that?
Tell me, since you hate Pakistanis, what have they done to you? Pakistani soldiers slaughtered some of my family members and yet my family and I have Pakistani friends. Not all of them are the same, and they (the Pakistani people) should not be blamed for their government’s actions because it’s not their fault. Then you wrote “niether any bangladeshi would like to introduce himself as muslim than a bangladeshi and sometimes bangli” even with your typos you sound so ignorant. I consider to be a Muslim first and a Bengali second, “shob che prothom Islam”. Islam is against nationalism, from the beginning Muhammad (SAW) broke the tribal lines of the Quaresh and promoted unity based on one faith. To be a nationalist is to go against the Prophet (PBUH)’s teaching.
@awami dalal: Obviously you showed your self to be a supporter of the Awami League based on your name. The Awami League group of people promotes hatred and violence and intolerance. You scream Jamaat propaganda like a dumb ass. Your comment showed that anyone who promotes Islam is a Jammati. Here is news for you genius, I’m no supporter of Jammat, I’m against the violence against Hindus. I even have Hindu Bengali friends and I would defend them against Jamaat and I’m a Sunni Muslim. My side would call your type an “oshikkito Manush” as in uneducated person.
By Sunny on Mar 16, 2008
@ Mostaque:You said “The British consolidated their new artificially created country—Pakistan, the perennially failed state managed by the UK/USA”.
If Pakistan is managed by UK/USA and we are a failed state than why Pakistan is becoming a power?
Pakistan is lot stronger; we are world’s sixth biggest country with our armed forces capable to destroy any one in the world. Pakistan is one of the fastest growing economies of the world. And second largest in Asia. The growing middle class and educational level is improving tremendously with new good governance and welfare policies the living standard of a Pakistani is lot higher than its neighboring countries. We are a nuclear power which by the grace of Allah we are a nuclear umbrella for Saudi Arabia and we can defend other Muslim countries as well if they support us.
We want friendship with India and Bangladesh but we are watching the attitude of India so we don’t bother about them its good for them if they want friendship with us other wise we don’t care. There was more of Indian propaganda about genocide in East Pakistan but we open heartedly accepted our mistakes just for the sake of Islam and brotherhood.
Pakistani people want Bangladesh to form a confederation with Pakistan just for the sake of moral of Muslims of subcontinent.
By Muhammad Salman Khaliq on Mar 16, 2008
I was a bit rude in the last post but I only want to say my fellow Bangladeshis that realize the changes which are occurring in the world. India is expanding its influence in the world the Muslims of subcontinent are divided and hence weaker .Pakistan is a precious gift of Allah (both West and East Pakistan/Bangladesh), 2 million Muslims martyred during the freedom struggle and we are fighting with each other.
By Muhammad Salman Khaliq on Mar 17, 2008
@M.S.K. Bengalis, not Bangladeshis.
By awami dalal on Mar 22, 2008
Today is 23rd March “Pakistan Day”. The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Lahore), commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan), was a formal political statement adopted by the All India Muslim League at the occasion of its three-day general session on 22-24 March 1940 that called for greater Muslim autonomy in British India. This has been largely interpreted as a demand for a separate Muslim state, Pakistan. The resolution was presented by Sher-e-Bangal A. K. Fazlul Huq.
It’s been 68 years many things have changed but I m surprised that Bangladeshis are not used to Celebrate this day which brought Independence to them as well. I think forgetting the past differences we should celebrate the common days together.
By Muhammad Salman Khaliq on Mar 23, 2008
Muslims from West massacred 3 millions Muslims from East - a true fact. How can past be forgotten, and Pakistan didnt even apologize officially and internationally, before the face of UN. No matter what you guys think about Islam, but Islam NEVER SUPPORTS VIOLENCE, AND PAKISTAN IS A VIOLENT FASCIST COUNTRY. Pakistan always tries to dominate in whole South Asian region, Pakistan Army keeps its agents in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. Islam is a true way to live in peace and be close to Allah, which has nothing to do with such a military-fanatic monster like Pakistan.
So you guys speak for Islam, but not Pakistan. Any resemblance of this two automatically takes you to wahhabism, fascism and violent thoughts.
By awami dalal on Mar 24, 2008
Logically it is not possible for around 40,000 army men to kill 3 million of their own men. Pakistan doesn’t need to apologize in front of UN where was UN when India attacked East Pakistan? We apologized to Bangladeshi brothers and that is what matters.
Yes Islam never supports violence that’s why there has never been a single Muslim-non Muslim violence in Pakistan. The problem of Kashmir is different which is occupied by India and local people are fighting for their freedom. Pakistan only wants to balance the South Asian region.
Pakistan along with Bangladesh is a Ideological Country which was made on the name of Islam. So good relations b/w Pak and BD means stronger Muslim world.
By Muhammad Salman Khaliq on Mar 24, 2008
@Awamai Dalal: You’re not serious are you? Bangladeshis, nowadays, are questioing what you said. Your statement is the belief of the current Awami League politicans. They will use any sort of fictitious fact to gain power and to gain sympathy.
First of all, Mujibur Rahman said 3 lakhs NOT 30 lakhs. Look at how 3 lakhs is written in Bangla “3,00,000″ if you translate that to English it looks like 3 million. Bangladeshi intellectuals know that it’s NOT 3 million thats why they dont bring up the genocide nowadays.
Then you said 3 million Muslims, you’re WRONG. 80%-90% of all the Bengalis, who were killed, were Hindus. The Punjabis were trying to rid East Pakistan of Hindus by commiting genocide.
There were 90,000 West Pakistanis at that time and about 40,000-45,000 of them were West Pakistani army personel. They cannot exterminate 3 million Bengalis in 9 months while being attacked, it’s impossible. For example, Adolf Hitler had the most advanced weapons at his time in the 1940s, unlike West Pakistan in 1971, and Hitler took almost 4 years to exterminate milion of Jews.
Logically it doesn’t make sense and not only that, NO international academia acknowledges the 3 million number, because they never saw the proof.
So Awami dalal, you’re using false facts in your arguments. If you want I can give you the US State Department’s papers from 1971 and they’ll even tell you that it wasn’t even 3 million.
By Sunny on Mar 25, 2008
the us state department was likely implicit in the actions of the Pakistani government. given that this is the case, why would documents held by the state department be of any value? Hitler had to transport and incinerate vast numbers of people. the Pakistani army only had to shoot people where they stood, or in their beds (in the case of many of the students killed) then leave them for dead. much easier to kill a load of people if you don’t have to hide the mess afterwards. I can see how it might be easy to kill such anumber when the most densely populated areas in bangladesh contain around 850 people per sq km (rising to over 1000 in places) to put this in some perspective: Bangladesh is about half the size of england (land area) but is host to a population slightly bigger than that of russia. in these conditions a group of men with fully automatic weapons could kill enough people to constitute a genocide in a few days.
By jay on Mar 28, 2008
also the last time i checked it was The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, NOT the Islamic Republic of Bangladesh. i am a muslim, but i find the idea of state religion abhorrent. people that espouse this form of government have no respect for human rights and are the reason that places like bangladesh are thrown in a bucket along with the likes of pakistan and some other rather nasty holes. If Bangldesh were to become an islamic state, i would turn in my deshi passport in favour of my EU papers and be glad that the “islamic republic” and all the idiots that had created it as such will drown under rising sea levels iside my life time. If you a a muslim or a bengali and offended by these words, i can only say that i am offended by you and your narrow minded dogmatic way of looking at the world. humanity before all, you are first a human being, everything else comes after.
By jay on Mar 28, 2008
@Jay: it is easy to say that Pakistan Army just had to shoot. If we had that much advanced weapons we would had captured Delhi rather surrendering.
I think if you want to know whether West Pakistan was against East Pakistan you should see the events in Western part after the separation of eastern part. There was no violence or killings of Bengalis. not a single event!
I don’t see any harm in being an Islamic republic. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic republic and it is prosperous. To relate regional conflicts with religion is wrong.
By Muhammad Salman Khaliq on Mar 31, 2008
hi
t865usstbpdy7l88
good luck
By Bart Dunn on Jan 9, 2009
If she is happy your life is happier. ,
By Barbara76 on Oct 22, 2009