April 15, 2012
Grand New Year Celebrations and the Murder of 13 Year Old Naimul
At this time of nobo borsho [Bangla New Year] celebration by the Bangladeshis, somehow I can't stop thinking about the kidnap and brutal murder of the 13 year old Naimul Islam in Bogura, Bangladesh. I wonder what the Nobo Borsho is like to the parents of Naimul, I ponder why nobody seems to care about such atrocities, is that because Naimul and his parents are too ordinary?
I have to wonder what would Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujib done or said, or General Zia would have done or said, or the freedom fighters of Bangladesh who have perished in liberating us would have done or said.
Somehow and somewhere along the line we the Bangladeshis have stopped being compassionate human beings first and foremost, we have chosen to debate over why a railway minister is not resigning over corruption allegation, why the opposition leader was or was not allowed to offer flowers on March 26, and all other petty little things. Meantime we have become oblivious to what our little country and its people were supposed to stand for, "Freedom", in all senses of the term.
Alas, in our own little country, we the ordinary folks have become hostage to the deadly games of power, politics and money, while the criminals, from white collar to dirty collar, from the politically armed to the street level scumbags, have imposed a virtual reign of terror on the rest of us.
On this nobo borsho, while we are busy feasting on Ilish Biryani, somewhere in small little non-descript corners of BD, the tears of the mother of Naimul and others like her are flowing in hopeless silence and in heart breaking grief. That does not touch us any more, because somewhere along the line, we the Bangladeshis have lost our compassionate hearts and minds all together.
I have to wonder what would Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujib done or said, or General Zia would have done or said, or the freedom fighters of Bangladesh who have perished in liberating us would have done or said.
Somehow and somewhere along the line we the Bangladeshis have stopped being compassionate human beings first and foremost, we have chosen to debate over why a railway minister is not resigning over corruption allegation, why the opposition leader was or was not allowed to offer flowers on March 26, and all other petty little things. Meantime we have become oblivious to what our little country and its people were supposed to stand for, "Freedom", in all senses of the term.
Alas, in our own little country, we the ordinary folks have become hostage to the deadly games of power, politics and money, while the criminals, from white collar to dirty collar, from the politically armed to the street level scumbags, have imposed a virtual reign of terror on the rest of us.
On this nobo borsho, while we are busy feasting on Ilish Biryani, somewhere in small little non-descript corners of BD, the tears of the mother of Naimul and others like her are flowing in hopeless silence and in heart breaking grief. That does not touch us any more, because somewhere along the line, we the Bangladeshis have lost our compassionate hearts and minds all together.
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