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Bangladesh on INS list
Several letters appeared on the subject in your January 20 issue. While we sympathise with the sentiments and share the sense of surprise or even outrage let us also be rational and objective.
In the current mood of over-reaction and even obsession with homeland security in the US administration, it would be naive to expect anything else. Equally naive and misplaced would be the notion that some statements by the opposition leader of Bangladesh, unfortunate though these might have been, brought about this result. That underestimates the decision-making process by the US and gives credit to those who have not earned it.
Indeed, the episode shows few things of which we should be more concerned. For one, our mission in the US should have had some advance clue which obviously it did not. Second, our diplomats in the foreign office should engage energetically first to do damage control and then to lobby strongly and tactically to reverse the US decision. Third, Bangladesh government may focus on specific actions at home that are clearly visible, unambiguous and above all convincing to the public at home and the world community at large. The onus lies mainly with the Home Affairs Ministry to put our own house in order.
Hussain, Dhaka
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It is not just a disgrace for the nation, it will have disastrous impact on Bangladesh. Its economic impact will be huge. It will push us back to many years. And who is responsible for it?
First of all it was not unexpected at all. It's no secret that after
9/11 incident, the war against terror rightly or wrongly has gone against the Muslims. So, there was always a possibility of restrictions even on Bangladesh. There is no doubt most Bangladeshis are very tolerant and moderate Muslims but at the same time it is also true that some radical, extreme fundamentalist elements do exist in our country. The only way we could (possibly) avoid the restriction is taking actions on those radical groups. But unfortunately our government did the opposite. They rewarded those extremists by not taking any action against them and punished the people who are progressive, secular and antifundamentalists. The government didn't even bother to investigate a single incident which came in local and international media. The government and some people tried to promote the theory that those people and Sheikh Hasina damaged our image. Is Sheikh Hasina so powerful to pursue Bush to take some action of her liking?
It is Khaleda Zia and her government who damaged the image of this country by violating all limits of human rights, free media and rule of law. And the whole nation has to pay for it now.
Sonia Mirza, Banani, Dhaka
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It is inconceivable how anybody in his/her (in our case its her) right frame of mind could believe that what the government did or didn't do and for that matter what the opposition did or didn't do had any bearing on the recent decision by the U.S. Government to put Bangladesh on the "list".
All of us in the U.S. knew that it was just a matter of time before the proverbial axe falls on our collective necks too, to have thought otherwise would have been a sign of naivete. If U.S. allies like Kuwait and Bahrain could be on the list, what on earth would leave the third largest Muslim country off it?
Anwar Babar
Dallas, TX, USA