Dear readers
here is an excellent article about the propaganda war against Bangladesh, by an expatriots. Though I am afraid that these, foreign nationals and foreign sponsored media terrorists wouldnot wake up, as they have sold their soul and self dignity. But such article should be enough to wake those up, who still have silightest amount of dignty and concious left in them.
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The Editor,Global Politician,NY, USA
Friday May 16 2008 15:03:59 PM BDT
Habib R. Siddiqui, USA
Dear Dave,
I must admit that I was totally unaware of your site until today when I came across an article on press freedom in Bangladesh by Sunita Paul, the self-styled expert on south-east Asia, with a link in the News From Bangladesh to your site, where the article originally got posted. In recent weeks I have noticed some of her articles appear in the Asian Tribune.
Unfortunately, Ms. Paul's articles show a lack of first-hand knowledge of Bangladesh. As an Indian of Bengali origin, her views are molded by Indian perceptions about Bangladesh that are highly biased, hegemonic and misrepresent facts and actual figures. Truly, she is nothing more than a pen-pushing 'pundit' with an agenda that is geared towards promoting negative stereotypes about Bangladesh.
While Bangladesh is not a perfect democracy, and is trying hard to root out corruption from political arena in the last 16 months, to portray the country as hostile to press freedom is simply rubbish and a disingenuous attempt to smear its image. Ms. Paul should be ashamed of smearing its image. Bangladesh has no less press freedom than any state within the Indian Republic.
Many of us living in the USA and western nations often times entertain a sense of supremacist ego that automatically forces us to assume the worst of places that we know little about. Anyone writing against common perceptions are routinely sidelined. Thus, in all his years of academic life in the USA, we never saw a single article from Dr. Edward Said published in any of the major newspapers in this kind. However, his views were routinely featured in many places in our globe. What explains this hideous side of American freedom of press? Who shut him down here in the USA? Who shuts Dr. Chomsky to this day?
As a keen observer on this subject for more than three decades, let me state that Bangladesh has more press freedom than many western liberal democracies. The press is free to write anything that they like as long as views are not communal or hateful in kind, e.g., enticing violence against any group.
So, while Islam-bashing has become a new found passion in the so-called western liberal democracies (including many usergroups with anti-Muslim/Islam agenda), mostly to promote the agenda of neo-empire builders in the West, which finds no problem in promoting xenophobia against Muslim minorities, such kind of irresponsible journalistic acts may not see much light in Bangladeshi press. Such censorship is exercised by the editors themselves, and government does not often get involved.
However, if articles promote xenophobia, then government has a civic responsibility to sue the editor, something that has happened for Mr. Matiur Rahman's paper with publica tion of an offensive article. Yes, such acts may be wrongly considered as curbing press freedom. But truly it is not. Fighting criminals is noble, while living with criminals is ignoble. Let me remind you that it was the same rationale used by the Indian Govt. of Rajiv Gandhi that did not allow publication of Rushdie's Satanic Verses. So, was Gandhi anti-press freedom when his government took that decision? Veteran Indian journalists like J. Singh did not feel so, nor did thousands of other genuine journalists in India. Obviously charlatan journalists like Ms. Paul may see the issue differently.
Ms. Paul mentions about threats against journalists like Sumi Khan. I have met Ms. Khan many times and had kept in touch with her for the last 4 years. She is a very honorable individual and a first rate journalist. I am a great fan of her. However, threats like those against some journalists (inlcluding Ms. Khan) are not uncommon in many democracies of our world, including India, where during the Hindutvadi rule in India, many journalists who questioned Hindu version of India (where other religious groups did not have place), were threatened and killed, a practice which has not totally disappeared even to this day in most BJP-ruled states. [Even in many wesern countries like the USA, writing or speaking on issues that are politically incorrect can cause one to lose one's job. Have not we seen this many times in the aftermath of 9/11? Who can deny this?] Such acts are definitely wrong to silence responsible journalists. But w hen did we hear Ms. Paul write about such problems prevalent in India? Zero.
To single out Bangladesh for evil acts of social misfits within the country is silly, let alone being unethical. It would be a poor judgment to let your site used as a forum for unethical, untrue propaganda that only fosters hatred and misunderstanding.
Best regards,
Habib R. Siddiqui
I must admit that I was totally unaware of your site until today when I came across an article on press freedom in Bangladesh by Sunita Paul, the self-styled expert on south-east Asia, with a link in the News From Bangladesh to your site, where the article originally got posted. In recent weeks I have noticed some of her articles appear in the Asian Tribune.
Unfortunately, Ms. Paul's articles show a lack of first-hand knowledge of Bangladesh. As an Indian of Bengali origin, her views are molded by Indian perceptions about Bangladesh that are highly biased, hegemonic and misrepresent facts and actual figures. Truly, she is nothing more than a pen-pushing 'pundit' with an agenda that is geared towards promoting negative stereotypes about Bangladesh.
While Bangladesh is not a perfect democracy, and is trying hard to root out corruption from political arena in the last 16 months, to portray the country as hostile to press freedom is simply rubbish and a disingenuous attempt to smear its image. Ms. Paul should be ashamed of smearing its image. Bangladesh has no less press freedom than any state within the Indian Republic.
Many of us living in the USA and western nations often times entertain a sense of supremacist ego that automatically forces us to assume the worst of places that we know little about. Anyone writing against common perceptions are routinely sidelined. Thus, in all his years of academic life in the USA, we never saw a single article from Dr. Edward Said published in any of the major newspapers in this kind. However, his views were routinely featured in many places in our globe. What explains this hideous side of American freedom of press? Who shut him down here in the USA? Who shuts Dr. Chomsky to this day?
As a keen observer on this subject for more than three decades, let me state that Bangladesh has more press freedom than many western liberal democracies. The press is free to write anything that they like as long as views are not communal or hateful in kind, e.g., enticing violence against any group.
So, while Islam-bashing has become a new found passion in the so-called western liberal democracies (including many usergroups with anti-Muslim/
However, if articles promote xenophobia, then government has a civic responsibility to sue the editor, something that has happened for Mr. Matiur Rahman's paper with publica tion of an offensive article. Yes, such acts may be wrongly considered as curbing press freedom. But truly it is not. Fighting criminals is noble, while living with criminals is ignoble. Let me remind you that it was the same rationale used by the Indian Govt. of Rajiv Gandhi that did not allow publication of Rushdie's Satanic Verses. So, was Gandhi anti-press freedom when his government took that decision? Veteran Indian journalists like J. Singh did not feel so, nor did thousands of other genuine journalists in India. Obviously charlatan journalists like Ms. Paul may see the issue differently.
Ms. Paul mentions about threats against journalists like Sumi Khan. I have met Ms. Khan many times and had kept in touch with her for the last 4 years. She is a very honorable individual and a first rate journalist. I am a great fan of her. However, threats like those against some journalists (inlcluding Ms. Khan) are not uncommon in many democracies of our world, including India, where during the Hindutvadi rule in India, many journalists who questioned Hindu version of India (where other religious groups did not have place), were threatened and killed, a practice which has not totally disappeared even to this day in most BJP-ruled states. [Even in many wesern countries like the USA, writing or speaking on issues that are politically incorrect can cause one to lose one's job. Have not we seen this many times in the aftermath of 9/11? Who can deny this?] Such acts are definitely wrong to silence responsible journalists. But w hen did we hear Ms. Paul write about such problems prevalent in India? Zero.
To single out Bangladesh for evil acts of social misfits within the country is silly, let alone being unethical. It would be a poor judgment to let your site used as a forum for unethical, untrue propaganda that only fosters hatred and misunderstanding.
Best regards,
Habib R. Siddiqui
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