Thousands join Tipai march

Thousands join Tipai march   Peer Shaheb of Charmonai and Ameer of Islami Andolan Bangladesh Mufti Syed Rezaul Karim addressing a huge rally at Muktangan before launching of long march towards Tipaimukh Dam on Thursday The much-discussed long march of Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) yesterday left the city towards Tipaimukh led by its Ameer and Chairmunai Peer Syed Rezaul Karim. The long march along with thousands of people in more than five hundred buses started its journey from Muktangan at 3 pm and few road marches were held at Motijheel, Jatrabari and Chittagong in the way. Till filling this report, our staff reporter Ehsanul Haque Jasim, who is staying at the long march caravan, said over phone that the long march arrived at Nirsingidi without any obstacles. Jasim said, the march has created curiosity among people and they standing around the Highway welcomed the long march by clapping. Several thousands leaders and workers along with banner, festoons and placards joined the programme. As the government failed to stop Indian move to construct Tipaimukh dam at common river Barak, the IAB announced 3-day long march to stop it and to draw attention of global community towards it. Today they will leave Narsingdi and will stay in Sylhet at night after completing some streets march and on December 26, the organisers will launch their long march towards Tipaimukh dam from here. Prior to start the long march, IAB arranged a huge gathering at Muktagan. Different social and political organisations here expressed solidarity at the long march programme and spoke wishing success of it. The leaders who addressed at the gathering were, Amanullah Aman of BNP, Maulana Mohiuddin Khan of Jamiut Olama-e-Islam, Kader Siddiqi of Krishak-Sramik- Janata League, Shafiul Alam Prodhan of JAGPA, Sheikh Shawkat Hossain Nilu of National Peoples Party, Maulana Zafarullah Khan of Khelafat Andalon, Maulana Abdur Rab Yusufi and Safique Uddin Ahmed of Khelafat Majlis, Maulana Azizul Haq Murad of Islami Okya Andolan, Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal of Jatiyatabadi Jubodal, Advocate Abed Reza of Sylhet Division Development Parishad, Kazi Abul Khayer of Muslim League, Sheikh Anwarul Haq of NAP (Bhasani), Moulana Ainul Islam of NDP, Maulana Nurul Huda Faezi of IAB and Prof Maimul Ahsan Khan. Charmunai Peer Syed Rezaul Karim said they would protect the Indian move of construction of Tipaimukh dam at any means to Bangladesh. If the government tries to give bar in the long march, we will be forced to launch against the government.   http://nation. ittefaq.com/ issues/2009/ 12/25/news0512. htm

Overcoming internet addiction

Overcoming  internet  addiction  By Shahidul K K Shuvra  Cyber ignorant parents often misunderstand their children's overstaying with computer for surfing. They wrongly think spending time in the cyber space always educate them. Mother of Shohan Ahmed Porag, a student of class nine, spoke to The Independent with a happy simile. She said, my son knows every thing of computer from the age of nine. He solves internet related all the problems of us. The Independent asked her what is the last result of her son in his school. She said with a disappointing tone that her son is not getting good marks in the exams. She guessed his school failed to judge merit of her son.  Too much addiction to the internet is a threat to the natural development of surfers. Internet users have been increasing for the demand of Digital World. To sustain in the competitive world with receiving required knowledge every one needs cyber knowledge. However, instead of knowledge many surfers are spending time on the net for the addiction and obsessions. Especially students are more vulnerable to the addiction which is taking away much of their time and energy. They are spoiling their study for overstaying at the fun sites.           This corespondent of The Independent joined with the boy to surf the Net and found he is all the time chatting with yahoo messenger and clicking on facebook. Pathologically he has obsession to the cyber friends for fun and he likes to escape household chores. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) rose from over surfing, abnormally browsing the Net like exchanging cyber dirty words and teasing, 'pathological computer use' and excessive gluing to PCs that hampers daily life. Ivan Goldberg proposed IAD in 1995 to describe the pathological problem. Mother of Arif Hossain, 14 years old, alleged his son is sleeping at late night and he can't attend his school at right time. He is tirelessly attached to the computer screen. He was not that before internet coming in home. He is suspected patient of IAD. People are hypnotised with Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, Twitter and Myspace to get pleasure and overstaying on there are causing losses of core Taka. Our productivity at work is declining for over surfing the wall of facebook and checking out our favourite blogs. As a birthday gift a Black Berry mobile phone was given to Sohail Arman whose father is a businessman, he preferred the phone for his beloved 17 years old son. The Independent communicated him, he mentioned his son every minute checks his online status, he does it even he is in dinning room and bathroom, everywhere he is carrying his phone with the internet connection. His father is concerned for watching his son is passing time at the study room with keeping eyes on the mobile phone.   Internet with mobile phone is a tool for a busy businessman. If you often see your mobile phone without business communication, just involuntarily check messenger, facebook, twitter etc that indicate you should test the addiction level. It has been reported that many offices blocked social networking sites for negligence of works of staffs who are preferring the sites more than doing office works. Before the social networking sites some employees inspired surfing the Net for gathering knowledge and keeping in touch with the colleagues, partners and clients.     Facebook has panoramic features to find old friends, to attend social events, enjoying video clips, playing games and earning money with online marketing. Such social networking sites are reducing the alienation problems of the last century. New social orders are on the creation and new problems are concerning us. If you forget your daily life and be irresponsible to your profession means it is a matter of concern. Being in touch with online friends can black out friends from your real life. Internet addictions are common among the students and teenagers, free Internet access, availability of internet can be a reason of inspiring the obsession. Much stayers on the net sometimes are suggested to visit psychologists for psychotherapy. Even mature people are addicted to internet and facebook. Mahmud Hossain, a 31 year old man working in a government office, said- he has developed a immense patience to project his eyes on the monitor screen till 4 am, so hurriedly I am attending office at morning and again longing on the messenger. Without internet I feel my life is virtually paralysed. Working at online is not always addiction to internet. For profession and for the benefits of yourself internet is essential. You can test yourself own obsession level if you hear you have an addiction to internet. If your mates, coworkers or family members have made comments that you are over using the net, so you should test whether you are addicted or not. If you ever late in attending office, meeting and assignment for delaying sign out of internet that means you are addicted to internet web options. If you ever found yourself getting very uneasy not to get your a facebook friend on the list. Without emergency talk you spent hours to wait for the friend. It should be a matter of concern for you. Out of stress if you tease someone or sent cyber abusive words means you are not mentally sound and most of time staying on the peoples' personal information can distort your nature. Privacy breaking is a part of mental disorder if you are browsing personal information of other only for pleasure. Curing internet addiction is a new field of psychology. Every day a big numbers of addicted person are been breeding in the cyberspace. Soon we will have remarkable cyber citizens and a big part of it will be obviously internet addicted that addiction should be cured by trained psychologists; sociologists should address the problem on time. In addition, before the cyber obsession havoc we should aware the netizens about the internet addiction.  11 December 2009 http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=153186

Folic Acid Fortification Might Boost Cancer Risk

 

Folic Acid Fortification Might Boost Cancer Risk Norwegian study found supplementation raised chances of disease by 21%   TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Although folic acid fortification of foods can prevent many birth defects, it may also increase the risk for developing cancer, Norwegian researchers report. Since 1998, many countries have mandated folic acid (vitamin B9) fortification of foods to decrease the incidence of neural-tube defects in newborns. By October 2009, the flour produced in these countries, plus the flour that is fortified voluntarily, represented 30 percent of the world's wheat flour produced in large mills. In addition, some 40 percent of those living in the United States also take dietary supplements containing folic acid, the researchers noted. However, "Folic acid fortification and supplementation may not necessarily be as safe as previously assumed," said lead researcher Dr. Marta Ebbing, from the Department of Heart Disease at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. "Public health and food safety authorities should take this into consideration." In Norway, foods are not supplemented with folic acid, making it the ideal place to investigate whether or not the supplement increases the risk for cancer, Ebbing noted. "The study shows that treatment with folic acid for approximately three-and-a-half years was associated with a 21 percent increased risk of cancer and an increased risk of death after six-and-a-half years of follow-up in a large population of patients with ischemic heart disease living in Norway, where there is no folic acid fortification of foods," she said. The report is published in the Nov. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. For the study, Ebbing's team collected data on 6,837 patients with heart disease from two trials. These trials were designed to see if vitamin B could lower homocysteine, a protein associated with an increased risk of heart disease. In the studies, patients were randomly assigned to receive folic acid plus vitamins B12 and B6, folic acid plus B12, or B6 alone, or a placebo. These trials ran from 1998 to 2005, and were followed through the end of 2007. The researchers found that patients who received folic acid had a 21 percent increased risk for developing cancer. In addition, of the 341 patients who received folic acid and developed cancer, 136 died -- a 38 percent increased risk compared with patients who did not take folic acid and developed cancer. The most common cancers associated with folic acid were colorectal, lung, prostate and blood cancer, the researchers noted. In all, 16.1 percent of the patients who were given folic acid plus vitamin B12 died from any cause, compared with 13.8 percent of patients who received neither folic acid nor vitamin B12, the researchers said. Bettina F. Drake, an assistant professor of surgery at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and co-author of an accompanying journal editorial, said that "while the results by Ebbing and colleagues provide some short-term data that is important in helping us understand the complexities in the association between folic acid and cancer risk, this report does not nullify the vast potential long-term benefits that folic acid fortification may have on population health." Drake noted that the dose of folic acid given to patients in the Norwegian studies was significantly higher than what most people in the United States get. "U.S. fortification appears to have left the population well within safe limits," she said. The true effect of folic acid on cancer may take many years of follow-up to determine, Drake said. Cancer prevention efforts do not start or end with folic acid, Drake added. "Cessation from cigarette smoking for all who currently smoke and prevention of smoking in our youth and adolescents remains the highest priority for cancer prevention," she noted. "For those who do not smoke, eating a healthy diet and exercising to avoid weight gain or maintain weight loss will translate to lower risk of cancer, diabetes and other chronic conditions," she said. "These are population-wide changes that take time, and the benefits of such lifestyle changes can take years to realize. Sometimes study results do, too." SOURCES: Marta Ebbing, M.D., Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Bettina F. Drake, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, surgery, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis; Nov. 18, 2009, Journal of the American Medical Association   http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_91965.html

Attack on Freedom of Religion in Switzerland

 

The Swiss Ban Minarets By R. Albert Mohler, Jr. | The Christian Post The banning of minarets appears to be a cowardly move that contradicts Swiss commitments to religious freedom and tolerance. Singling out minarets in this ban is tantamount to isolating Islam and relegating it to second-class status - all protests to the contrary notwithstanding. The Muslim minaret is the central architectural symbol of Islam, as recognizably Muslim as steeples with crosses are recognizably Christian. Any nation that is truly committed to religious liberty cannot sustain a ban on one religiously significant architectural symbol or structure in this manner. The receding influence of Christianity in Switzerland can be traced directly to theological liberalism in its churches and the increasing secularity of Swiss culture. Islam now enters the void created by the decline of Christianity and Christian culture in Switzerland, and throughout much of the continent as well. Banning the minaret may serve to hide Muslim influence from view, but it does not address the underlying issues at stake. Surely the Swiss can do better than this. With this measure they have managed to violate religious liberty, anger Muslims, and avoid dealing with reality - all in one simultaneous act. "Out of sight, out of mind" is not a respectable or sustainable policy.     Vote to Ban Minarets is Fueled by Fear The Swiss have voted not against towers, but Muslims. Across Europe, we must stand up to the flame-fanning populists. By Tariq Ramadan |  The Guardian Voters were drawn to the cause by a manipulative appeal to popular fears and emotions. Posters featured a woman wearing a burka with the minarets drawn as weapons on a colonised Swiss flag. The claim was made that Islam is fundamentally incompatible with Swiss values. (The UDC has in the past demanded my citizenship be revoked because I was defending Islamic values too openly.) Its media strategy was simple but effective. Provoke controversy wherever it can be inflamed. Spread a sense of victimhood among the Swiss people: we are under siege, the Muslims are silently colonising us and we are losing our very roots and culture. This strategy worked. The Swiss majority are sending a clear message to their Muslim fellow citizens: we do not trust you and the best Muslim for us is the Muslim we cannot see. I have been repeating for years to Muslim people that they have to be positively visible, active and proactive within their respective western societies. In Switzerland, over the past few months, Muslims have striven to remain hidden in order to avoid a clash. It would have been more useful to create new alliances with all these Swiss organisations and political parties that were clearly against the initiative. Swiss Muslims have their share of responsibility but one must add that the political parties, in Europe as in Switzerland have become cowed, and shy from any courageous policies towards religious and cultural pluralism. It is as if the populists set the tone and the rest follow. They fail to assert that Islam is by now a Swiss and a European religion and that Muslim citizens are largely "integrated" .. That we face common challenges, such as unemployment, poverty and violence - challenges we must face together. We cannot blame the populists alone - it is a wider failure, a lack of courage, a terrible and narrow-minded lack of trust in their new Muslim citizens. American Muslims Fear for European Counterparts By Karin Kamp | The Turkish Weekly Switzerland's decision to ban minarets has sparked outrage by Muslim-Americans who have called the vote "xenophobic and bigoted." The Swiss minaret ban, agreed by voters on Sunday, heightens a general concern by Muslims in the United States about the challenges faced by Muslims living in Europe.  "Our fear is that the ban is going to further alienate a growing population of Muslims in Europe," said Faiza Ali of The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim-American group.. Ali cited other examples of challenges faced by European Muslims, including French resistance to burkas worn by some Muslim women, and opposition in parts of Europe to Turkish membership in the European Union. Besides national papers, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, a number of local newspapers have also denounced the decision. The New York Daily News, called the Swiss vote "utterly idiotic" adding that "passing laws that target Muslims for being Muslims is not part of any clash of civilizations, it is a failure of one". The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy said in a statement that the decision is of "great concern", calling it part of a "disturbing trend in significant parts of Europe to restrict the religious freedom and self-expression of religious and ethnic minorities, notably of Muslims". At the same time, CSID credited the Swiss government for its stance against the proposal. Cleric Wields Religion to Challenge Iran's Theocracy By MICHAEL SLACKMAN | The New York Times Ayatollah Montazeri has emerged as the spiritual leader of the opposition, an adversary the state has been unable to silence or jail because of his religious credentials and seminal role in the founding of the republic.  He is widely regarded as the most knowledgeable religious scholar in Iran and once expected to become the country's supreme leader until a falling-out with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 revolution and Iran's supreme leader until his death in 1989. Now, as the Iranian government has cracked down to suppress the protests that erupted after the presidential election in June and devastated the reform movement, Ayatollah Montazeri uses religion to attack the government's legitimacy. "A political system based on force, oppression, changing people's votes, killing, closure, arresting and using Stalinist and medieval torture, creating repression, censorship of newspapers, interruption of the means of mass communications, jailing the enlightened and the elite of society for false reasons, and forcing them to make false confessions in jail, is condemned and illegitimate," he said in one of a flurry of written comments posted on Web sites since the election. Ayatollah Montazeri's disillusionment, and his alienation from the state, came within a decade of the revolution. He mocked Ayatollah Khomeini's decision to issue a fatwa calling for the murder of Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses," saying, "People in the world are getting the idea that our business in Iran is just murdering people." In recent times, Ayatollah Montazeri has kept up the pressure, taking the unprecedented step of apologizing for his support for the 1979 takeover of the United States Embassy. He also has said that the Islamic Republic is neither Islamic, nor a republic, and that the supreme leader has lost his legitimacy. "Independence, " he said in a recent speech on ethics, "is being free of foreign intervention, and freedom is giving people the freedom to express their opinions. Not being put in prison for every protest one utters." A Neo-Ottomanism? Ibrahim Kalin, new chief foreign affairs adviser to the Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan By Nicholas Birch | Al-Majalla The Majalla: Would you agree that Turkish foreign policy has radically changed in the past five years or so? I believe there is as much continuity as there is change.  Take Israel for example. People think Turkey has turned its back on Israel because AK Party is an "Islamist party" with a hidden agenda.  That is not true.  Turkey was the first Muslim country to recognise Israel in 1948, but it was also among the first to pull out its ambassador when Jewish extremists set fire to the Al-Aqsa mosque in 1968.  When the Jenin incident happened in 2002, it was the late Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, a secular politician, who called it a genocide, not the AK Party.  Until 2008, this government was facilitating Israeli-Syrian negotiations.  The Israelis trusted us.  The Syrians trusted us.  And we trusted them.  The Gaza campaign broke that trust.  Relations go up and down. The nature of debates in Turkey, the West and the world are changing.  Turkey is no longer a stagnant country living in the shadow of super powers in a Cold War world.  History no longer flows from west to east.  There is no longer a convincing western axis.  The question is whether Europe has the strategic vision to project itself into the new world.  Will it transform itself from a continental power to a soft power effective over a wider region?  Or will it remain imprisoned in technical debates about EU legislation, its geopolitical vision extending no further than the Bulgarian-Turkish border?  Those who interpret change as a threat will be discarded by history.  That is why Turkey, independent of the Europeans' state of mind, must follow through its own reforms with determination.  If we know what we are doing at a time when Europe and America are feeling muddled, whose fault is that?  Download Full Article The Muslim Brotherhood Struggling to Steer a Democratic Course The Muslim Brotherhood is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states, particularly Egypt. Now splits within the world's oldest and largest Islamic political group indicate that it is at a decisive crossroads. By James M. Dorsey  |  Qantara The strain of the repression is, however, starting to take its toll on the Brotherhood. . Splits within the Egyptian movement after Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef announced that he would not stand for re-election in January of next year have spilled onto the pages of the Egyptian media. Conservatives in the movement blocked Akef's nomination of a leading reformer to the movement's leadership council. "This is dangerously short-sighted. It weakens the foundations of democracy as a whole ... and has a corrosive effect on public freedoms, transparency and accountability," Marc Lynch, an expert on the Brotherhood at Washington's George Washington University, told Deutsche Welle. That, however, may well be the purpose of the crackdown. "It is in the (Egyptian) government's advantage to keep the Brotherhood ultra-conservative, " Khalil al-Anani, an Egyptian expert on radical Islam, told Deutsche Welle. "The more democratic the group gets, the more popular it will become in the country." Carnegie Endowment's Ottaway notes that repression by Arab governments coupled with their own inexperience in formulating polices has ensured that the Muslim Brotherhood has little to show for its endorsement of the democratic process. "The present weakening of Islamist parties that sought to participate in the political system is not a positive development for the future of political reform in the Arab world. Because the secular opposition is extremely ineffectual everywhere, the weakening of Islamist forces means the weakening of all opposition, and governments are unlikely to reform if they do not confront domestic pressure and demands," Ottaway says. Privately, several European officials and diplomats say they favor integration of moderate Islamists into the political life of the Arab world. They note that the Brothers in Egypt and Jordan are seeking non-violent ways to survive government repression. In Palestine, Hamas, the only Brotherhood group holding political office, is struggling to cater to the needs of 1.5 million mostly destitute Palestinians under its rule. "The castrated American political system lacks the ability to act with conviction on the really tough issues so as to talk to all actors; Europe is not so emasculated, and should avoid at all costs following the United States' route to impotent self-marginalizatio n," Khouri said. While widely praised as competent, critics fear that Ashton, until her appointment, the EU's relatively low key trade commissioner, who is widely seen as lacking significant foreign policy experience, may find it difficult to unite the EU's 27 member states on bold approaches toward the Middle East like an opening towards the region's Islamist forces.

Good school is not really good

 

ভালো  স্কুল  ভালো  নয়             নভেম্বর  ডিসেম্বর  আসলেই  অনেক  অভিভাবকের  মাথা  গরম  হয়ে  যায়  কিভাবে  তার  শিশু  সন্তানকে  একটি  ভালো  স্কুলে  ভর্তি  করবে।  এজন্য  অনেকে  লক্ষ  লক্ষ  টাকা  ডোনেশান  (ঘুষ)  দেয়,  দুধের  শিশুকে  লক্ষ  লক্ষ  টাকা  খরচ  করে  কোচিং  করায়।  যে-শিশুর  এখনও  খেলাধুলার  বয়সই  হয়নি,  তাকে  নিয়ে  হাজার  হাজার  শিশুর  সাথে  প্রতিযোগিতার  যুদ্ধে  নামিয়ে  দেওয়া  কতটা  অমানবিক,  আমরা  কেউ  তা  ভাবি  না।  সত্যিকার  অর্থে  এটি  একটি  মারাত্মক  অসুস্থ  প্রতিযোগিতা।  অভিভাবকরা  ভালো  স্কুল  বলতে  বুঝেন,  যে  স্কুলের  গড়পড়তা  রেজাল্ট  ভালো  অর্থাৎ  এ-প্লাস  পাওয়াদের  সংখ্যা  বেশী।  অথচ  ভালো  স্কুল-কলেজের  প্রকৃত  রহস্য  নিয়ে  আমরা  কেউ  চিন্তা  করে  দেখি  না।  ভালো  স্কুল-কলেজগুলি  বেছে  বেছে  ভালো  ভালো  ছাত্র-ছাত্রী  ভর্তি  করায়  বলেই  তাদের  রেজাল্ট  ভালো  হয়।  কিন্তু  সাধারণ  মানুষ  মনে  করে  তারা  ভালো  পড়ায়  বলেই  হয়তো  তাদের  ছাত্র-ছাত্রীরা  ভালো  রেজাল্ট  করে।  এটা  একটা  সম্পূর্ণ  ভুল  ধারণা।              ভালো  স্কুল-কলেজগুলি  যদি  বেছে  বেছে  খারাপ  ছাত্র-ছাত্রীদের  ভর্তি  করে  ভালো  রেজাল্ট  দেখাতে  পারত,  তবেই  তাদেরকে  সত্যিকারের  ভালো  স্কুল-কলেজ  বলা  যুক্তিসঙ্গত  হতো।  তথাকথিত  ভালো  স্কুল-কলেজের  আরেকটি  দোষ  হলো  এরা  রোজ  এক  বস্তা  করে  হোমওয়ার্ক  দিয়ে  দেয়,  যা  সামাল  দিতে  অভিভাবকদের  বাড়িতে  টিউটর  রাখতে,  কয়েক  জায়গায়  কোচিং  করাসহ  আরো  নানারকম  অগণিত  হয়রানীর  শিকার  হতে  হয়।  বিশেষত  একেবারে  ছোট  ক্লাশে  বা  কিন্টার  গার্টেনের  শিশুদের  পড়ার  মাত্রাতিরিক্ত  চাপে  জ্ঞানার্জনের  প্রতি  বাচ্চাদের  আগ্রহ  সৃষ্টি  না  হয়ে  বরং  তাদের  মনে  বিতৃষ্ণা-ঘৃণার  জন্ম  হয়।  বিষয়টি  আমাদের  আগামী  প্রজন্মকে  সুনাগরিক  করে  গড়ে  তোলার  পথে  একটি  অলঙ্ঘনীয়  বাধা  হিসেবে  কাজ  করে।  আমার  পরিচিত  এক  ব্যক্তি  যার  দুই  সন্তান  একটি  ভালো  স্কুলে  চান্স  পাওয়ায়  খুশিতে  আটখানা।  তার  মতে,  ভালো  স্কুলে  যেহেতু  মন্ত্রী,  এম.পি.,  শিল্পপতি,  ডাক্তার,  ইঞ্জিনিয়ার,  সচিব,  জেনারেল,  ব্যারিষ্টার  প্রভৃতি  হাই-ফাই  ফ্যামিলির  বাচ্চারা  পড়াশোনা  করে,  তাই  তাদের  সাথে  বুন্ধত্ব  হওয়ার  মাধ্যমে  আমার  বাচ্চাও  এক  লাফে  জাতে  উঠে  যাবে।  ইহার  চাইতে  নীচু  মানসিকতা  আর  কি  হতে  পারে ?  বাস্তবে  দেখা  যায়,  যে  বাচ্চা  গাড়িতে  করে  রোজ  স্কুলে  আসে  সে  কিন্তু  গাড়িতে  করে  আসা  বাচ্চাদের  সাথেই  বন্ধুত্ব  করে;  হেঁটে  আসা  বা  রিক্সায়  করে  স্কুলে  আসা  বাচ্চাদের  সাথে  সে  মেলামেশাই  করবে  না।  তাছাড়া  পবিত্র  কোরআন-হাদীসে  মুসলমানদেরকে  সবসময়  ক্ষমতাশালী  এবং  বিত্তশালীদের  কাছ  থেকে  দূরে  থাকতে  বলা  হয়েছে।  কেননা  পৃথিবীতে  যত  অপকর্ম  হয়ে  থাকে,  তার  নিরানব্বই  ভাগই  করে  থাকে  এই  দুই  শ্রেণীর  লোকেরা।  সিনেমাতে  যতই  গরীব-ধনীর  মধ্যে  প্রেম-ভালবাসা  ঘটে  যাক  না  কেন,  বাস্তবে  তা  একেবারেই  অকল্পনীয়।  পারস্যের  কবি  শেখ  সাদী  বলেছিলেন  যে,  বাঘের  সাথে  বন্ধুত্বের  কারণে  শেয়ালের  যেমন  বিনা  শ্রমে  খাবার  জুটে  যায়,  তেমনি  আবার  খেয়ালী  বাঘের  থাপ্পড়ে  শেয়ালকে  অকালে  প্রাণও  হারাতে  হয়।             অাফসোসের  ব্যাপার  হলো  অধিকাংশ  অভিভাবকেরই  একমাত্র  চিন্তা  থাকে  কিভাবে  তার  সন্তানকে  ডাক্তার-ইঞ্জিনিয়ার-জজ-ব্যারিষ্টার  বানাবে।  অন্যদিকে  আমার  সন্তান  সত্যিকারের  মানুষের  মতো  মানুষ  হবে  কিভাবে,  এই  চিন্তা  খুব  কম  অভিভাবকই  করে  থাকেন।  এটা  একটা  অতীব  দুঃখজনক  হুজুগে  পরিণত  হয়েছে।  আমাদেরকে  মনে  রাখতে  হবে  যে,  আমার  সন্তান  যদি  আল্লাহ্‌কে  চিনতে  পারে  এবং  আল্লাহ্‌র  নিদের্শিত  সৎ-সুন্দর-পবিত্র  জীবনযাপনে  আগ্রহী  হয়;  তবে  হোক  সে  রিক্সাচালক  কিংবা  চানাচুর  বিক্রেতা,  আল্লাহ্‌র  কাছে  তার  মযার্র্দা  কোটি  কোটি  ডাক্তার-ইঞ্জিনিয়ার-জজ-ব্যারিষ্টারের  চাইতে  অনেক  বেশী।  ইমাম  আবু  হানিফা (রহঃ)  বাদশার  অত্যাচারে  শাহাদাত  বরণ  করেছেন  কিন্তু  তারপরও  প্রধান  বিচারপতির  পদ  গ্রহন  করতে  রাজী  হন  নাই।  কেননা  মানুষ  মাত্রই  ভুল-ত্রুটি,  লোভ-লালসা,  অলসতা,  দ্বায়িত্বহীনতা,  পক্ষপাতিত্ব  ইত্যাদি  দোষ  হতে  মুক্ত  নন।  সেক্ষেত্রে  কোন  বিচারপ্রাথী  যদি  ন্যায়বিচার  হতে  বঞ্চিত  হয়,  তবে  সেই  বিচারককে  অন্তত  কাল  জাহান্নামের  আগুনে  জ্বলতে  হবে।  একই  কারণে  একজন  ডাক্তার-ইঞ্জিনিয়ারের  পক্ষেও  একই  পরিণতি  বরণ  করা  বিচিত্র  কিছু  নয়।  আমার  মতে,  পড়াশুনা  নিজের  কাছে।  পড়াশুনা  করতে  হবে  নিজেকেই,  স্কুল-কলেজ-মাদ্রাসার  ভূমিকা  এখানে  খুবই  নগণ্য।  আবারও  বলি  ভালো  রেজাল্টের  ক্ষেত্রে  স্কুলের  ভূমিকা  আসলেই  কম।  আপনার  সন্তান  যদি  মেধাবী  হয়,  তাকে  বেশী  বেশী  পড়তে  বলেন,  বেশী  বেশী  বই  কিনে  দেন,  সামর্থ  থাকলে  বেশী  বেশী  টিউটর  রেখে  দেন,  বেশী  বেশী  কোচিং  করান,  সে  ভালো  রেজাল্ট  করবেই।  তা  সে  যত  সাধারণ  আর  অখ্যাত  স্কুলেই  পড়ুক  না  কেন।  আমার  কথাই  বলি,  মুগদাপাড়া  কাজী  জাফর  হাই  স্কুলের  মতো  অখ্যাত  ও  সাধারণ  স্কুল  থেকে  পাশ  করে  আমি  নটরডেম  কলেজে  চান্স  পেয়েছিলাম।  আমার  এক  ক্লাসমেট  পরবর্তীতে  ঢাকা  মেডিকেল  কলেজেও  চান্স  পেয়েছিল ; (যদিও  একটি  বিশেষ  কারণে  আমার  ইন্টারমিডিয়েটের  রেজাল্ট  খারাপ  হওয়াতে  ঢাকা  মেডিকেলে  চান্স  পাইনি)।  আর  একথা  কে  না  জানে  যে,  নটরডেম  কলেজ  এবং  ঢাকা  মেডিকেল  কলেজে  যে-সব  ছাত্র-ছাত্রী  ভর্তি  হওয়ার  সুযোগ  পায়,  তারা  বাংলাদেশের  সবচেয়ে  সেরা  ছাত্র-ছাত্রী।  বাস্তবে  একটু  খোঁজ  নিলেই  দেখতে  পাবেন,  নটরডেম  কলেজ,  ঢাকা  মেডিক্যাল  কলেজ  এবং  বুয়েটের  মতো  মেধাবীদের  আখড়ায়  নামকরা  স্কুলগুলির  অনেক  ছাত্রও  চান্স  পায়  না  আবার  নিজের  মেধার  গুণে  অখ্যাত  স্কুলগুলোর  অনেক  ছাত্রও  চান্স  পেয়ে  যায়।             মনীষীরা  বলেছেন  যে,  মেধা/প্রতিভা  হলো  ছাই  চাপা  আগুন।  শত  চেষ্টা  করেও  তাকে  চেপে  রাখা  যায়  না;  আপন  যোগ্যতায়ই  সে  সমাজে  তার  যোগ্য  আসন  ছিনিয়ে  নেবে।  তাই  আমার  মতে,  তথাকথিত  ভাল  স্কুলে  ভর্তি  না  করে  আপনার  বাসা  থেকে  সবচেয়ে  কাছে  যে  স্কুলটি  আছে  তাতেই  আপনার  সন্তানকে  ভর্তি  করান।  ভালো  স্কুলের  নামে  দূরের  কোন  স্কুলে  রোজ  আসা-যাওয়াতে  অযথা  সময়ের  অপচয়,  এনার্জি  লস,  পয়সা  নষ্ট,  স্বাস্থ্যহানি,  সর্বোপরি  গাড়িচাপা  পড়ে  অকাল  মৃত্যুর  সম্ভাবনাও  আছে।  অনেক  বিজ্ঞ  ব্যক্তি  মনে  করেন,  ভালো  স্কুল  বা  নামকরা  স্কুলে  ভর্তি  করানোর  চাইতে  বরং  ভালোভাবে  তৈরী  করা  বিল্ডিংওয়ালা  স্কুলে  সন্তানদের  ভর্তি  করানো  বুদ্ধিমানের  কাজ।  কেননা  গত  কয়েক  বছরে  পাকিস্তান  এবং  চীনে  যে-সব  ভয়াবহ  ভূমিকম্প  হয়েছে,  তাতে  দেখা  গেছে  পুরনো  স্কুলগুলি  এবং  (খরচ  বাচাঁতে)  হালকা  যাচ্ছেতাই  ভাবে  তৈরী  করা  স্কুলগুলি  ধ্বসে  গিয়ে  হাজার  হাজার  নিষ্পাপ  ছাত্র-ছাত্রীর  অতীব  দুঃখজনক  অকাল  মৃত্যু  হয়েছে।  কাজেই  বিজ্ঞানীরা  যেহেতু  বলতেছেন  যে,  আমাদের  দেশে  খুব  শীঘ্রই  বড়  ধরণের  ভূমিকম্প  হওয়ার  সম্ভাবনা  আছে।  কাজেই  আমাদের  উচিত,  যে  স্কুলের  রেজাল্ট  ভালো  তাতে  সন্তানকে  ভর্তি  না  করিয়ে  বরং  যে  স্কুলের  বিল্ডিং  বেশ  পোক্ত,  তাতে  শিশুদের  ভর্তি  করানো।  সবচেয়ে  ভালো  হয়,  যে-সব  স্কুল  টিনশেড  বিল্ডিংয়ে  চলে,  তাতে  শিশুদের  ভর্তি  করা।  কেননা  টিনশেড  বিল্ডিং  ভেঙ্গে  পড়লেও  তাতে  শিশুদের  করুণ  মৃত্যুর  সম্ভাবনা  খুবই  কম।     ডাঃ  বশীর  মাহমুদ  ইলিয়াস লেখক,  ডিজাইন  স্পেশালিষ্ট,  হোমিও  কনসালটেন্ট চেম্বার ঃ  জাগরণী  হোমিও  হল ৪৭/৪  টয়েনবী  সার্কুলার  রোড (৩য় তলা), (ইত্তেফাক  মোড়ের  পশ্চিমে  এবং  ষ্টুডিও  ২৭-এর  সাথে) মতিঝিল,  ঢাকা।                                                 ফোন ঃ +৮৮০-০১৯১৬০৩৮৫২৭ E-mail : Bashirmahmudellias@hotmail.com Website : http://bashirmahmudellias.blogspot.com

He gives wisdom to whom He will, and he who is given wisdom has been given a lot of good. Yet none will remember except the owners of minds. Whatever you spend and whatever vows you make are known to Allah. The harmdoers shall have none to help them.

If you reveal your charity it is good, but to give charity to the poor in private is better and will acquit you from some of your evil deeds. Allah is Knowledgeable of what you do.

[The  Holy  Quran :  2 : 269-271]

Study detects Bangladesh’s mass arsenic poisoning source

Study detects Bangladesh's mass arsenic poisoning source Agence France-Presse . Paris   Researchers have pinpointed the source of what is probably the worst mass poisoning in history, according to a study published Sunday.    For nearly three decades scientists have struggled to figure out exactly how arsenic was getting into the drinking water of millions of people in rural Bangladesh.    The culprit, says the new study, are tens of thousands of man-made ponds excavated to provide soil for flood protection.    An estimated two million people in Bangladesh suffer from arsenic poisoning, and health experts suspect the toxic, metal-like element has caused - and will continue to cause - many deaths as well.    Symptoms include violent stomach pains and vomiting, diarrhoea, convulsions and cramps. A large dose can kill outright, while chronic ingestion of small doses has been linked to a large range of cancers.    It has long been known that the arsenic comes from water drawn from millions of low-tech 'tube wells' scattered across the country.    Ironically the wells were dug - often with the help of international aid agencies - to protect villages from unclean and disease-ridden surface water.    Tragically, millions of people continue to knowingly poison themselves for lack of an alternative source of water.    Earlier studies succeeded in filling in a few pieces of the deadly puzzle.    They showed that water with the highest concentrations of arsenic is roughly 50 years old, and that the organic carbon which, once metabolised by microbes causes the poison to leach from sediment, does not take long to filter down from the surface.    But the source of both the contaminated water and the organic carbon remained unknown until a team of researchers led by Charles Harvey of MIT in Boston, Massachusetts cracked the secret.    Working in the Munshiganj, the researchers analysed the flow patterns of surface and underground water in a six square-mile area.    They used natural tracers and a 3-D computer model to track water from rice fields and ponds, and tested the capacity of organic carbon in both settings to free up arsenic from soil and sediments.    'We saw that water with high arsenic content originates from the human-built ponds, and water with lower arsenic content originates from the rice fields,' said Rebecca Neumann, a co-author and postdoctoral associate at Harvard.    Chemical analysis showed that the organic compound that unleashes the poison first settles on the bottom of the ponds and then slowly seeps into the ground.    The findings, published in Nature Geoscience, 'suggest that the problem could be alleviated by digging deeper drinking water wells below the influence of the ponds, or by locating shallow drinking wells under rice fields,' Neumann said in a communique.    The same team of researchers plan to dig such wells in different region to see whether it leads to improved health for villages.    Scott Fendorf, a professor at Stanford University who studies arsenic content in soils and sediments along the Mekong River in Cambodia, said the new study was clearly a breakthrough.    'It shows that human modifications are impacting the arsenic content in the groundwater,' he said in a statement. 'The ponds ... are having a negative impact on the release of arsenic.'   http://www.newagebd.com/2009/nov/16/front.html#5   Dear sir, I think the interpretation of the research outcome in your post is misleading. I didn't have a chance to read the article but the abstract clearly depicts the findings. You can read the abstract here: http://www.nature. com/ngeo/ journal/vaop/ ncurrent/ pdf/ngeo685. pdf The source of arsenic in Bangladesh and many other parts of the world is the minerals in our soil. Arsenic was bound to the minerals and those mineral containing sediments were carried down through the rivers and build this delta. Therefore, we have been living on this arsenic containing ground for thousands of years! Arsenic was strongly bound to the minerals, but in recent past due to some anthropogenic reasons the chemical composition of those minerals has been changed, leading to a release of those arsenic to groundwater. This article points out the new findings about the reasons that trigger that chemical changes. There were several hypothesis to explain this trigger. The first one is the oxidation theory by Prof. Dipankar Chakrabarty of Jadhabpur university, which says that due to increased irrigation, the groundwater table falls exposing the minerals to atmospheric oxygen leading to oxidation and release of arsenic from minerals. But research in Bangladesh (by DPHE, BGS; the mentioned team of Prof. Charles Harvey; Me) shows that in almost all the cases, polluted groundwater has negative ORP values, which indicates a reducing condition. The question was the source of the reducing condition and they have found a source. But in this connection my favorite hypothesis is the green revolution theory. Arsenic is removed from mine wastes by running phosphate containing water through it. Arsenic and phosphate have similar properties (being in the same column in periodic table) but P is more active than arsenic and it easily replaces arsenic from a compound, making it (As) mobile. Now, if we look to our situation, we use TSP (Triple Super Phosphate) fertilizer in our fields. The application rate of fertilizer for rice production is much higher in Bangladesh than from the same in Japan. To my judgment, a considerable part of that phosphate may leach into the ground and can trigger arsenic release, though I have no data in this regard. Your mentioned research finding is interesting, and I really would like to know about the phosphate situation in the Munshigonj site. Fortunately, I had a chance to visit the site, used for this research, and my teachers (Prof. Badruzzaman and Prof. Ashraf Ali) are a part of that research team. Regards, Miah M. Hussainuzzaman   Dear All, The following study shows the role of organic carbon originating fom ponds to mobilize arsenic. However, it is already known that the organic carbon, mostly dissolved organic carbon (DOC, mostly humic and fulvic acids), is polyelectrolytic with negative charges and can bind postively charged metal cations like arsenic. The pumping of water from underground sources by any means, e.g. shallow and deep tube wells, or slow infiltration of organic carbon from ponds, can increase the movement of DOC from surface water (ponds, channels, irrigated rice fields) to the underground to mobilize arsenic. The increased utilization of river water for irrigation and drinking water preparation can help to reduce the underground suction pressure and thus decrease the mobilization of DOC from surface to undergorund water and the accompanied arsenic from underground. Instead of rice field shallow tube wells, the another interesting option is to install shallow wells with a water pump in the dense bamboos bushes, the roots of which will stop the movement of dissolved organic matter alongwith positively charged metal ions like arsenic, iron, etc. In this way, the mobilization of arsenic via DOC can be reduced and the contamination of drinking water with metal ions in bamboos bush wells can be avoided to a large extent. The regulation of general use of infiltration- stop foils (impervious thin durable high-density polyethylene) in enriched DOC-sources by Bangladesh Government is also highly recommended to reduce slow infiltration of DOC from ponds, channels, drains, etc. to stop mobilization of arsenic in groundwater. Best wishes and regards Enamul Hoque Enamul Hoque PhD, Dr. rer. silv. et rer. nat. habil. (DSc) Senior Scientist (Anaerobic Microbial Degradation) , Priv.-Doz. of Plant Physiology (TUD) & Professor of Biotechnology (USTC) Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen Deutsches Forschungszentrum fuer Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH) Institute of Groundwater Ecology Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1 85764 Neuherberg Germany Fon: +49 (89) 3187 - 2579 Fax: +49 (89) 3187 - 3361 Mail: hoque@helmholtz- muenchen. de hoque@online. de http://www.helmholt z-muenchen. de/igoe

Major Nidal Hasan committed a horrendous crime

Major Hasan committed a horrendous crime.  Many of us like Major Hasan have no idea what the Quran teaches us on unjustified action!   [2:84] We made a covenant with you, that you shall not shed your blood, nor shall you evict each other from your homes.  You agreed and bore witness.   [42:37] They avoid gross sins and vice, and when angered they forgive. [42:38] They respond to their Lord by observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Their affairs are decided after due consultation among themselves, and from our provisions to them they give (to charity). [42:39] When gross injustice befalls them, they stand up for their rights. [42:40] Although the just requital for an injustice is an equivalent retribution, those who pardon and maintain righteousness are rewarded by GOD. He does not love the unjust.. [42:41] Certainly, those who stand up for their rights, when injustice befalls them, are not committing any error. [42:42] The wrong ones are those who treat the people unjustly, and resort to aggression without provocation. These have incurred a painful retribution. [42:43] Resorting to patience and forgiveness reflects a true strength of character.    [17:33] You shall not kill any person - for God has made life sacred - except in the course of justice.  If one is killed unjustly, then we give his heir authority to enforce justice.  Thus he shall not exceed the limits in avenging the murder; he will be helped.   [5:32] Because of this, we decreed for the Children of Israel that anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people.  And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people.  Our messengers went to them with clear proofs and revelations, but most of them, after all this, are still transgressing.   [2:190] You may fight in the cause of GOD against those who attack you, but do not aggress. GOD does not love the aggressors. 2:191] You may kill those who wage war against you, and you may evict them whence they evicted you. Oppression is worse than murder. Do not fight them at the Sacred Masjid, unless they attack you therein. If they attack you, you may kill them. This is the just retribution for those disbelievers. [2:192] If they refrain, then GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful. [2:193] You may also fight them to eliminate oppression, and to worship GOD freely. If they refrain, you shall not aggress; aggression is permitted only against the aggressors. Major Hasan and the Quran Repentance is the only option for the Fort Hood killer.  By SALAM AL-MARAYATI Maj. Nidal Hasan's lawyer is considering an insanity plea as a strategy for his client. That might be the only legal option available to the man accused of the shooting rampage at Fort Hood. But Nidal Hasan should also consider a religious option: repentance.   He should take responsibility for his horrific act of violence. He should beg for forgiveness from God for murdering 13 people and injuring 31 more. He should apologize to the families of the victims. He should ask for forgiveness from his fellow members of the military, and from the American people, as he betrayed our entire nation—including Muslim-Americans who are paying the price for his shameful and un-Islamic actions. Maj.. Hasan is granted the presumption of innocence in our courts of law, be they civilian or military. His military-appointed lawyer will likely advise him not to confess to anything. Legally, that may be sound advice. But religiously that advice cuts against the grain of the divine value of justice. Maj. Hasan must take responsibility for committing two major sins in Islam—the murder of his fellow citizens and the violation of two oaths he took.   Maj. Hasan took an oath as a member of the U.S. military to defend our country. He also took a Hippocratic oath to protect his patients. The violation of these oaths is a violation of the Quranic principle which states that making a pledge to anyone is tantamount to making a pledge to God. The Quran states: "(Be not like those) who use their oaths as a means of deceiving one another" (16:92).   His now infamous PowerPoint presentation is rife with distortions of the Quran. Entitled "The Koranic Worldview As It Relates to Muslims in the U..S. Military," it provides anything but a Quranic perspective. Maj. Hasan's critical fault in understanding the Quran was his failure to distinguish between two very important categories of verses: those tied to the specific context of seventh-century Arabia, and those that are absolute and permanent. He ignores the Quranic mandates, for example, to stand for justice even if it is against your own interest, and to avoid transgression in the pursuit of justice. Yet the most troubling part of his presentation are his conclusions. One of them is: "Muslims are moderate (compromising) but God is not." There are two critical flaws in this one sentence. OpinionJournal Related Stories: Dorothy Rabinowitz: Dr. Phil and the Fort Hood Killer Reuel Marc Gerecht: Major Hasan and Holy War After the Fort Hood Massacre   First, to make any kind of declaration about God being unforgiving violates Islam's central teachings of mercy and compassion. The Quran makes it clear that human beings are meant to embody God's generous spirit. To argue otherwise is to violate God's will and Islam's goal of peacemaking.   Second, being moderate is about upholding religious values while working with other members of society for the greater good. Extremists believe they are compromising their Islamic values when living in the West. This is not true. And Muslim-haters oblige them with the converse, when they argue that the West should not tolerate Muslims. This is not just.   Maj. Hasan's hodgepodge of verses from the Quran and quotes from extremists left out the most important Quranic verse in his section on enjoining peace and forgiveness: "God invites you into the abode of peace" (10:25). Nor did he include the admonition by the Prophet Muhammad never to harm the innocent and never to target noncombatants. Nidal Hasan doesn't just need legal support; he needs religious consultation that could help him see the enormity of his situation when he faces his Creator. Unfortunately, he may become an icon for violent extremism, leading other young people and civilians to their deaths.   So what should the U.S. government do? Consider allowing Muslim-American religious leaders to meet with Nidal Hasan. Muslim leaders could encourage him to repent. And they could engage Maj. Hasan on his deeply flawed understanding of Islam, explaining that the Quran is an instrument to take people from darkness to light, not the opposite. Nidal Hasan is reportedly reading letters. I hope he reads this article, for his sake and for the sake of our country.   Mr. Al-Marayati is executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved