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Translating Terrorism in Bangladesh

Translating Terrorism in Bangladesh

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Terrorism in Bangladesh is not a new fact. But how do you explain or translate terrorism in Bangladesh? Many interpretations are there. One I’ve noticed recently in a TV interview.

Born and bred in Bangladesh, young, educated, well-off ISIS supporters brutally killed 22 people in an upscale café in Dhaka. The question was asked: how come these affluent, privileged, all-smiling young could do such a barbarian terrorist act? One of the attackers was identified as the son of a business executive, Meer Hayet Kabir. Shocked at the news, Mr. Kabir wondered what happened wrong with his son. … His son’s mental growth was slow, and he was always interested in religion. Mr. Kabir advised him to use the right sources to learn about the subject when given an English version of the Quran.

In a CNN interview, the father mentioned his torment, his son’s loving disposition, and disappearance and showed the Qur’an he gave to his son to understand Islam ‘unfiltered and unwarped.’

The Qur’an he gave to his son was the “Interpretation of the meaning of the Noble Qur’an,” translated by Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali. It is a Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, and the book is freely distributed by the Saudi Government all over the world. (Most of the Bangladeshis are Sunni Muslims, not Wahhabi, and there is a difference between them.) This Saudi translation was intended to replace the translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali – the most popular English version among Muslims since its publication in 1938.

Saudi version of Quran was given to Bangladeshi terrorist
The Saudi version of the Qur’an was given to Bangladeshi terrorists.

There are many English translations of the Qur’an. The Khan and Hilali interpretation is the most controversial of all the translations. The translation was funded by the Saudi royal family, which follows, patronizes, and propagates the rigid Wahhabi branch of Islam, quashing alternate interpretations that do not fit their specific views. The translation gives a supremacist Muslim point of view and is infused with modern political beliefs. The most tendentious translation was done for the first and most important chapter of the Qur’an – Al-Fatiha (The Opening). Out of numerous translations of the Qur’an, only in the Khan and Hilali version Surah Al-Fatiha’s last sentence (1:7) was translated as:

“The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).”

Surah Al-Fatiah, 1-7, English translation
English translation of Surah Al-Fatiah by different translators (verse 1:7)

This is perhaps the only English translation of the Qur’an that explicitly mentions Jews and Christians as an example of Allah’s anger and astray! There is nothing to indicate to the uninformed reader that these interpolations, printed in parentheses, are absent from the Arabic. Any person encountering Islam for the first time, as well as a Muslim already indoctrinated in Wahhabism, is led to believe that the Qur’an denounces all Jews and Christians, which it does not.

Then, there are other areas of disputable interpretation. Another example from Surah Al-Baqarah (2:216), where other translators use the word fighting, the Wahhabi translation of the verse used the word Jihad with specific focus and direction:

“Jihad (holy fighting in Allah’s Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows, but you do not know.”

In Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:21), where a geographical name was inserted in

“O my people! Enter the holy land (Palestine) which Allah has assigned to you, and turn not back (in flight), for then you will be returned as losers.

Now, what does the translation or interpretation issue have to do with terrorism in Bangladesh? Well, perhaps a lot. It is not only the translation; it is how the translations are translated repeatedly by international and local actors, very narrowly and highly targeted at a granular level until they achieve the desired action from their listeners. The interpretation of a word, a book, a theme, or an event can make or break a person.

Mr. Meer Hayet Kabir gave his son the Wahhabi rendition of the Qur’an to understand Islam, but his son’s comprehension of Islam ended up in translating Jihad as terrorism! Sure, the son was assisted by distorted explanation, selective view of the internet, added provocation, suicidal preparation, and being discreet. But it perhaps started with some misaligned translation of a great book. Therefore, merely passing a translation of a religious book did not help produce a “loving boy, human boy, caring boy, family boy.” ISIS’s interpretation of Islam via online activities made Mr. Kabir’s loving boy a dead boy.

Religion is important in the daily life of Bangladeshi people. However, when that practice is mindless, meaningless, manipulative, and a mere robotic routine, then it should raise questions. Religion could be practiced to expand the humane qualities of a person. Do the people of Bangladesh perceive religion, at their core, as a companion to establish a peaceful, progressive society? It seems like many people in Bangladesh have an ever-growing, unconsciously distorted view of religion. Remember the campaign in Bangladesh to stop public urination by using Arabic words instead of Bangla? Even though the campaign was somewhat effective, it was derogatory to Bangladeshi people. People do not understand the Bangla sign “এখানে প্রস্রাব করিবেন না/Do Not Urinate Here” socially (when it comes pee time), they know Arabic (is the language of Qur’an), then they do not understand (that not everything in Arabic is scared like “لا التبول هنا/Do Not Urinate Here”). Again, Bangladeshi people’s fearful/respectful sentiment towards the Arabic words was used to quasi-solve a civic problem.

Meer Hayet Kabir’s confusion is not personal; it is national. He is baffled by why his child turned into a terrorist. Why would they have become militants? The Prime Minister of Bangladesh does not understand what kind of Muslims they are and can not acknowledge the extent of religious fundamentalists who can translate a young Bangladeshi into a terrorist Made-in-Bangladesh remotely. The Home Minister of Bangladesh, Asaduzzaman Khan, thinks “it has become a fashion” to be a terrorist! Really?

The translators of a book, a reality, or a phenomenon can bend the vulnerable minds of the Bangladeshi youth if certain conditions are met – whether they are rich, poor, educated, illiterate, online, offline, smiley, or grumpy! Just wondering what is the future of terrorism in Bangladesh if translation goes in a predefined way rather than following its natural path!

Documentary Films on Bangladesh-Part 8

Documentary Films on Bangladesh – Part 8

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Since its birth, Bangladesh has produced more than 2100 films until 2015 but film genre wise they are exceptionally limited. Most of the movies in Bangladesh are some variations of drama. Therefore, other categories of filmmaking are almost absence or neglected. The documentary is one such genre. It is not appreciated, not popular, not promoted, not known. So far, most of the important documentary films on Bangladesh on various issues are made mostly by non-Bangladeshi film-makers independently or as a part of a project for foreign media. Some of the documentaries are now extremely difficult to find. This list is an effort to keep a record of them.

Eight docs are included in this part of documentary films on Bangladesh – as already mentioned, they are all made by non-Bangladeshi documentary makers. Some are feature-length, some are shorts, some are old, some new, some available, some not. The list is in random order. Previous lists can be found here – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.

Tiger, Tiger

Tiger, Tiger (2015) cover

Director: George Butler
2015 • 90 Min • USA

Tiger Tiger follows Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, renowned big cat conservationist, as he travels deep into the primordial landscape of the Sundarbans – a tidal mangrove forest spanning the India-Bangladesh border. Known as one of the most dangerous places on Earth, the Sundarbans is the domain of what may be the largest, wildest remaining tiger population. Only 3,000 tigers remain in the wild throughout Asia, and as Alan journeys through the remote landscape of the Sundarbans, he confronts the treacherous terrain both tiger and man must navigate in their mutual struggle to survive. This may be his last journey; diagnosed with leukemia, Alan must face his own mortality as he races to save one of the world’s most charismatic animals from the razor’s edge of extinction.

Links: IMDB | Website | FB

A Journey Of A Thousand Miles – Peacekeepers

A Journey Of A Thousand Miles - Peacekeepers (2015) cover

Director: Geeta Gandbhir, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
2015 • 95 Min • USA

Documentarians Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (the Academy Award-winning Saving Face) and Geeta Gandbhir follow the stories of three Bangladeshi policewomen who served with the UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake.

The role of United Nations peacekeepers is a true “mission impossible,” dropping soldiers who literally don’t speak each other’s languages into foreign countries rife with chaos and violence. Anything that goes wrong can become an international incident. Good luck.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers acquaints us with the personal side of such a mission, focusing on five Muslim policewomen from Dhaka, Bangladesh who are part of a unit sent to maintain peace in the wake of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake. Their training is inadequate, to say the least. Adding to the volatile situation are the local perceptions that the UN has overstayed its welcome, and that foreign troops are responsible for the cholera epidemic that has been killing Haitians by the thousands since the earthquake.

Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Saving Face) teams with filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir to follow the peacekeeping unit not just over the course of the year-long mission, but also through their return home, where they face fresh challenges of reintegration. Many of the women are the primary earners in their families, but they still encounter opposition from husbands and parents over leaving home for work. As the film takes us deeper into their lives, we come to feel the emotional toll of a risky and gruelling year abroad, away from children and loved ones.

Muslim women are often kept at a distance in the Western media. This film offers a rare and up-close look as they make the best of a difficult situation, with compassion and humour, while the mission expands their sense of what’s possible.

Links: IMDB  | Website | FB

Half Devil Half Child

Half Devil Half Child (2012) cover

Director: Bill Nikides
2012 • 80 Min • USA

Throughout the last century, Christianity has grown dramatically in the 10-40 window. In Bangladesh, as Western colonies faded into history, young, dynamic leaders came out of Islam and into the Church. Bolstered by strong fellowship and an outspoken witness, Muslim-background Christians planted churches, started schools, translated resources and grew into a vibrant, visible, Christian church. But something else was lurking in the shadows.

Under the guise of contextualization, colonialism has evolved. Western missionaries are encouraging new believers to keep their faith ‘inside.’ Baptized Christians are going back to the Imams and back to the mosques. Rather than identifying themselves as Christians, they are calling themselves Isai or “Jesus” Muslims. Bibles are being produced that are omitting references to God as Father and to Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It is an idea that turns the gospel upside down, reversing what the Bible means when it calls people to turn to Christ and out of darkness and into the light.

No simple diatribe against accommodation, Half Devil Half Child calls the church in the West to remember who it is in Christ, a new creation that requires a wiser approach to missions and better use of our material blessings. This film challenges our taste for the comfort, ease and safety we enjoy. It identifies what drives a movement that creates invisible Christians for an invisible and ineffectual Church, to the glory of Islam. It is a call to recapture for the West what has been known for millennia – that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. It reminds us to let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

Opposed by Muslims and these “insider” Western approaches, faithful men, called from Islam to Christ in His one and only church continue to plant churches, preach the Gospel, train new leaders, and love their enemies. Hear them speak of their love for Jesus Christ and the freedom of His Gospel. Hear them confess their one hope in Christ and one life in the triune God. Hear them express their desire for the bond of brotherhood born for adversity, knit together in life and death. Hear the deep meaning it has for our lives in a majority world country and the Christian church as we know it.

Journey to Bangladesh and meet the men who tell a story of deception and confusion, and of true faith. Join these men who are giving all they have to reach their nation with the faith delivered once for all to the saints, and – once for all – to light the 10-40 window.

Links: IMDB | More Info

Mass E Bhat

Mass E Bhat (2014) cover

Directors: Hannan Majid, Richard York
2014 • 72 Min • UK

Through the story of one boy’s childhood, “Mass-e-Bhat” weaves the narratives of 6 children growing up around Bangladesh into an epic tableaux of a nation in flux.

As social worker, Nasir, wanders the alleyways of Dhaka’s Korrail slum, searching for working children to enroll in school, he recounts the story of his own childhood and his journey through a rapidly developing country.

A typical child of Bangladesh, Nasir grew up in the village before leaving at the age of 8 to pursue a better life in the city. Like so many others, rather than streets paved with gold, he finds himself working on a rubbish dump before being pulled into the workhouses and garment factories which sparked the country’s rapid growth.

As he reflects upon his childhood and his eventual struggle towards education, we meet series of children, through short observational chapters, who’s lives mirror his past while telling a story all too real in the country’s present. From Emon, a young boy scraping out a living in the rural areas and Shujon, an 8 year old working on a sprawling rubbish tip in the nation’s capital, to garment worker Riham and a pair of youngsters living on the platforms of Dhaka’s train station, we see life in a developing nation through the eyes of it’s children.

Links: IMDB | Website

Bangladesh: Culture of Impunity

Bangladesh-Culture of Impunity (2012) cover

Director: Miles Roston
2012 • 30 Min • Netherlands

In Bangladesh, poverty and corruption have long been endemic. An Islamic state, minorities are under threat, with crimes against them rarely punished. How has Bangladesh become an extremist haven?

Bangladesh, the world’s eighth most populous country. While its problems may seem removed from the rest of the world, its military provides the biggest share of UN peacekeepers globally, earning billions for the government. Well known as a nation of endemic poverty and rampant corruption, it’s also a country born of a bloody war with Pakistan, enduring what one high US official called the most calculated thing since the Nazis in Poland. “At the time, it was the most horrendous genocide since the Second World War.” Shahriar Kabir Now an Islamic state like Pakistan, the country it fought for independence from, minorities are under threat; and crimes against them are rarely punished, like the war crime perpetrators over thirty years ago. Not only religious minorities but the little known indigenous population in the Chittagong Hill Tracts face violent attacks, urged on by extremists. Yet despite its human rights violations, the country still receives European and international aid.

Links: IMDB | Website

Bubber i Bangladesh

Bubber i Bangladesh (2001) cover

Director: Poul Kjar
2001 • 27 Min • Denmark

Bubber travels to Bangladesh to see how bad the working conditions are for children. By nature he is alarmed that children work at all. He feels that the Western countries should boycot any form of child work. Though, as the documentary unfolds he changes his mind somewhat.

Links: IMDB

The Star
(TÄTHI)

tathi, the star (1998)

Director: Richard Solarz
1998 • 52 Min • Finland

In the Islamic country of Bangladesh, films are primarily made for an audience of lower-class males. On the one hand, the actresses are adored by the spectators as stars, but on the other hand, from their religious persuasion most people can only feel contempt for these ‘fallen women‘. Not surprisingly, a normal life as a respected member of society and marriage is almost unattainable for an actress. In TÄTHI, director Richard Solarz follows the realization of a Bengali feature film, with the young Swedish Lisa in the leading role. The film, about the relationship between a Western woman and a Bengali man, is alternately shot in Bangladesh and Sweden. The trip exposes many prejudices and cultural differences to the cast and crew of the film. Lisa is embraced as a new star in the poverty-stricken Bangladesh, but the way she and her female Bengali colleagues are treated by the male filmmakers and co-actors is not always respectful. The double moral standards and the resulting dilemmas are painfully unveiled when the producer of the film falls in love with the actress Shangita. He proposes to her, but attaches the condition that if she agrees she will immediately have to terminate her acting career. A condition she is forced to accept; for her, this is the chance of a lifetime. In this way, TÄTHI not only portrays the film industry of Bangladesh, but also questions the subordinate position of women in this country, constantly relating the two subjects to the situation in Sweden.

In Sweden the name of the documentary is ‘Stjärnan’.

Link: IDFA | More info

The Rasheda Trust

The Rasheda Trust (2005) cover

Director: Jurg Neuenschwander
2005 • 52 Min • Switzerland

Rasheda Begum is a respected and well known entrepreneur far beyond the region of Modukhali (Bangladesh). She became solvent thanks to tireless work and her good instinct for business. Back in the eighties, Rasheda’s family lived in extreme poverty. The only cash income came from Rasheda’s husband Ali, who worked for a pittance as a laborer. When government officials came to the village and offered the first micro credits, Rasheda saw her chance. With her first micro credit she bought 20 square meters of land and started a tree nursery. Until now, neither setbacks due to flooding and drought, nor ruthless business practices from commercial banks or extortionate rates of interests from money lenders, could slow her down. Her children went to school; her living situation improved. All is well, but not quite: There are still village leaders, who complain about Rasheda Begum’s success; her two oldest girls didn’t get their high school diploma, the oldest son dropped out of school, and the bank is demanding payment of a credit, or else….!

‘The Rasheda Trust’ shows the stages of development and the daily routine of the entrepreneur Rasheda Begum, who rose from nothing and holds her ground in a male dominated world.

Links: IMDB | IDFA  |  More info |  Buy DVD

Licu’s Holidays
(Le ferie di Licu)

Licu's Holidays - Le ferie di Licu (2006) cover

Director: Vittorio Moroni
2006 • 93 Min • Italy

The young Bengali immigrant Licu is an optimistic happiness seeker. Flexible, hard-working and charming, he has secured a job in Rome in a field that is dear to him: fashion. But despite his remarkable adaptability, he finds himself stuck between the Muslim customs he was raised with and the Italian way of life. For one thing, his female colleagues in Rome are far less inhibited than he is accustomed to. When a letter arrives containing a photo of his future bride that his parents have chosen for him, it seems he will be able to combine Bangladesh and Italy in one and the same future. This turns out to be easier said than done. The marriage negotiations do not progress very smoothly, floods ravage his native land, and his Italian employer shows little understanding for his long absence. But when he returns to Rome with his bride, the true challenges await him. Filmed in an unemphatic but intimate manner, Licu’s Holidays becomes a probing sociological exploration of a widespread dilemma for immigrants: which culture should these newlyweds use as a basis for their relationship in their new homeland? The images of a woman locked up at home make you fear the worst, but her desire for freedom leaves you feeling optimistic.

Festivals & awards

2008 Hot Docs – Canadian International Documentary Festival, Toronto
2007 Alba International Film Festival
2007 Villerupt Italian Film Festival: Best Film
2007 BosArt-Sardegna: Best Film
2007 IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam: Best of Fest

Links: IMDB | IDFA | Review | Buy DVD | More info

Book, Bangla and Bangladeshi community in New York

Book, Bangla and Bangladeshi community in New York

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Bangladeshi community abroad indeed like to celebrate cultural events as long as it has the native vibe of Bangladesh. Organized by Muktadhara Foundation, the International Bangla Festival and Book Fair was such an event for Bangladeshi community living in New York City. Held in Jackson Heights from May 20 to 22, 2016, the three-day event was lively, colorful, festive and attended by thousands of people. Bangla Book Fair, started in 1992, was a tiny and modest event but as the Bangladeshi community has grown, the celebration has transformed into a bigger event with kind of festival flavor. This year it was the 25th anniversary of the fair. Authors and book publishers participated from Bangladesh and India, therefore, it was international in essence.

Writers, publishers, cultural personalities related with Bangla language and literature attended the festival. Mayor of NYC and other elected officials sent their welcome messages. The festival started with a colorful parade from Diversity Plaza at 7 pm on Friday. The parade, participated by over hundreds of people, ended at the PS 69 – the venue for rest of the event. The festival was opened with ribbon, balloons, candlelights and Bangla literary celebrities present at the stage.

Program Schedule of Bangla Book Fair

Day 1: FridayDay 2: SaturdayDay 3: Sunday
  1. Parade from Diversity Plaza
  2. Formal opening of the fair
  3. Speeches of the invited guests
  4. Opening dance
  5. Honorary reception of Dr. David Nalin
  6. Event for new generation
  7. 25 years 0f Muktadhara: a retrospective
  8. Music of Ferdous Ara
  1. Child and youth competition
  2. Writer, reader, and publisher: face to face
  3. Book of the year: discuss on new books
  4. Self-written poem reading
  5. For would-be writers: tips from editors and publishers
  6. Face of Bangladesh in the USA: a discussion
  7. Folk tradition of Bangladesh: discussion and songs
  8. Cultural program
  9. Books of the new generation
  10. Why do I write?
  11. Social responsibility of writers
  12. Sitar playing
  13. Woman as a writer: uneven playing field
  14. Poetry is my worship
  15. Raft of music: songs by invited singers
  16. Guest singer of the evening
  17. Magic of rhyme: reading and discussion
  18. Book fair: Dhaka, Kolkata, New York and Berlin
  19. Our Rabindranath
  20. Genocide 1971: discussion
  1. Children’s competition
  2. Best child artist: prize distribution
  3. Self-written poetry
  4. Poetry recitation
  5. Is television a hinder to spread Bangla culture? – a discussion
  6. New books
  7. Channel I/Muktadhara book fair literature prize
  8. Abar asibo fire: poetry of Jibanananda Das
  9. Hirodoye Rabindtanath
  10. Raag and raginee: use of raag in Rabindranath’s song
  11. Democracy and development: open discussion
  12. Folk song
  13. Raft of music: songs by invited singers
  14. Face to face: discussion
  15. Songs of Nazrul
  16. Reception of Selina Hossain
  17. Thanksgiving
  18. Guest singer
  19. Breakfast and meeting of writers
  20. Workshop on Nazrul’s songs
  21. Book introduction
  22. Little magazine: an evaluation
  23. Remembering Khasruzzaman Chowdhury

What the Bangladeshi community got?

A lot of fun, utility and sense of belonging. Thousands of Bangladeshi community members converged at the book fair in three days. There were book, food, cloth, jewelry, art, not-for-profit business vendors at the event. The most crowded places were women’s clothing booth. Then food stalls. Cloth and food sellers were busy almost all the time. People browsed and bought books from 17 participating booksellers. Got autographs from authors, received samples from Bangladeshi food importer, talked about course and career with the tech company, stopped by at art vendor’s and non-profit organization’s booth. People also talked to authors, took pictures, enjoyed music and dance, listened to discussions, met friends and families, exchanged greetings. The most popular attraction – the cultural event in the evening – was full of audience. It was a great festival atmosphere.

Children’s program was elaborate and a good source of inspiration for Bangladeshi parents. Bangladeshi children, from 5 to 16 years, competed in five categories and won prizes.

Tight Schedule

Although most of the Bangladeshi community members attended in the evening to enjoy cultural programs, the organizers have filled two days with lots of events. On Saturday, 20 events were packed into 13 hours in two rooms – the main auditorium and ‘Deepon’ room (a room named after Faisal Arefin Deepon). Sunday was even more tightly filled, 23 events were scheduled from 11:00 am to 11:30 pm. To finish all the events the organizers had to keep a tight grip on timing. In some segments, moderators literally pressed speakers to finish their talk in seconds – which is an utterly impossible task for Bangladeshi people.

  • 32 participants were given 60 minutes for the ‘Book of the year: discussion on new books’ to read and talk about their books
  • 30 poets got 75 minutes to read their own poems, including moderator’s introduction
  • 33 poets were given 75 minutes to read their self-written poetry
  • 12 writers were given 30 minutes to introduce their new books

Perhaps these tight scheduling and high-pressure segments were designed to exercise brevity and precision talking as well as just to introduce writers and showcase their works only!

Bangla book fair sign in other languages
Bangla language needs other languages to spread its root

Room for Improvement

Bangladeshi community in New York truly enjoys the Bangla book fair a great deal. It is especially popular among the first generation Bangladeshis and their families. It brings back memory and nostalgia of Ekushey Book Fair in crowded Dhaka city. Muktadhara Foundation has worked tirelessly to organize the annual showcase of Bangla literary works from Bangladesh, India and beyond. The fair has also enhanced the cultural vitality of Bangladeshi community at the backdrop of New York City’s rich and vibrant multicultural environment. However, the Bangla book fair can be improved substantially in content and management. Aside from previous suggestions, here are some more recommendations:

  • The Bangla book fair was organized in Jackson Heights, one of the most diversified neighborhoods of New York City. Other ethnic communities were curious about the event but had no clue what was going on? Displaying signs in Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Chinese language could have been a great idea!
    Displaying signs in Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Chinese language could have been a great idea.
  • Book fair can be more diversified by adding more interesting and modern ideas. The event was filled with too many items related to song, dance, Rabindranath and Nazrul. Some discussion on blogging, filmmaking, spreading science, making a podcast, utilizing technology, using social media, reading e-books could have been added. There was even no discussion about blogging or bloggers!
  • Young second generation Bangladeshi writer participation was almost none. In recent years, some non-resident Bangladeshi writers are actively writing: Tahmima Anam, Zia Haider Rahman, Abeer Yusria Hoque, Tanwi Nandini Islam, Javed Jahangir, and others. On Saturday, only two people briefly talked about Books Of The New Generation – both are from old generation!
  • Organizers can give more attention to floor plan for booths, better signs and directions, better audio/sound system, typo-less or correctly spelled program guide, etc.
  • The website of the foundation has no information about how many publishers/writers attended the fair, how many books were sold, what was the most popular book, who sold the most books, who own the children’s competition, program details of the event. Actually, only a few photos were posted online after the event, nothing else!
  • Organizers can improve the image and management of Bangla book fair by collecting comments, suggestions, recommendations from the visitors (suggestion box)! There was no way to give any feedback on the event onsite! Bangladeshi community in New York can help improve the image, the quality and the direction of Bangla book festival by engaging more into the process in future.
Adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh

Adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh

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Is anyone adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh in the USA? I don’t know any family that has adopted a child from Bangladesh except Senator John McCain, who has an adopted daughter of Bangladeshi origin. But there must be some families out there. What are their stories? Are Bangladeshis living abroad interested in adoption? I watched a few excellent documentaries on international adoption issues – The Dark Matter of Love (2012), Somewhere Between (2011), Daughter from Danang (2002), and First Person Plural (2000) – adoption stories from Russia, China, Vietnam, and Korea, respectively. But I have found no stories from Bangladesh so far, except an old newspaper article from 1973.

Well, adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh is not like adopting a child from China, Vietnam, Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Ethiopia, Congo, Guatemala, or other countries. Child adoption is not a common practice among Bangladeshis for three main reasons. In short, they are:

  • As a Muslim country, Islamic law does not accept ‘adoption’ as such but offers ‘guardianship’, a similar provision for the caring of an orphan.
  • Like many Asian countries, Bangladesh tends to value blood-related parenthood more highly. Parents’ blood lineage with their children is considered more important in society.
  • Bangladesh law does not permit non-Bangladeshi citizens to be the legal guardians of children. Only a Bangladeshi citizen by birth or a Bangladeshi citizen who is also a naturalized citizen of a foreign country can obtain guardianship of a Bangladeshi child.

That does not mean adopting a Bangladeshi child is not possible. In the USA, adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh is only possible for Bangladeshi-American citizens. Bangladesh is not a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Bangladeshi law does not allow for the full adoption of Bangladeshi children. Therefore, Bangladeshi Americans considering the adoption of Bangladeshi children must obtain guardianship from a Bangladeshi court and subsequently adopt the child in the United States.

In the past 16 years, more than 260,000 children have come to the United States to join their families through international adoption (also called intercountry adoption). However, child adoption from Bangladesh is relatively low in the USA. From 1999 to 2015, only 173 children came to the USA, and in 2015, only nine children were adopted from Bangladesh.

Children adoption of Bangladeshi origin in USA, 1999-2015
Children adopted of Bangladeshi origin in the USA, 1999-2015

Rashid Md said…’I am Bangladeshi living in Italy. Me and my wife are interested in adopting a baby girl.’

***

Sarah said…’I am interested in adopting a baby girl around in December/early January. I am Bangladeshi living in Philadelphia. If you could give me your phone number and a way to contact you. I would appreciate it.’

Now, for various reasons, the scenario has changed. Although actual data is sparse, some Bangladeshi-American families want to adopt children from Bangladesh. Organizations like Hope International even started a Bangladesh-specific adoption program to help willing parents. Anyone interested in adopting a Bangladeshi child may find the following information useful.

U.S. law requires that every international adoption follow certain procedures. Most adoptions have the following steps:

〉〉 Selecting your adoption service provider
〉〉 Gaining approval to adopt
〉〉 Being matched with a child
〉〉 Adopting or obtaining legal custody of the child in a foreign country
〉〉 Applying for a visa for the child to move to the United States and
〉〉 Traveling home with your child.

Qualifications for adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh

U.S. Requirements:

  1. You must be a U.S. citizen. If you are married, your spouse must also be a U.S. citizen or have legal status in the United States.
  2. If you are unmarried, you must be at least 25 years old.

Bangladesh Requirement:

  1. Citizenship: Prospective guardians must provide proof of Bangladeshi citizenship.
  2. Age: Prospective Adoptive Parents must be at least 18 years old; Bangladeshi law does not specify a maximum age for adopting parents.
  3. Gender: Both married and single persons may adopt. Bangladesh does not recognize same-sex marriage.
  4. Income: Bangladesh law does not establish a minimum income requirement for guardians. However, a prospective guardian must prove to the Family Court judge that he/she can feed, shelter, and educate the child.
  5. Guardianship: Bangladeshi law does not allow for final adoptions of Bangladeshi children in Bangladesh. Prospective adoptive parents considering adopting a Bangladeshi child must obtain guardianship from a Bangladeshi court and subsequently adopt the child in the United States.

In-Country Provider: You need an experienced licensed attorney in Bangladesh who can handle legal and bureaucratic steps. You also need reputable orphanages where the children live.

Time Frame: Depending on many factors, including the number of eligible children and when you are available to travel to Bangladesh, the time frame to prepare your initial paperwork and be matched with a child can take 5-12 months.

The Children: The children available for adoption in Bangladesh are usually orphaned due to poverty or the stigma of being an unwed mother. Bangladesh’s youngest children, who are available for international adoption, are 1-2 months old. Older children, sibling groups, and children with special needs live in government orphanages.

Process of adopting from Bangladesh

You first select your adoption service provider/agency in the USA and have a general information meeting with them. It can be done in person or via telephone if your service provider is out of state. After the meeting, you sign the contracts and pay the initial agency fees. Your service agency will then help you with a home study or biographical history of the adoptive family, USCIS processing, adoption dossier or collection of documents, notarization, verification, certification, and translations of documents required by Bangladesh.

Step 1: Complete Home StudyStep 2: Apply to USCISStep 3: Complete DossierStep 4: Child ReferralStep 5: Referral Acceptance and TravelStep 6: Preparing to Travel Step 7: Post-Placement Supervision
The home study is a biographical history of the adoptive couple. Your adoption agency will send a social worker to work with you. If you are out of state, your agency can help you find a Hague-approved agency to complete your home study program. Your final USCIS approval is contingent upon the recommendation for approval given by your home study agent. This process takes 4 to 8 weeks, depending on your availability and timeliness in submitting your paperwork to the agency. Your completed home study is valid for 12 months; an update will be necessary annually until a child is placed in your home and is also required if your living circumstances change before your adoption, such as a change in employment or residence. You are also required to obtain at least ten hours of pre-adoptive training.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must pre-approve you as potential adoptive parents regarding an international adoption in Bangladesh. Your adoption agency will assist you by submitting an I-600A application to USCIS on your behalf once your home study is completed. USCIS must approve your ability to provide proper parental care for a child. Your USCIS approval will be valid for 18 months, and your fingerprints will be valid for 15 months.
A Dossier is a list of documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc). Many of the documents are the same as those you collect for your home study.

Once you have completed the home study and submitted your petition to USCIS, you are ready to work on the remainder of your dossier documents. Your dossier consists of all the documents necessary for processing your adoption in Bangladesh. Your adoption agency should assist you as you gather all the necessary documents. They should go over the preparation of your dossier in detail and will send all your documents for authentication (notarization) as needed. Once you receive USCIS approval, your dossier will go to Bangladesh for translation.

Once your dossier is complete and you have received notification of your USCIS approval, you are ready for a child referral. The referral consists of a picture of the child, bio-data, and medical information provided by the orphanage director in Bangladesh. Information regarding birth parents may be minimal, if available at all!

During the home study process, you will have clarified the type of child you feel most equipped to parent. It is essential to be honest with identifying the child you would like to adopt. It is helpful to take an inventory of your child’s preferences and to prioritize the most essential characteristics (i.e., sex, age, health status, etc.) Please be advised that if your list of criteria is too restrictive, you may significantly narrow your referral options.

Your adoption agency may require you to have the information evaluated by a doctor in the USA skilled in evaluating international adoption referrals. You will also be given the untranslated documents to obtain your translation. If you are comfortable with your doctor’s evaluation, you will notify your agency to proceed with adopting that particular child. You will have at least two weeks to consider the referral information.

Trip One: Both parents must travel if married. Once you have met and accepted a child referral, your paperwork will be submitted for that child.

Trip Two: Only one parent is required to make this second trip – the non-traveling parent must authorize/other parent with a notarized Power of Attorney to represent both of them in all procedures during the contact, signing documents, and immigration procedures for the visa. Once the decision from the Bangladeshi court goes into force, travel arrangements will be made for you to return to Bangladesh for your visa interview at the US Embassy in Dhaka. The time between trips one and two will vary depending on various circumstances – you can expect 2-3 months between the two visits.

Before you request a visa appointment, the child’s new birth certificate and passport must be obtained, as well as a No Objection Certificate. Then, you complete the DS-260 Visa form and submit it to the US Embassy in Dhaka for an interview. Once you have a scheduled appointment, but before the visa appointment, the child must obtain a visa medical exam at an approved clinic in Bangladesh. The Embassy must receive the full package with medical information from the clinic before the visa interview at the US Embassy.

You must have a valid US Passport and perhaps a visa to travel to Bangladesh. Some immunizations are recommended by the CDC to travel to Bangladesh. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by a guide appointed by your adoption agency and led through each step of the adoption process.
When you return to the USA, your home study agency will provide post-placement supervision as required by your state of residence so that your adoption can be finalized. A post-placement supervision is when the social worker visits the home to discuss how you and your child are adjusting as a new family and writes a report of the visit. After the six-month post-placement period, you will be ready to adopt. Your adoption agency will help facilitate this process. You can also contact a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (AAAA) regarding the completion of a registration or re-adoption in your state. A legally adopted child in the United States automatically becomes a U.S. citizen.

Costs of Adopting from Bangladesh: 

The cost of international adoption varies depending on agency fees, application fees, home study fees, court fees, travel expenses, and other expenses. However, it is advised to have between $20,000 and $40,000. Adoption from Bangladesh could be on the lower end. Some families might be qualified for the adoption tax credit or assistance provided by states in the USA. Here is a general estimate of the costs of international adoption provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Final Thoughts:

  • Bangladesh should make it easier for the international community to adopt children from Bangladesh, not only by Bangladeshi citizens abroad. As the nature of adoption is becoming more diverse in the United States and other countries, it may be high time for Bangladesh to implement a uniform adoption law that enables abandoned and homeless children to find new parents, security, love, happiness, and a bright future. Many bureaucratic hassles are involved in getting clearance to take the adopted child abroad. There is also a growing demand for changing adoption laws in Bangladesh.
  • Bangladeshis living abroad donate money to orphanages, mosques, schools, and other social causes. If possible and affordable, adoption can be a new way to go. Millions of children in Bangladesh need a better life, not just a place in an orphanage.
  • Besides Kinship/Relative adoption, Bangladeshis can also venture out to adopt children from other countries!
  • It would be great to know about the Bangladeshi community’s adoption experience. Are there any storytellers, bloggers, writers, or documentarians?
Hope International – a Texas-based international adoption agency, has provided some information about adopting Bangladeshi children from Bangladesh. Contact Dawn Ford or Kathy Trobee at (214) 672-9399 for further information.
Googling Bangladesh

Googling Bangladesh

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Googling Bangladesh – What People Search?

With over 95% market share, Google is the most popular search engine among Bangladeshis, home and abroad. People from other countries also Googling Bangladesh for many reasons – to find out information about travel, trade, business, recreation, news etc. But what most people really search about Bangladesh? One way to find out this is to use Goggle’s ‘instant search’ feature. Google Instant can reveal branding of any keyword based on its popularity and significance.

Google Instant, also called Google auto search or Google suggest, is a feature of predictive search that automatically recommends popular searches as you type your query into Google’s search field. Google Instant predicts what you’re looking for and starts to show results as you type. The suggested prediction comes from the volume of queries. The possible searches that you see are based on what other people are searching for and the content of web pages indexed by Google. It is not only a Google feature, now Bing actually does this as well. So do major search engines like DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Baidu, Yandex, etc.

Googling Bangladesh will tell you what kind of information people are searching for from their geo-locations. These search results generally change over time based on issues, events, demands etc. Google Instant is localized (and personalized). The predictions and search results that Google Instant displays will change depending on where Google thinks you’re located. Google has some country specific search engines that are default for those locations. From USA, I googled the word ‘Bangladesh’ in those sites in Australia, Bahrain, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States as most of the Bangladeshi diaspora live in those countries. Some of those websites are set default in English and some are in their native language.

Googling Bangladeshi newspaper and cricket
Top two searches: Bangladesh Newspaper and Bangladesh Cricket

So what Google suggests when someone starts typing the word Bangladesh? Two searches define Bangladesh on Google: Bangladesh Newspaper and Bangladesh Cricket. Then there are Bangladesh consulate, Bangladesh currency, airline ticket, Bangla songs, etc. These search results characterize the kinds of information Bangladeshi community search from abroad (an assumption)! Here are screenshots of some searches from Google’s Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, Italy, and Bangladesh domain.

  • Bangladesh on Google UK
    Bangladesh on Google UK

More Google search results from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Oman, Kuwait, Japan and Korea. While googling Bangladesh, these sites were set to their local language settings.

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Above are, however, Google’s instant search results on Bangladesh. Through Google Trends, Google can track how often a particular search term is entered relative to the total search volume across various regions of the world, and in various languages. Here is Google trend in Bangladesh for 2015.

Googling only one word, Bangladesh tells some interesting facts about searching trends among Bangladeshis. You can try your own search in various search engine websites. Perhaps, typing following questions can be a good start!

  • Who Bangladesh…?
  • What Bangladesh…?
  • Why Bangladesh…?
  • When Bangladesh…?
  • Where Bangladesh…?
  • How Bangladesh…?

What these instant search results say you about Bangladesh?

Lastly, what people get when they type Bangladesh on other search engines? Here are few examples:

  • Bangladesh on Bing
    Bangladesh on Bing
Bangladesh environment and Bangladeshi community abroad

The Champion of the Earth makes Bangladeshi community abroad happy. Now what?

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Even though most of the adult Bangladeshis have never heard of climate change, the Bangladeshi community abroad, especially the Bangladeshi community in New York in general, expressed their happiness when Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, was awarded ‘Champions of the Earth’. The prize was given in recognition of her policy leadership in the Bangladesh environment, such as drafting the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, creating the Climate Change Trust Fund, earmarking money for climate change adaptation, amending the constitution to protect the environment, etc.

To celebrate the event, supporters of Sheikh Hasina in the USA have advertised their happiness in the local Bangla newspapers, displayed on posters, distributed in flyers, aired on TVs, conveyed by statements, and finally gave the Prime Minister a public reception in New York while she was in the city to attend 70th General Secretariat meeting of United Nations.

Sheikh Hasina with Bangladeshi community in New York
Sheikh Hasina with the Bangladeshi community in New York

After Dr. Atiq Rahman won the UN environmental prize in 2008, Sheikh Hasina is the second Bangladeshi to win the award. On the eve of the event, the Prime Minister also wrote an article on Huffington Post about her government’s response to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Bangladeshi political leaders usually do not write. Therefore, this writing effort in an international media was nice, noteworthy, rare, and long overdue.

Although the overall Environmental Performance Index for Bangladesh is very poor (169 out of 178), any award given as recognition is a big motivation for Bangladesh. Indeed, Bangladesh has been doing whatever it can to improve environmental conditions and fight climate change with its limited resources. A plastic bag ban, boat school, solar panels, etc. are few examples.

But they are certainly not enough. Bangladesh has to do more and do it quickly to prepare the country for climate change. I hope the Prime Minister will consider the award not as a reward for her past achievement but as a future motivation to do more.

Now, what for the Bangladeshi community abroad?

Besides being happy, what can the Bangladeshi community do? The Bangladeshi community can be active abroad to be a vanguard of protecting the environment of Bangladesh. As a pressure group, they can easily keep the PM on her toes to do more. Despite some improvements, Bangladesh still faces environmental degradation every day. Many ecological issues got international attention, such as the ship-breaking industry in Chittagong, the oil spill in the Sundarbans, the Rampal coal-based power plant, tannery pollution at Hazaribagh, etc. Between development and climate change, keeping the environment clean is a hard choice in the conventional sense, but Bangladesh has to do its part to be active and innovative.

Bangladeshi communities living abroad can act as role models as environmental champions. Here are some thoughts:

  • Select and celebrate a day each year as ‘Bangladesh Environment Day’ within the community. Encourage the new generation of Bangladeshis to plan, organize, and implement the event. Join the event as one community. Organize environment-friendly street fairs, environmental picnics, join in neighborhood clean-up, etc.
  • Countless Bangladeshi regional and community associations are formed abroad. They can adopt a clause into their constitutions to protect the environment and designate a person (an Environment Secretary like the General Secretary!) to work on the issue. Even if it is not serious enough, doing it diligently could prove great fun! Celebrate Earth Day each year as Bangladesh community does for Bangladesh Independence Day, Chadni Raat (pre-Eid night) etc.
  • Join local environmental groups and/or participate in activities. Get informed, educated, connected, and committed. Work as a pressure group and lobby at home and abroad to protect the environment of Bangladesh. Last year, only two Bangladeshi organizations joined the People’s Climate March in New York! Will they miss this year too?

Indeed, some Bangladeshi groups are active in environmental issues abroad. Bangladesh Environmental Network (BEN) has been organizing meetings and seminars to inform about the environment for more than a decade. Recently, a Bangladeshi youth group – Youth Congress of Bangladeshi-American – has taken an initiative to stop using plastic bags in New York. Phulbari Day was observed in the UK by the Bangladeshi community to protest coal mining in Bangladesh. These are a few examples of activities, but they are still a drop of water in an ocean if one thinks about Bangladesh’s stake due to climate change (PDF).

Can the Bangladeshi community abroad lead the way, innovate the path, and motivate the expatriates to do more to protect and improve Bangladesh’s environment? Is it possible for the Bangladeshi community abroad to be the next Champion of the Earth?

Bangladeshis abroad expressing solidarity with Bangladeshi Bloggers in Brooklyn NY

Solidarity with Bangladeshi Bloggers

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A new generation of Bangladeshis living in the USA took to the stage to express their solidarity with Bangladeshi bloggers in New York City. Many civil rights issues, including freedom of expression in Bangladesh, have been severely curtailed by means of killing, mutilating, threatening, kidnapping, etc. The event ‘Unslain Words: Solidarity for Bangladeshi Bloggers‘ was organized to protest against these trends andthe  rise of religious fundamentalism there.

Picture of Bangladeshi Bloggers killed in 2015
Avijit Roy, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das and Niloy Neel

Four Bangladeshi bloggers were brutally killed this year in different parts of Bangladesh. Avijit Roy on February 26th, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu on March 30th, Ananta Bijoy Das on May 12th, and Niloy Neel on August 7th. The threat is still looming over more than 70 other Bangladeshi bloggers in Bangladesh, many of whom are in hiding. Bangladeshi bloggers living abroad are also threatened. Many have stopped writing out of fear; others continue, knowing they do so at immense risk to their own lives. Those who have the means have fled the country. Others are desperately seeking an exit strategy. These successive killings and threats towards the writers have drawn a negative image of Bangladesh around the world again, after the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013.

The mindless killing of bloggers has brought widespread condemnation everywhere. Many asked the Bangladeshi authority to provide security for the bloggers, urged them to keep them safe, and demanded justice. Bangladesh Government attested some perpetrators but also advised the bloggers to tone down their rhetoric against Islam. Bangladesh Police advised them not to cross the line, to leave the country, or hide!

The reaction of the Bangladeshi community living abroad varies. Some said it was bloggers who were at fault by disrespecting the religious values of the Muslim people of Bangladesh through their writings. Others said the bloggers can express their views in a civil democratic society without fear. Whatever the view, the majority of the Bangladeshi community in the USA condemned the killing of bloggers. Religious fanatics committed hideous crimes. Some Bangladeshi organizations protested against the brutal killing. Some gave statements in the local Bangla community newspapers.

Bangladeshi new generation living abroad, especially in the USA, was perhaps not sure what to do and how to react to this kind of incident! Yet, a solidarity event was held in Brooklyn, New York, on September 16th by some non-resident Bangladeshis in collaboration with PEN America, Roulette Intermedium, and the Center for Inquiry. They expressed their solidarity for Bangladeshi bloggers through words, reading from their own literary works, from the last writings of slain bloggers, and through live music.

A good number of attendees attended the event, which was well presented. The event also provided an opportunity for attendees to support Bangladeshi authors who are at risk. The funds collected are specifically earmarked for Bangladeshi authors in need of emergency help due to extreme threats and legal, medical, or security expenses.

Solidarity with Bangladeshi Bloggers in Brooklyn NY
Unslain Words: Solidarity for Bangladeshi Bloggers

Among the Bangladeshi participants, Abeer Yusria Hoque, a Nigerian-born Bangladeshi American writer and photographer, recalled her experience with religion in her family. As she was growing up, she remembered that her sister and classmates who were learning Islamic education were not happy with the system. With time, she was losing her faith in Islamic teaching. Islam’s inheritance and witness law, Islam’s view on girls’ romantic relationships, imposing religion to mend behavior, etc., forced her to seek refuge in the verses of Sura Al Kafirun, which states, “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”

Aladdin Ullah, a comedian, playwright, and actor of Bangladeshi origin, recalled his struggle to fit into his parent’s Bangladeshi value versus his own American identity, his experience of visiting Bangladesh for the first time and find out a lot of cultural and religious practices that made no sense – secular Bangladesh turned into non-secular country, loud call for prayers, exploitation of children, throwing acid to women, color discrimination in American Club in Dhaka…etc. made him think, is this why Bangladesh was born in 1971?

Farah Mehreen Ahmad, a Brooklyn-based Bangladeshi writer, researcher and translator, read about a short story in three parts about coercion, domestic violence, and rape.

Javed Jahangir, a writer, essayist, and novelist, wondered about George Orwell’s answers to the question  ‘Why I Write’, where Orwell told the readers that he writes because of sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse, and political purpose. Javed finds new insights in Orwell’s reason for writing with a political purpose. Political writing is an art form of the highest purpose. The political purpose of writing may not always be appreciated, but when needed, the writing can give a boost to overcome the apprehension to achieve something great.

Tanwi Nandini Islam, a writer, multimedia artist, and business entrepreneur, read a travelogue about visiting Bangladesh. She recalled her trip to Sylhet, its indigenous people, lush greenery, rock, river, flora and fauna, etc., which contributed to her recently published book.

Bangladeshi hip-hop singer Anik Khan
Bangladeshi hip-hop singer Anik Khan

Anik Khan, a Brooklyn-based Bangladeshi hip-hop singer, energized the audience with his great music.

Bangladesh’s culture of violence has been a constant problem in its development. The Bangladeshi community living abroad, especially the new and second generation of Bangladeshis, can help curb that culture by showing better alternatives. This event was one example. An important aspect of the event was that it was organized jointly with non-Bangladeshi organizations. This endeavor could bring more attention to a broader audience about Bangladesh.

Hope the participating Bangladeshis will not stop there. They will continue writing about Bangladesh on blogs, newspapers, magazines, social media, etc. Words, music, drama, painting, photo, video – all can be instruments for a powerful dialogue to promote a civil society in Bangladesh from abroad.

Is it possible for any Bangladeshi organization to organize such an event where the new generation of Bangladeshis will speak their minds freely?

Tiger-Tiger-Bengal-Tigers-of-Bangladesh

Tiger, Tiger: A film on Bengal Tigers of Bangladesh

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Bengal Tigers of Bangladesh are one of the most beautiful animals in their territory. They are exquisite, magnificent, royal, dangerous, and in danger. Sadly, Bangladesh’s Royal Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) are in decline. In a recent report, it has been suggested that Bangladesh may have 100+ tigers left instead of 440. Over the last 100 years, hunting, habitat loss, prey depletion, forest destruction, and climate change have reduced tiger populations drastically. Today, it is estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the wild in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Indeed, all species of tigers are considered endangered.

Apart from being the national animal of Bangladesh and happily existing in the Bangladesh Cricket Team logo, the survival of Bengal Tigers of Bangladesh is indeed a constant struggle. One recent danger was due to an oil spill in the Sundarbans area. Then, poachers are still a big threat, tigers are killed in retribution as a result of general human-tiger conflict, negative attitudes towards tigers among local people, etc., are making the situation even worse.

A film was released this year that touches these issues. Tiger Tiger – a documentary by George Butler – follows Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, a world-renowned big cat conservationist, as he travels through the tiger habitat he has never before seen. Like the tiger, he faces his own diminishing timeline. Diagnosed with leukemia, Alan makes what may be the last expedition in his long career in search of the last wild tigers of the Sundarbans. Set in one of the least-known landscapes left on earth, the beautiful Sundarbans forest, Tiger Tiger is the story of a man with numbered days seeking to save an animal whose days may also be numbered.

Tiger Tiger Trailer
Tiger Tiger (2015), George Butler, 90 mins, USA

The documentary follows Alan as he explores the relationship between local people who live on the margins of the forest and the fearsome, but threatened predator. Alan visits the Indian side of the Sundarbans, where tiger and human coexist relatively well, and the tiger habitat is carefully monitored. In contrast, Bengal tigers are less secure in Bangladesh side. Environment, economy, ignorance, and stigma are all working against the tiger population of Bangladesh. Here is a snapshot of what is at stake:

But the documentary Tiger Tiger focuses more on the bigger picture, not only the peril, also the possibilities – how to save these rare, mystique, gorgeous, majestic animals in their natural habitat. Few remaining tigers are indeed fighting for their lives with the smartest predator on earth – human – the only predator who can also save them from total extinction.

In a sense, Tiger Tiger is more of a spiritual film than a conservation or environmental-related film. It has been shown in many places and won some prestigious awards. Is there a way the film could be shown in Bangladesh? There are other films available on Bengal tigers (Swamp Tigers, 2001; Man-Eating Tigers of the Sundarbans, 2009). How hard is it to make an arrangement to translate/dub these films in Bangla and show on Bangladeshi TVs, schools, and local communities to create a greater awareness and seek support!

After all, what is Bangladesh without Bengal Tigers? Who will love them and save them if not the people of the same land? Tiger Tiger is a compelling story about “a dying man trying to save a dying species.” What about you, Bangladesh?

Second Generation Bangladeshis holding vigil for Rajon in Brooklyn, New York.

Second Generation Bangladeshi

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It was a small but important event. There were only 30-35 people – some second-generation Bangladeshi young, some first-generation adults, some men, some women – all living in New York City. They get together to remember a boy not known to them, even a few weeks ago. The boy, 13-year-old  Samiul Alam Rajon, was brutally killed by a group of men in Bangladesh on July 8, 2015.

The second generation of Bangladeshis – some are as young as Rajon- met in Brooklyn to hold a vigil, demanded justice, and asked to stop the nonsensical deaths of so many innocent kids in Bangladesh and across the world.

They said what others had already said. But what was new was their presence as a second-generation Bangladeshi community. They positioned themselves as the community’s voice. They did not make a huge banner or buy newspaper and TV ads, but the effort was a good and right step.

Violence in Bangladesh is common. As mythical as it may sound, as a tolerant country, Bangladesh also condones a tremendous amount of violence. Mixed with despair and disability, fate and faith, history and heritage, police and politics, the lives of Bangladeshi people just go on with a variety of violence. On the other hand, people routinely protest against violence, demand justice, the government makes a task force, sometimes takes action, few are punished, but most of them are forgotten from the public mind, as this routine never changes.

The first generation of Bangladeshi immigrants abroad is well-acquainted with this pattern. They witness the killing of Rajons, the staging of protests, the making of promises, and the taking of steps, whether right or wrong. Time passes, and life continues. While some second-generation Bangladeshis are aware of this trend, most are not. Some can comprehend it, while most cannot. Some understand it, while most do not. However, no one wants to be a part of their prior generation’s repetitive and monotonous mindset that seems to go on forever, like an endless nightmare.

It’s not bad, but they organized a ‘Vigil for Rajon’ in Brooklyn as part of a bold dream.

Again, what they did was more important than what they said. They created an event on Facebook, invited others, communicated with their peers, asked non-Bangladeshi friends to join in, and brought a few first-generation Bangladeshis who cared. Not much was said, indeed. Everyone decently took their turn to say something – short, sharp and to the point – a rarity among Bangladeshi society.

They circled the Church-McDonald Avenue crossing—where many Bangladeshis meet, mingle, gossip, chit-chat, live, and work in Brooklyn—with vigil and slogan. They were not just there to say that they gathered only for Rajon’s in Bangladesh; indeed, they were there to tell that they care for the community they belong to and the country their parents came from, and want to act with resilience and responsibility.

This second-generation Bangladeshi initiative seemed isolated, as there was less enthusiasm among the local Bangladeshi people. They reacted with cautious curiosity and passed by as evasive onlookers. From a nearby mosque, more Bangladeshi Muslims came out after prayer, none stopped by to ask about the event or to attend the Vigil for Rajon!

In a sense, first- and second-generation Bangladeshis have a cultural gap outside of Bangladesh. They are connected but understand each other less. How come when Rajon’s are dying in Bangladesh, first generation Bangladeshis gave wordy statements, but none came out to support the event of young Bangladeshis! On the contrary, any establishment from Bangladesh got a kind of ‘mini-humongous’ reception at airports, hotels, houses, restaurants, streets, and even at picnics. For the first generation, the first event has a clear goal, and the second has a specific ‘aim’.

Again, it is what it is. Child violence happens, people protest, leaders give statements, committees are formed, investigations are ordered, recommendations are submitted, and the outcome remains obscure! Violence happens, people protest, leaders…the cycle goes on and on until it does not end. This is what most Bangladeshis living abroad saw and take for granted. These are part of the payment for being a Bangladeshi. It is still that reality for the first generation of Bangladeshis abroad.

They can show that a better alternative is possible.

What can the second-generation Bangladeshis do? Nothing much or minimal, perhaps. They can show that a better alternative is possible: less talk, more work; less division, more unity; less shouting, more thinking; less newspapers, more books; less drama, more diversity; less popularity, more responsibility. To do this little, the second generation of Bangladeshis does not need confrontation or conversation with the prior generation. Remember Nike?

Bangladesh will not get back Rajon and many others. Still, suppose the sad demise of Rajon can give birth to some spark among the new generation of Bangladeshis to be deeply dedicated, highly motivated, and create a new breed of Bangladeshis in distant lands. In that case, the nation might not have to ask for endless forgiveness from the Rajons who are facing violence and being killed every day.

I hope those tiny lights of the vigil were meant to remember Rajon and welcome a new generation of young Bangladeshi activists living abroad.