The Bangladesh Poet of Impropriety

Poets-R-Us: Reputation - When LIES form the basis of TRUTH

2008-05-20T14:28:00.004+06:00

When I have no one in a disbelieving world
to hear my side of the story
to give me a benefit of a doubt
to allay my fears and my apprehensions
it is to you gOD that I turn
for solace can be such a lonely word
and LOVE an even lonelier misnomer.

When I reach out in desperate loneliness
to anyone lonelier

than I think I am
and every step of the way do
all that I must.... to clear my name
off the infamy stained on me
by my enemies
it is to you gOD that I turn
for I am who I am
......neither can I erase the past
nor can I heal the hurts I caused others.
I wish 'life' was a digital device
where things can be edited or deleted
at will from 'memory'!

Unleashing the process of 'truth-ing'
as taught to me in my upbringing
versus the malicious lying
gets me so into a tizzy
that I wake up and ask myself
if there is anything at all called the
"whole truth and nothing BUT the truth
so help me dear gOD"

after all does anyone really care
or give a damn
when LIES form the basis of all TRUTH

and TRUTH never ever the end of doubts?

'Reputation' is a double edged sword
one lives it and the other un-lives it
but sword it is and sword it will be
it CUTS and wounds deep
deeper than our physical being can comprehend
slashes apart the Soul at a time
when we start believing
perhaps foolishly
that good times have finally arrived
in our horizon.

'Silence can be golden'
'time heals wounds'
I have heard and re-heard so often
nothing much that I can say
will help me heal my scarred Soul
and thus to you gOD that I turn....
for I really have no answers.

My 'reputation' good or bad
full of it or lack of it
is sadly the beginning of my all my
undoing.

Poem: Bangladesh 2007

2007-07-22T16:51:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh 2007

I am not game to the cheap thrills
making its round as a ‘war on corruption’
nor do I applaud for military drills
and bids by soldiers and sanctimonious politicians
to rescue this beleaguered nation
from whatever ailed it –
ideas for good governance is never the exclusive purview
of the selected or ‘elected’ few,
democracy is only a pretension
a hangover from past dereliction

Our leaders of today and yesterday
or those of the yesterday of the day before
were all but conspirators
who hired Phensydyl soaked agitators
to ‘uphold’ their narrow ‘national cause’
political expediencies
led to dependency
needing only a handful
of men and women intermediaries
to grind this nation to a complete halt
organized mayhems and murders
walked hand in hand
with unseen power brokers
who all too often appeared
on a five minute news slot
their epic infamy on private TV
as straight faced innocent
save their fourteen annas of devilry

Bangladesh in Two Thousand and Seven
is in overdue labor pain,
the collective handiwork
of those that prefer keeping us in chains
fetters and shackles
the aborted freedom child promised to us
in the histrionic Seventy One
an unholy misnomer.

I seek no solace in people’s extermination
for words of Human Rights
are spoken on the dole of
rich nations donations
- nor am I a great one for national emancipation
but there is a lot to celebrate today
about incarcerations
of Prince and King wannabes
and Queens and sycophant servants
bunch of human feeding vultures
who lived on live Peacocks and dead Jaguars,
whose current fate will not bring in any remedy
but their sudden change of heart stands to mock
demands from ‘behind the locks’
the printed, binded words of gOD
that drunk with power they abjectly rejected
- is there yet time to put them on the dock
or severe with them forever?

The ‘rule of the law’ is said to be slightly flawed
and since there is a new V ahead of our VIP -
the VVIP will suckle on all the honey
while Queen bee is set for another round of ignominy
a deserved fate if we may
for the millions who languish in jails as even today
an atonement for ‘Sins’ of the innocent,
whose only crime was they were not born
either ‘looter rich’ nor a VVIP
and the double crime of being born in the Desh.

The disease of denying and lying continues unabated
and even though for a time, newspaper columns feed on our angst
with peep overviews on private lives
and ‘interrogation CD’s’ making its round
there nothing new
here for the bored Poet who knew
back in Nineteen Ninety Seven
that days were not too far away
for our nations salvation
little knowing that things would all sort itself out
in the blessed year
Two Thousand and Seven
is this true?

Doubts lingered on dates earlier in the year,
for I know that devoid from the latest calculations
are needs of the average citizens,
so ‘average’, that we deny them everything
in our ‘collective vision’,
and torture as you must in your obsession
your cynical minds with too many questions
let this go across loud and clear
that the cries for political sanity that you hear
turns a deaf ear to pangs of the poor
so please partake a closer look
that the eighty-six percent who toil the soil
are all set to disappear
- yet we do know for sure -
that the remaining fourteen percent
will eventually survive the humiliations of history
the legacy of impunity
of entrenched tyranny
Savagery….or is it the birth of a new Die-nasty?

In this illicit elites fight for the spoils,
call it your ‘own brand of democracy’,
sovereignty, polity – or whatever
and forget your minus twos, threes or hundredth plans,

(In ‘minus’ there is no subtraction,
but setting aside for future use
numbers that have possibilities of jumping back in
to make future numbers dangerously bleary and weary)

my calculator reads all of this will add up
to minus one hundred and twenty million
only subtract (not minus) the current honor gOD’s
who dictate your fragile destiny, how many?

Hundred and Twenty and not one more
the status quo remains shamelessly steady
or are there yet surprises in store?

I have heard many slogans that were far too shrill
and we all know there has been more than enough overkills,
yet its not for poets to offer meaningful solutions
for while my race has often seen above the pollution
of collective skullduggery indulged by politicians
it hurts that many in my lot
have excuses up their sleeves to fool the devil
by donning illegitimate cloaks
of intellectual pariahs,
and spare the measly rations that come
with mouthing civil society slogans,
of collaboration with newspapers Editors
who rubs shoulders
with puny hawkish ‘Stars’
as also their chameleon avatars –
the intelligence agencies,
together with the retired,
defunct and dysfunctional khakis -
I wonder if it’s yet time to draw an inactive list
of ‘active collaborators’ of the momentous year
Two thousand and Seven?

Above the din of it all
has anyone heard of demands
- to try anyone for media corruption?

Today’s collaborators will not ride the shotgun of mercy
as they did in Nineteen Seventy One
times they have changed far too mercilessly
and forgiveness (read amnesty) a bygone jargon
only if we will care to remember the thousands that perished
in fifteen years of thug-ocracy
in the veils of ‘somewhat secular’ and sometimes
mullah driven democracy
Fascist-ocracy today is the new buzzword
and lest we should fool ourselves again into
collective decline, let take this one long incline
also do not consider this your see-saw hate
that the ‘immunity syndrome’ is likely to reactivate
and cast a powerful blow to our national fate
making a thorough military and monetary route
of a kind we are yet unprepared
in real life or its many pretensions.

In as much as they care for our well being
our ‘friends’ across the seven seas will not applaud
for we are puppets tied to their never-ending knots
dancing merry tangos to rehashed music
to strains that keep changing every ten years
we will keep ourselves amused and in tethers
- for as long as we promise to fight the mullahs and
brutalize their children in the Madrasas
‘keep ‘em bombs exploding
and jihad slogans up and roaring’!
this is the best time in your life to feast
on fistful of the mighty dollasr
which smells a lot heavenly
than your decaying and worthless local currency
aLLAH lives a short distance away from Washington
in an air-conditioned condominium !

Bangladesh in Two Thousand and Seven
is a diseased corpse not yet set to rest
and times to resuscitate
is slowly slipping and sliding out to oblivion
a choice between Democracy
or is it Klepto-cracy vesus Honest-ocracy
is what we have been left with
- so brothers and sisters -
lets not make it a painful wait
power brokers are yet set to pilfer
whatever it is that we gained
or whatever we may have lost
over thirty-six tortuous year
Signing off there is no slogan worthy of our respect
than to DEMAND FREEDOM or
Be DAMMED..

Sunday, 22nd July, Niketon, Dhaka

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 10

2007-07-15T14:04:00.000+06:00

Mac's last word

Before he has to yield the headlines back to the extremists....And now, for our last part of this 10-part interview with Mac Haque, our favorite Sufi rasta Baul jazz rocker singer.The last question I asked Mac was what advice he would give humanity.I mean, why not? If anybody should know what the secret of life is, surely a Sufi rasta Baul jazz rocker would, right?And so, here is what he said:

Humanity has never been game for good advice![Me: Ooops! That was a dumb question on my part. Nevertheless, he was kind enough to continue.]While we talk
about humanity – the forces of betrayal will always make inimical forces stronger. Now even the virtues of democracy are being viewed as some kind of institutionalized thugocracy.As Gil Scott Heron said ‘Peace can never be found if war is considered a solution’. And yet, too often it is ONLY war we think that will bring peace.The state of the world post 9/11 is nothing more than a legacy of hate. Unless we remove the hatred, the xenophobia, the racism, the future of mankind is certainly doomed.We also need to get over the prevailing perform or perish retinue and stop reckless consumption.For every citizen of the West to survive, a thousand Bangladeshis are imperiled to the spectre of Global Warming. In fifty years time – although I will not be a witness to it – scientific studies suggest that half of Bangladesh will be consumed by the sea.Once Bangladesh goes, and if humanity still doesn’t change its ways, mankind itself will be wiped out. And long before the year 3000 AD appears on our calendars.

So there you have it folks, the final word from Mac.Now while admittedly I don't see things quite the same Mac does, I know an awful lot of people who do. And they don't live on the same dELTA he does either or come from the same tradition or blah, blah, blah. So none of these details can be the source of any of our differences, can they?And that was really the point of this exercise. Because let's face it, if you didn't know where this Mac person was coming from - or anything about his cultural or religious orientation - I bet you'd never guess correctly just what his coordinates were.And that was my point here. To show that all this culture gap, this conflict of civilizations business is really just in our minds.On that note, now it's time to blast some music......Unless of course you are in Waziristan. In that case, just be sure to use your headphones instead of the speakers as you never know where those Taliban and Al Qaeda guys might be.If they ask what's up with the Bluetooth, just say you're on a conference call or something. Tell them some people from a place called Langley are trying to interest you in some $25 million business proposition.

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 9

2007-07-15T14:02:00.000+06:00

Mac, the guy who just keeps grabbing headlines away from the extremists says we all have to get out there and touch someone.

The rickshaw is Mac's favorite form of transportation.Today our moderate Muslim (oops, did I just refer to him as a moderate? Sorry about that Mac), Mac Haque, none other than Bangladesh's legendary singer, responds to the question "Is there a role here [by that he means this jihad mess we're all in] for music? For poetry? For artists in general?"This 10-part series of interviews I'm conducting with him, as regular readers know, is part of an on-going series, Alternative Voices from the Islamic world. I bring you this because, well, who isn't getting sick of all this bloody jihad? Drop me a line and, well, I'll arrange for the police to pick you up. Anyway, so this was Mac's response to the question about the role artists can play in countering extremism:

Music and poetry have played pivotal roles in Bangladesh’s political history and social revolution. Whether it was the hymns of the Sufi revolt and renaissance against the British or the works of the rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, art has been successfully used here as a weapon against all form of oppression. And it continuously reestablishes and embellishes the secular nature of our culture and our people. . .The intermingling of the greatest religions in South Asia is a clear indicator of the possibilities yet available to the world.What is of paramount importance is closer people-to-people interaction. While technology today permits us to reach out and meet people from all countries of the globe, what is sadly lacking is the human touch.
Yes, indeed, but, I have to say, even in spite of the lack of touchy-feely, I for one still love my Internet fRIENDS.Now be sure to scroll down and see parts 1-8 of this interview - and check out the various links to his music.

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 8

2007-07-11T12:34:00.000+06:00

Sufi Baul Bangladeshi rasta's somewhat harsh advice for the West

But only because I asked for it. So take a break from all that unsolicited crap you are constantly inundated with and hear the direct scoop from Dhaka's greatest lead singer ever, Mac Haque of the band, Maqsood O'dHAKA. Yep, the greatest band to have ever emerged from the Bangladesh Delta. [Note to Mac: I mean dELTA.]

Mac: The first advice I would give is that the West is to climb off its high pedestal and start accepting advise especially from the third world, whose experience is far different from many in the first or second world - or for that matter many of the Islamic nations of the Middle East.[Blogger's note: Ouch! But, even if it's painful, we should hear him out, folks.] Mac: The West set a bad precedence post 9/11 in disregarding many people’s civil liberties and human rights. Even in many democracies, rulers have shamelessly taken advantage of this new reality. The denial of civil liberties mean that over time, the world will NOT be divided into Good versus Evil regimes, but Tyrants versus the Free World. . Mac: Thirdly and most importantly, pre-9/11 the West – and the UN - supported self- determination movements all over the world. Because of the WoT, many of these movements have been sidelined and unfairly accused of terrorism. .‘Low intensity wars’ border wars, such as those India is experiencing, create refugee crises and are prone to escalate and provide an opportunity for lunatic Jihadists on either side of a porous border to link up and destabilize the region.

Scroll down to see Parts 1-7. And check out the YouTube video I'm about to post above.

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 7

2007-07-09T12:31:00.000+06:00

The Sufi musician who just keeps snatching the headlines away from the terrorists

Well, at least on this blog he does.In part 7 of my 10-part interview with one of Bangladesh's most popular musicians, Mac Haque, lead singer of the band Maqsood O'dHAKA, I ask him whether the global jihad movement will change Islam in the world. See the Intro to this series and Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the interview here.This was his response:

It is only a matter of time that a ‘truce’ of some kind will be declared in this WoT, which many liberals and conservatives regard as a war against Islam. I don’t know how or when this will happen, but perhaps it will require a ‘regime change’ in Washington.The examples being set in Bangladesh are unique and many Islamic nations would benefit from emulating our model. Bangladesh can lead the Islamic world importantly by showing how it always helps to go that extra mile to defuse friction and strife.

Be sure and check out one of his concert videos on the YouTube link provided below.

And stay tuned, tomorrow Mac will be giving some advice for the West.

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 6

2007-07-08T11:03:00.000+06:00

A Sufi Baul Minstrel grabs the headlines (at least on this blog) from the extremists

Today in Part 6 of our series on Mac the Man, otherwise known as Mac Haque, the lead singer of the great Bangladeshi band Maqsood O'dHAKA, Mac, as you will see below will answer two question. Be sure to scroll down to see Parts 1-5, not to mention the Introduction to this series on Alternative Voices from the Islamic World. And check out his music! You can find links in previous posts.

Will the jihadist movement change Islam in Bangladesh?

I think the reason why Bangladesh has for the most part been spared by Jihadist extremism is because of the value we place on Ijtihad and in our Sufi traditions. Ijtihad is widely practiced. Ijtihad is the Islamic tradition of inquiry, assessment, fact sorting, scripture analysis, logic and proof. The Sufi twist is that we do this to music.In the far flung backwaters of rural Bangladesh, for example, Ijtihad is used to resolve disputes and in its musical form – part of our Sufi tradition - it is often the only form of ‘entertainment’ in many rural villages. I have a keen interest in Ijtihad music and collect many of these extraordinary songs. Ijtihad is also part of the Baul quest for spiritual transcendence. Baul is a Bengali and Bengladeshi system of thought that combines elements of Sufi Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and has inspired Bengali and Bangladeshi musicians and poets for hundreds of years. I see myself as part of this Baul tradition. [UNESCO designated Baul as one of the "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in 2005.]Our rural culture in Bangladesh is neither backward nor close-minded. It’s the urban centers that produce the most of the communal and extremist elements!

Is sharia a solid basis for the modern polity?

A technical question indeed. Conservative Muslim thinkers would argue that sharia is ‘unchanging and unchangeable’ but is still appropriate even in modern circumstances.Contemporary thinkers, on the other hand, say that sharia can be modified to adjust for the new conditions. This is where Ijtihad or debate comes in. If Ijtihad is allowed then, they say, sharia is appropriate even for a modern polity.Bangladesh legislation is not based on sharia. Rather, it is modeled on the British system of law. Other than Family Law, where disputes are adjudicated in Islamic courts, everything else is secular.By the way, I believe the development of Jihad and Ijtihad simultaneously does not in any way indicate that we are in a degenerative phase at this point of history, but rather, shows we are finally waking up from our collective slumber of centuries.

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 5

2007-07-07T13:38:00.000+06:00

Here's a Muslim that should be getting headlines: A pious Muslim who rocks and....

Well, all that you'd imagine a rock star doing....Ok, maybe not ALL you'd imagine - I know there are plenty of overactive imaginations out there - and this is one rocker who stayed married to his childhood sweetheart until her untimely death in 2004....So on that incredibly sad but also so entirely romantic note, meet Mac Haque, lead singer of the Bangladeshi band Maqsood O'dHAKA. I introduce you to him in order to bring you alternative voices from the world of Islam. This is part 5 of my 10-part email interview with Bangladesh's "Poet of Impropriety," rocker, rasta, activist Mac Haque, otherwise better known as the lead singer of one of Bangladesh's leading bands, Maqsood O'dHAKA. (Here is the introduction to this series, along with Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4.) But before you start reading, why not download some of his music for background?

Today's question for Mac was "What is Bangladesh doing to counter extremism?"

Here is his response:

On the surface there is zero tolerance for Islamic extremism. Anybody found in possession of a Jihadist leaflet is subject to arrest and imprisonment. The laws are harsh. And as is the case in most nations fighting the War on Terror, there have been many violations of basic human rights. The state does what it has to in order to receive applause from the West.
But the real war is being fought culturally. The Sufi and Vaishnavite influences in our culture that have roots in Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Islam, are the real ‘weapons of choice.’After the series of 2005 bomb attacks and assassinations of judges, the Government activated an elite anti-terrorist police commando called the Rapid Action Battalion. Hundreds of mullahs linked to the Jama’atul Mujahideen, an Islamist party, were arrested. The key figures were executed after a quick trial in March this year.
But what I think had a greater effect was the reaction of the mainstream clergy. They went out in force, to explain Jihad to all the mosque goers in much the same way my father did to me when I was a child. At Friday prayers they issued stern warnings saying there is no place for extremism in Islam – and that a Jihad cannot be declared in a nation such as ours, one with a pre-dominantly Muslim population, when there is no clear indication that war or war-like situation has been unleashed on it.
Cultural activists such as myself - and there are thousands others – have been active against the extremist movement for years now. In Bangladesh we have an abundance of progressive theatre, literature, song and poetry written by people who are committed socio-cultural activists against extremism.Our ‘battle’ started much earlier than the Governments did, incidentally.In my 1997 socio-political activism album Prapto Boyeshker Nishiddho (Banned for Adults), for example, I have a song called Parwardigar or The Creator, an adaptation, if you will, of the American singer Jim Croce’s song about the dangers of Christian extremism. As he wrote: “Which way are you going, which side are you on, one hand on the Bible one hand on the gun.”
Incidentally, I received a series of death threats after this, none of which made me afraid enough to want to back down. I think we cultural activists in Bangladesh deserve some of the credit for the fact that our agenda for a peaceful, extremism-free Bangladesh seems to have taken root and crowded out the extremist forces.Our War on Terror began long before it became fashionable, and we didn’t need the West or the US to tell us what to do!

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 4

2007-07-05T11:29:00.000+06:00

Samurai, whatever....call him what you want but just don't call him late for dinner (as my grandmother used to say) or describe him as a 'moderate Muslim.' You'll find out why below.Part 4 of my interview with Mac Haque, lead singer of the band Maqsood O'dHAKA, live from the Islamic world. Scroll down my home page for Parts 1-3.

Today's question for Mac was: Is Islamic extremism a problem in Bangladesh?And this was his response:

Over all, it would be very unfair to say we have a major problem with Islamic terrorism here in Bangladesh. We had some simultaneous bombings in 2005 that were attributed to Islamic terrorists but I had and continue to have serious doubts about the government’s version of these events. A recent expose suggests that my
initial hunches may have been correct. Now that many of the politicians then in power are now behind bars on corruption charges, perhaps the truth about these attacks will finally emerge.In my view, many Westerners have a lot of media-driven misconceptions Muslims. This started when Bill Clinton coined the term ‘moderate Muslim’. There is no such thing as a moderate Muslim and there never has been one. The pluralist nature of the Muslim people speaks for itself.
Then I object to this idea that madrasas produce terrorists. I have never seen convincing evidence of this – at least not in Bangladesh.Westerners need to understand that for poor children, a madrasa education is often their only option. Madrasas are for the most part free and in many cases, these schools also double as orphanages. Without the madrasa system here, millions would be left completely illiterate. We are simply not a rich enough country to mandate compulsory education for all.That said, there has been a concerted effort to incorporate a modern education into the Islamic syllabus. There is a successful training program here in Bangladesh, funded by the U.S., that offers prayer leaders and madrasa teachers English-language and computer-skills training. Western NGOs also work with the madrasas to educate them on the concept of Islam in a changed world. Many madrasas now teach HIV awareness, contraception, and gender issues - subjects that even five years back were taboo.

By the way, you can purchase some of Mac's music (and other Bangladeshi recordings too) - for the incredibly low price of $1.89 at http://www.amadergaan.com. Key in the word pOTAKA in the SHOP section.

And here's this note from Mac about these recordings:

One word I would like to mention about the pOTAKA, it is NOT a dHAKA album, but a special project I took up for my Baul musician friends both urban and rural under my Heritage Revival Ensemble banner. So its a bunch of young , little or unknown musicians (including my son Dio playing 9 out of the 10 tracks) backing me on all tracks.Let Mac know if you buy this music, and he'll send you what all the songs mean.

Sharon Chadha

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 3

2007-07-04T12:07:00.000+06:00

Bangladeshi rocker Mac recalls an era when Jihad was still a form of entertainment

In an effort to see what sane Muslims around the world really think of the War on Terror, I'm posting excerpts from an email interview I did with Maqsoodul Haque, lead singer of the band Maqsood O'dHAKA.

Here's one of his recordings on YouTube to download and play while you read this post.For the record, I'm not promoting Mac's way of thinking here as my own. While I believe him to be a person of good will - as someone who wants to build bridges across this great chasm we must now all confront - I disagree with many of his assessments on why we are in the particular fix we are.

And for the record, I'm sure he has lots of, well, quibbles with my views too. But hey, there's room enough in the world for both our points of view, isn't there?The hyperlinks in his responses, incidentally, were supplied by Mac, and I encourage you to click on them as I think they clarify some of his reference points.Yesterday Mac described what he learned about jihad from his parents and Islamic tutors. Here he explains what some real-life (or, as he says, "reel-life") jihads taught him:

...Then came 1971 and we watched the bloody birth of Bangladesh, our nation having fought a heroic guerrilla campaign to oust the Pakistani oppressors. With independence also came our doubts about the US and its intentions in the region. . .when it deployed its Seventh Fleet to the Bay of Bengal – to intervene and frustrate the aspirations of the Bengalees, so as to assist the Pakistani Army in carrying out their various crimes.
All of this happened when I was an impressionable fourteen-year-old.But it was also your great nation, together with British rockers, that organized the Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden that publicized our struggle. . .Then there was the Jihad called by the Mujahideen against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1908s that was supported by the [Carter and] Reagan administrations as part of the US interest to do away with the Soviet Union. That was when the mujahideen were seen as freedom fighters by the U.S. Congress. . .The Jihad in Afghanistan was the first Jihad in a thousand years and we could watch it on TV and at the movies (Rambo)….When a Muslim nation declares Jihad it becomes obligatory for other Muslims to join in and the least I could do was watch.
I was surprised by the numbers of volunteers who were queuing up to fight the Jihad but with the US backing and Pakistan providing the supply and support base, this classic Jihad was surely destined for victory.Blow-by-tragic blow, we saw the
fall of Afghanistan, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the departure of the Mujahideen. The initial lessons from this Afghan jihad didn’t come from the Koran, but from US-funded text books.Then it was the rise of the Taliban, Bin-Laden Terror Inc, the cataclysmic fall of the Twin Towers, the fall of the Taliban, Iraq and its rulers, and - as if this grotesque theatre was in need of a new 'reel-life' drama - the capture and hanging of Saddam Hussein.Who but the lunatic fringe would seriously contemplate any kind of militant engagement with the West? But, despite all the demonization, the mud-slinging, and unhealthy abuses hurled on Muslims since 9/11, there has at the same time been a rise in the understanding and awareness of Islam never before witnessed in history.The state of the world today is a glaring example of how much caution and close scrutiny are required to trap the genie of Global Jihad that has been unleashed on all of us. I am convinced that neither Muslims, Christians, Jews, nor Hindus are the enemy. As my Bangladeshi Poet friend Nadeem Rahman put it:
Christ the Jew has become me and you, the Serb, the Croat, the Muslim
Bosnian, cut to pieces with a burst of hideous laughter from a heartless machine gun. From the Dome of the Rock to the Babri Mosque shot down like a dog in the name of countless gods, Christ cried at the cross and died of shame, for the Judas in all of us.
Sharon Chadha

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 2

2007-07-03T11:56:00.000+06:00

Alternative Voices from Dar al-Islam: Bangladeshi rocker, Mac Hacque on Jihad

Here's the second installment of my 10-part interview with Bangladeshi rocker, poet, and pundit, Maqsoodul Haque, lead singer of the band Maqsood O'dHAKA. (Part 1 is here.)

So why the interest in global jihad, Mac?

Although I grew up to become an agnostic by choice, my childhood and teen years were thoroughly inculcated with Islamic culture. My mother was a pious believer and insisted I study the Koran – which a cleric would come to teach me.Since we didn’t understand a word in Arabic, our knowledge of the Sura (or Koranic verses) was all via word of mouth. The way my mother explained what the Koran said, however, pointedly differed from what the cleric was teaching us. And because we went to a Christian missionary school, the cleric would criticize us for using English to communicate among ourselves and admonish us for having Hindu friends. ‘Mingling with infidels!’ he would say. I remember one day mother had a serious disagreement with the cleric over this issue and very soon, to our delight, a younger and more educated one replaced him.
On the Muslim Sabbath (Fridays), I was dragged to the nearby mosque by father to hear the mullahs instill the fear of aLLAH in my little heart (as they still do today in many mosques). Compassion and mercy were rarely the subject of the sermons. The mullahs would instead exhort at length about history, the great Jihads, and that the Prophets of Islam had fought to ‘slaughter the Infidels.’ All of this had the effect of activating the deeper introspection cells within my brain.
Father was a liberal and would painstakingly address all my innocent curiosity about Jihad. The first lesson I learned from him was that the greatest Jihad is against the self, the battle to suppress greed, hatred, anger, mischief, or waywardness - and the struggle to be caring and humble.
He also explained the spirit of Ijtihad and how the world had changed since the earliest days of Islam. He told me that Islam had assimilated many cultures, including our own, and its spread to almost all corners of the globe would not have been possible had it not had a peaceful or humane mandate.
I was imparted with this one solid lesson which has remained with me all of my adult life: that Jihad of weapons is the lowest form of Jihad, and one that aLLAH dislikes the most.

Tomorrow we'll hear about Mac's ringside side on the jihads that began in 1979 with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan...So stay tuned.But meanwhile, check out another one of his band's video recordings here via YouTube.

Sharon Chadha Blog

Interview with Sharon Chadha - Part 1

2007-07-02T15:48:00.000+06:00

"The Bangladesh Poet of Impropriety"

In an effort to bring you alternative views from the Islamic world, here is the first of my 10-part email correspondence with Maqsoodul Haque, who, as he writes on one of his many blogs is a "Bangladesh based anti-establishment radical thinker, columnist and jazz musician." As a lead-up to this interview series, a few days ago I posted this YouTube video of one of his recent concerts.

So who are you Mac?

Just an average Bangladeshi with a lot of varying interest, the foremost being a passion for music and one that has been a part of my life for almost thirty one years. In my family tree which I can track back to six generations I find no musicians and I guess I learnt it all from the hours spent listening to the radio. My parents were poor and couldn’t afford music lessons for me, but my stern yet affectionate father noting my enthusiasm encouraged me to sing along with the radio. The ‘shower’ is where I probably graduated next and where I would lock myself in and sing to my hearts content. Without an audience I would conjure mental images of playing to thousands and all of it miraculously added up to my real life experience! I must be blessed? To date, I remain musically illiterate i.e. I cannot play any instrument, not the guitar, I do not know what a chord or a note is, or which key I am singing, but my discography has about sixty songs that I wrote, composed, and sang and made popular – so I must be doing something TERRIBLY RIGHT. I have ten albums to my credit, the most recent being in October of 2006. What amazes me is the fan following I have and last week when I was at a FM station I was deluged by over 300 text messages by a generation of listeners that wasn’t even born when my earliest recordings were released. I average about fifty live concerts a year.

Tomorrow I'll be posting his answer to the question: "Why the interest in global jihad?" Meanwhile, enjoy another of his video recordings. Mac, incidentally, is the lead singer of the group, or, as he puts it, "I am the guy with a mullah beard and 'Gumcha' on my head."

Sharon Chadha

Maq's Back with Bauliana

2007-06-14T12:32:00.000+06:00

At the very first impression, it looked like a mere Books & VCD launching program in the afternoon at the Russian Cultural Centre Auditorium on the 4th of June. But gradually it became evident that even such a program could turn out to be quite a cultural show, concentrating on musical exuberance, art, literature, handicrafts and fashion.

The flavor of the main event was never subdued anyway, rather the events that followed added something extra-ordinary to it unlike other arrangement of the same genre. Reasons were pretty much obvious.

First of all, concerned audience and media people gathered with an interest to learn more about the first ever book by Maqsoodul Haque, the ex Feed Back vocalist and founder of the band named Dhaka.

Secondly, they experienced a different sort of musical recitation by poet Shams Monower whose poetical work was formally released along with Maq's first publication Bauliana, Worshipping the Great God in Man.

There was band music, a makeshift stall exhibiting different souvenir items, artwork, designer wear, ornaments, books and CDs produced by the creative Media house Ink Mark. Ink Mark dress and accessories were donned by some models who carried out a mini ramp, in between musical performance. The audience were entertained with some refreshments.

But it was Maq and his band Dhaka who stole the show in the end. The program began with an introduction on the books, VCDs to be released, on the activities of Ink Mark.

Mr. Nurul Kabir, Editor of the Daily New Age was cordially asked to get on the stage to uncover the Books and VCDs. Musical videos titled, `Topoddhoni' by Shams featuring his off-the-trend sort of recital (a bit like Mark Knopfler stuff) and the `Best of Ink Mark` composed by promising artists and musicians discovered by the media house, were launched alongside.

Mr. Nurul Kabir, Maqsoodul Haque and Shams Monower spoke at the occasion to express their feelings.

The cultural part began with a video presentation of different tracks from the released two musical video. The presentation featured Avilash, Nahid and Shams Monower; followed by a power point presentation on Ink Mark. Then was the crunch part, live performance. The Ink-Mark artiste rendered a number of songs, followed by a colorful mini fashion show as the models exhibited exclusive designer wears and ornaments.

As Shams came on the stage and performed his stuff audience appreciated him with applause, though Shams could hardly be clearly heard as his instrumentalists played with him. Then it was all Maqsoodul Haque till the end for an exciting 30-minute stand. Starting with Rashik Aamar Mon Bandhia Pinjor Banaichey in his own stylized mode he rendered Aaj Tomar Chithi, Dhonnobad Hey Valobasha and other popular numbers. The audience waited nearly two hours for Maq'd performance and they went mad as the virtuoso rendered 6 songs stole the show.

While the program ran, there was a makeshift stall exhibiting along with the newly released books and VCD for sale and display. Organizer of the program specially thanked Cool Exposure for their support in arranging the event successfully.

Bangla Torrent

Ink Mark launches 2 books

2007-06-07T12:18:00.000+06:00

Ink Mark, a publishing house, on Monday launched two books and two music videos at the Russian Cultural Centre in the city.

The books are Bauliana, a collection of essays in English on Baul music by musician Maqsoodul Haque, and Sadhoker Rangathala, a collection of Bangla poems by Shams Monower.

The New Age editor, Nurul Kabir, uncovered the books and the music videos, titled Topoddhoni and Best of Ink Mark.

‘Maqsoodul and Shams are two talents in their respective fields. Their works attract me and I take pleasure in presenting the two creative talents before the people,’ Nurul Kabir told the function, adding, ‘I have found expressions of honest feelings and thinking in the poems of Shams. His choice of words and the command over Bengali have convinced me that he really has a devotion to his vocation as a poet.’ The books are priced at Tk 100 each and the videos at Tk 50.

New Age

Fifteen essential albums according to Maqsoodul Haque

2007-06-05T19:49:00.000+06:00

Former Feedback vocalist Maqsoodul Haque (Mac) who trailblazed Dhaka’s music scene since the late seventies tells Faizul Khan Tanim about the 15 essential albums that makes him the perfect Big Mac of today

‘Fifteen essential albums!’ exclaimed Mac. However, he continued with a giggle, ‘this could be an interesting interview. I can finally let people know of the songs I grew up with.’ ‘Bob Marley was a new and significant phenomenon back then. The late 1960’s and early 1970’s belonged to rock music and I was hooked to Deep Purple, AC/DC, Jeff Beck, The Who and more. Then suddenly, came this weird but beautiful music called Reggae from Jamaica and, there stood Bob Marley. Bob and his band, The Wailers from the Caribbean went to the UK and got the biggest and best sound system called “Rolling Stone” to record LIVE and on location. What stood out most about this man was that he instantly touched me with the intensity of his lyrics. Bands recording from the first world nation were only singing about their life and culture but here was this man whose songs and lyrics were about the third world, and one I belonged to and that gave me an emotional connection to his numbers. Therefore, amongst his albums Rastaman Vibration, Exodus and Babylon by Bus were interesting, passionate and rebellious. The first two albums received rave reviews like ‘best albums in the history of mankind’ while Babylon by Bus was his last album which covers his tour from New Zealand until his collapse in Central Park, New York,’ Mac added.

Mac continued and talked about an early 80’s band called Steely Dan and added that, of their albums The Royal Scam and Gaucho simply stood out for him. ‘Donald Fagen was a member of Steely Dan but later went on to make his solo albums. In 1982 came his first album The Nightfly (which was nominated for a Grammy) and at that time, it was regarded as one of the best-recorded albums by the Rolling Stone magazine,’ observed Mac and added that another of his personal favourite albums by Donald is Kamakiriad. ‘With very powerful lyrics and awe-inspiring instrumentation, the album was mind blowing. Everything about these records was different and beautiful. The most amazing thing about the title Kamakiriad was that it was given to a car, which the Japanese will make in 2050 and Donald Fagen made the music for that car and named it Kamakiriad,’ added Mac.

Mac then stopped for a moment to take a breath, smiled as if recollecting memories from the past and continued. ‘There was a new sound coming in the end of 1970’s and early 1980’s. Rock the Casbah album by The Clash was rebel music. Three guitars and bass guitar only, with no keyboards, created this new wave sound. They actually gave direction to many new bands at that time and some say they were the predecessors of The Police.’ Mac also informed that sometimes they used horns to give distinctive sound and extra flavour to their songs.

Mac added, ‘Rockin’ Down The Highway by Doobie Brothers was a combination of American country blues, funk and many other interesting influences – the songs became very atmospheric with the very up-to-the-minute-element sound.’ In 1996, Mac released his album Bauliana, the first folk fusion album in Bangladesh. But, what inspired that fantastic album? Mac narrated the story of Jai Uttal and The Pagan Love Orchestra and their album Beggars and Saints in 1994, which Mac terms as his ‘reference point’. That was his reference point for his exploration into Baul, folk fusion and heritage music that showed him the way and, songs like Gopala and Menoka from Beggars and Saints touched him. The interesting fact for Mac was that the band featured a white man singing Bangla Baul song, who experimented with rich Indian culture and music.

‘The ultimate socio-cultural activism guru for me would be Gil Scott-Heron and I found a lot of similarity with my way of thinking and him. His lyrics were very no-nonsense, apolitical and to the point. It actually taught me to be a visionary, and much of my work in Prapto Boyeshker Nishiddo was because of Gil’s influence. His album The Revolution Will Not Be Televised in 1974 was outstanding. Many rappers until this date looks upon him as a father figure. In 1990, his album Tales of Gil Scott-Heron and his Amnesia Express and Spirits in 1994 were total jazz albums and there is only one word to describe them – remarkable!’ said Mac in an emotional tone.

Mac explained how a new horizon of music begun when the sounds of violin and guitar clashed to produce something magical. Shakti was a group which came in the early 1970’s and played acoustic fusion music which combined Indian music with elements of jazz; probably the earliest practitioner of the musical genre of world fusion. Its leading members were the celebrated musicians like English guitar player John McLaughlin, the Indian violin player L. Shankar, Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, flautist Ustad Hariprasad Chaurasia and other renowned musicians. Their first debut album Shakti, released in the mid 1970’s actually taught Mac how to appreciate rich eastern music forms, especially Raagas.

Looking at his watch Mac said, ‘ok, one more to go!’ ‘I think its Billy Joel’s album 52nd Street from 1999, which had a massive impact on me. I got so inspired by the album and its music especially the track, Honesty that I sang a Bangla version of the song and named it Bhirumon. The album is filled with great compositions and it’s a total album of defined music and quite often, termed as one of the world’s most recommended albums.’

*This article was first published in Glitz section of Extra, the Daily New Age June 01 2007 Posted by tanim-butpar at

My Bangladesh

Bangladesh Political Situation Update - 17th May 2007

2007-05-17T00:07:00.000+06:00

1. Which way are we going? : Which side are you on?
“Ki Bhai, Kemon bujhtasen desher obostha”

Translation: “Hi brother! What do you make of the political situation in the country?”

One good way of figuring out which way we are headed is to have a look at the condition of the vehicular traffic in Dhaka. Nothing moves above 30 kms per hour and everyday the confluence of more rickshaws competing and challenging slick cars and buses – means the average kms per hour will probably dive down to 15 in no time? But what is unbelievable is all of this is happening at a time, when it seems we have a semblance of peace. There are after all no hartals, no roads blockades, no procession, yet the traffic nightmare and jams have only magnified and nobody – not even the military that jointly runs the country are pushed to do a quick fix.

The analogy between traffic condition and the state of the country, other than the time we are as wasting indicates progress (cars) being challenged at every opportunity by slow human driven vehicles (rickshaw). The annoyance that we feel when we are on the move, is the same annoyance we feel, when we read newspaper, watch TV or try to comprehend, which way this nation is heading. Dark, dim and forlorn appears to be our collective future, for we have taken it for granted that the status quo ‘may not be challenged’ – not until 2008. It is only fools and opportunists that believe democracy will be restored.

Let’s take a look at how the voters list will work out, the first spanner into the wheel:

Bangladesh's election commission engaged the country's army on Sunday for help in drawing up an accurate voters' list so it can hold national polls next year ~~ Of the 91.4 million names on a voters' list prepared in 2006, more than 12 million are fake or duplicates, according to the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, posing an obstacle to transparent balloting.

that brought in this loud retort from political parties:

Major political parties including Awami League (AL) and BNP yesterday urged the Election Commission (EC) to reconsider its decision to prepare the voter roll and national identity cards at camps instead of going door to door.

Every decision that the CTG has taken thus far has been challenged, and every time a new issue appears in the horizon, the reactions bog down the running of the government, just like rickshaws do to vehicular traffic every day.

Meanwhile the ‘minus two’ plans to throw out both ‘Begums’ from the country has fallen on foul weather. One wonders if the smart alecks that initially had planned such a move will ever be identified, but international condemnation and ‘shaming of Bangladesh’ continues.

Voters in Bangladesh, as well as those of us who analyze politics in South Asia, were no doubt fed up with the endemic corruption and political wrangling. So there is strong support for cracking down on corruption, but I believe there is little appetite for these types of political meddling. But that's what the interim government is creating, by harassing and intimidating politicians on all sorts of questionable grounds. In addition, if the interim government begins to favor newcomers, it runs the risk of losing popular support. When that happens, the fight against corruption will suffer a premature and tragic death.

To govern a country as populous and as desperately poor as Bangladesh is no easy ob. The task becomes almost impossible if its politicians are bent on making it ungovernable. If the army-backed caretaker government in Dhaka has so far received popular support for many of its moves, it is because it has restored a semblance of governance in the country. Sheikh Hasina Wajed's return home poses a new challenge to the interim administration. True, domestic and international pressure forced the government to retract its earlier decision not to allow her to come back to Dhaka. But it would be unfortunate if Bangladesh returns to destructive politics and anarchy. Both Ms Wajed and her rival, Begum Khaleda Zia, have to come to terms with the new reality in the country.

and there is also an Islamic terrorist scare that’s has been atypical of reporting from ‘across the border’, whenever the internal situation in the country turns ‘fluid’ :

Reports from India suggest that the US anti-terrorist intelligence is also concerned about possible "contamination" of JMB extremism in places of unrest like Singur and Nandigram in West Bengal where the peasantry, mostly Baishnab or Muslim, are putting up solid resistance of non-violent non-cooperation to land acquisition plans of the West Bengal government, defying police actions and genocidal attacks by pro-government political activists. US embassy officials have also reportedly met Moulvi Siddiqullah Chowdhury, a leader of Jamaatul Ulamae Hind with substantial local influence, to assess the danger of "jehadists" infiltrating the popular resistance.

2. Die-Nasty Politics: Is Khaleda on her way out?

Two of the best quotes on dynastic politics I have read so far:

Dynastic politics does not have to be a symbol of negativism. Hereditary politics cannot always be all bad. But questions about the negative and the bad arise when
clearly there is a propensity on the part of the nation's leading political players to promote their clans, without having them test their abilities in the rough and dizzying world of politics.

During the run-up to the cancelled January elections, one opinion cut through the
political polarization and achieved some consensus among non-partisan Bangladeshis. Whether articulated by shopkeepers, drivers or high-level UN personnel, this viewpoint could be summarized thus: "The best thing for this country would be to throw the two begums into the Bay of Bengal."

Another drama over Khaleda's trip abroad. By the way things are going in the political arena one can’t be too sure if the reported plan to throw Khaleda out of the country is true. Some analysts are of the opinion that she is genuinely unwell and needs to be hospitalized in Singapore. It is too early to say if she is leaving at all, for newer speculations suggest that the CTG has not yet okayed the departure of her younger son Arafat Rahman Coca, and ‘drama’ or whatever, we shall know shortly.

In a last minute drama, former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia postponed her suddenly scheduled departure to Singapore for a later date although preparations had been underway to board her on a flight last night. After a reported long cold fight between Zia family and the military backed interim government, Khaleda suddenly had taken the decision on Sunday to go to Singapore for treatment but her 'ailment' became too egregious to board a flight ast night, leading to the postponement despite having her name on the passenger list of a Singapore Airlines flight. ~~~ Sources however said Khaleda's decision to leave the country springs from her efforts to save her younger son Arafat Rahman Coco from any harassment, and because Coco himself persuaded his mother to leave the country due to the present 'adverse situation'.

Rumours circulating in Dhaka say, the CTG remains adamant that Coco remain in the country as new corruption charges may be brought against him shortly. In event of Khaleda’s departure with her original retinue, i.e. everybody, less Tareq Rahman who is in jail, it should not be too difficult to assume that it was part of a negotiated deal with the CTG. Meanwhile Tareq’s fate is on the hold for the next six month and anything may happen within that time frame.

3. Tasneem Khalil: Worth checking out the ‘new’ Buzz

I heard from friends in the Daily Star that Tasneem took leave the day after his traumatic experience with the Joint Forces and his rejoining date is yet unknown. Under the circumstances, I think its best that we wait out a period of time so that he can be with his family, while he plans out his next move, specially his next entry in his Blog, his first person account - which has now become most important to all of us to bury our apprehensions and all speculations. Fundamentally we need to know, what could have been so offensive in his Blog to be meted such treatment? If he was taken in for

‘personal reasons’ as Mahfuz Anam makes out in his statement, we wonder what they could be, and if they are malicious SMS messages, what are the contents?

Tasneem silence is understandable. He could still be under surveillance, and/or he might have signed some kind of undertaking, or might have been forced to make promises by authorities (a very common practice I may add) not to write for a while to earn his release, we don’t know. But what we do know merits a deeper thought. It would appear that Tasneem had some score to settle with powers now aligned with his employers or vice versa, and reading between the lines of Shahidul Alam of Drik’s Blog, one is surprised that the 3rd May roundtable could have gone unreported by the mainstream media. Read on:

Mahfuz Anam, the editor of the leading English daily, The Daily Star, had proudly told me, “In all these years, not a single story had been spiked.” That was some time ago. Things were different now. The story of military involvement that Tasneem had revealed was pulled back from the press in the last minute. A commentator on the roundtable at Drik on the 3rd May, International Press Freedom Day, had equated the Daily Star and the Daily Prothom Alo with a new political party. The newspapers had elaborate reporting on the US ambassador’s love for democracy and a free press. The Drik roundtable, featuring some of the bravest journalists working in the land, went unreported. The roundtable had discussed the military, the corporate deals taking place, the heavy hand of foreign countries. It talked of deals being pushed through in the absence of dissent. Tasneem had deliberately not been asked to speak. That would be inviting trouble.

It would make sense to find out from participants of the Drik roundtable if any transcript of the days proceedings are available?

Let me add that I have never been a great admirer of either Mahfuz Anam of DS or Motiur Rahman of PA and have always believed that both are

neither ‘national newspapers’ nor serve ‘national interest’. I have thought them nothing more than ‘dhandabaaj’ (business crooks) and Media Mafia in the truest sense.

Words from the grapevine now ‘almost’ confirms Shahidul’s assertions that the DS and PA ‘gong’ (read cartel of ‘intellectuals’, Lawyers and petty Phd’s) are bending over backward to accommodate US interest in Bangladesh, and actually applying the final blemishes to the formation of a military backed political party. Lord beholds! The ‘3rd Force’ of the past ‘foaming at the mouth’ speculations didn’t have to be either the mullahs or the military – but a fusion of the military and ‘honorable’ uncivil citizens of the Civil Society jungle, that also includes if it is to be believed, ‘progressive’ mullahs. Who were the 3rd Force is now very clear. Politics make strange bedfellows?

It is therefore not very unusual to see radicals like Tasneem to have to face the back of a baton. Was he working on an ‘insider’s story’ to expose the cartel? We don’t know, but we have to keep digging, and my hunch is there is more in hand than a pile of dirt that awaits us folks. The DS/PA cartels are the new ‘collaborators’ of the unfinished Liberation War, and if there is even an ounce of patriotism left in us, they have to be resisted forcefully.

TV update on Tasneem Khalil's Arrest

2007-05-11T23:33:00.000+06:00

Hi all,

I am putting together this post culled from television news sources that I have been monitoring since 7 p.m., with an almost complete account from the Channel 1 report about and hour ago:

Channel 1 quotes a letter purportedly written by Mahfuz Anam the Editor of The Daily Star -TDS - which has aparently been circulated to TV channels.
It appears that Tasneem was not arrested for any reporting done for or on behalf of, or directly related to the TDS
The news report quoting Mahfuz Anams' letter said Tasneem was arrested for purely 'personal reasons' ; matters that may or may not be related to his Blog or to some SMS that he may or may not have sent to others
It was also reported that Tasneem would be set free 'soon', no date or time has been made available

Good night!

Mac

Protest the arrest of Journalist and Blogger Tasneem Khalil

2007-05-11T14:45:00.000+06:00

Hi all,

Just a quick note to update everybody to the arrest of Blogger Tasneem Khalil, who is also on the employ of the reputed Daily Star newspaper here in Bangladesh. Initial reports indicates, he was picked up from his residence by Intelligence agents of the Government sometimes after midnite last night (i.e. Friday 11th May, 2007), although the exact reason for his arrest is yet unknown at the time of filing of this report.

Suffice to say, Tasneem has always been a courageous journalist and he might have fallen foul of the law for a number of reports that he authored ~~ the most recent being for Human Rights Watch titled Judge, Jury, and Executioner:Torture and Extrajudicial Killings by Bangladesh’s Elite Security Force which details the performance of the Rapid Acion Battalion (RAB).

Meanwhwile Bloggers in Bangladesh and all over the world have joined in condemning the arrest of Tasneem and many have started mailing Western politicians and human rights groups to details his plight and ensure his release. While all of this happens, I am of the opinion that the case of Tasneem can be best served if a group of Bloggers get in touch directly with his employer The Daily Star and its Editor Mr. Mahfuz Anam, who I understand has clouts' with the military for it to 'see sense', as also contacts with the caretaker Government to ensure his speedy release.

As of 15:00 hours Bangladesh standard time no private TV channel seem to have picked up the news of Tasneems' arrest and it would make sense that some Bloggers call the Channels and ask them to do all that is humanely possible.

Since the arrest occued after midnite the print media has not yet picked up the story and hopefully tommorow, the journalist fraternity will wake up to Tasneems' plight.

I request everybody to do their best and importantly pray for Tasneem and his personal safety and security.

Truncated to this link are 3 filings/updates on Tasneems' arrest in BdOsints digital archive for ready reference.

Regards

Mac