William Gomes » William Gomes

Catholic woman is destitute with husband’s murder

William Gomes — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:43:18 +0000

Surviving members of Joacem Costa's family, wife Laili Costa and two daughters. (PhotoDipal Barua)

Laili Costa, a young Catholic woman, living in the Catholic parish of the Holy Rosary church under the Archdiocese of Dhaka, became destitute when her husband Joacem Costa was shot dead by unidentified thugs in the Sadhon Para area of Dhaka.

Laili Costa said, “My husband left me and my two daughters. What he earned hardly supported our family, and he did not leave any savings. The owner of our previous home had already kicked us out from there, and we had just found a second home. The owner there is going to kick us out within days. I will not be able to have Christmas with my children.”

She went on, “I am striving daily for my small children. My elder daughter was kicked out of school, since I cannot pay the tuition fees, and my younger daughter is suffering from serious malnutrition; she could die at any time.”

With extreme fear and tears in her eyes, Laili Costa said, “On July 14, 2009, around 9:35, I got a call from one of my neighbors that my husband was shot by thugs in the Sadhon Para area. I immediately called my husband’s younger brother, Leo Costa, and rushed to the place. As I reached the place, I did not find my husband. He had been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.”She continued, “An eye witness said that a group of highly armed people came and shot a gun once, and my husband asked them, ‘Why you are doing this? Don’t kill me, I have a family and a wife and small kids.’ He begged, ‘For the sake of Jesus and my family, don’t kill me. What do you want?’ Then they shot three times.”

She said, “My husband fell down in the road and asked people for help, saying ‘Please take me to the hospital’ and ‘Call my family’, but no one came forward to help. I went to police, but as I cannot give a bribe, the local police officer Mohamed Moinul Islam, who is the investigation officer of the case, is not properly investigating the case.”

Leo Costa said, “I filed a case with local police. I am afraid the thugs who killed my brother may kill me also.”

Local police inspector Moinul Islam told Asia News that the killing was cloaked in mystery and police are still investigating the case.

The parish priest of Holy Rosary church said, “I heard about this sad incident, may his soul rest in peace. We have a parish with more than 20,000 Catholics who also have a lot of problems and needs. We are trying to help this Laili Costa with spiritual guidance, but we do not have the ability to help her and her kids financially.”

Catholic human rights activist Annie halder said that persecution against Catholics is growing, and that previously a family was gunned down in the Kafrul area of Dhaka.

A Catholic priest, Joseph Arsenault, the parochial vicar at St. Bridget’s Church in Abington in the Archdiocese of Boston, said about the case: “First of all, it is a shame that such a crime happened in the first place. To take a life is just wrong. Secondly, the fact that the wife, who I assume is an innocent person in all of this, becomes a victim twice. She loses her husband, and now she loses her home and means of support. As Christians, the community, I hope, is there to support her so she does not end up on the street. As Matthew’s gospel tell us, we are obliged to feed those who are in need and make sure the most vulnerable are taken care of. Justice would also demand that the killer of her husband should face the courts.”

Joseph Arsenault told, “I will be offering the Holy Sacrifice of Mass for her intentions and that of her family on Dec. 1st.”

English and imperialism in Bangladesh

William Gomes — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:24:25 +0000

Recently, a Bengali lecturer of an English course in a private university was unable to translate “Nogorayan” – a Bengali word that stands for “urbanization” – in a class when a student asked her for help. The teacher proudly said that she could not translate the word, since she was more familiar with English, had forgotten many Bengali words and felt more at home with English.

This is a common scenario for Bangladeshis, from lecturers to rickshaw drivers; they feel proud to learn English and wish to forget their mother language of Bangla. Even though these people dream in Bangla, think in Bangla and have their inner growth and imagination begin and end in Bangla, they still want to deny its existence. Some feel sad that their mother tongue was not English by birth; they feel cursed instead of blessed by the Bangla language.

The triumph of English and and the belittling of the mother tongue of Bangla in Bangladesh is tragic. The mushrooming growth of English-speaking schools recalls colonization to mind, where the education system controlled by the colonial powers propagated and institutionalized English.

In British India, the colonial forces tried their best to learn the native Indian languages, but found it really hard to master the more than 29 spoken languages present in India. They found it was easier to have the Indian people learn English instead.

While prominent Christian missionary William Carry was translating Bible into Bangla and Baptist missionaries Joshua Marshman, William Ward and John Clark Marshman were mastering Bangla and publishing the first Bangla newspaper, the Samachar Darpan, the colonial forces were projecting and propagating their racist and imperialist tool, using English to set up the empire for the future by getting the best minds of India through “brain drain” and by controlling their language. The politics of language were also practiced by the Pakistani government, when it forced Urdu as the official language upon the people of then East Pakistan, which is today Bangladesh.

When the colonial forces were kicked out from the Indian subcontinent, the nation needed to slowly make reforms in the use of language and counter the negative impact of having English as the primary and formal language used at the administrative level. In 1935, Calcutta University took the initiative and introduced Bangla as the language of education together with English. In Bangladesh, the use of Bangla at the college level started in the 1960s. This system continues on the Indian subcontinent.

After its independence from Pakistan, the government of Bangladesh made the decision to replace English with Bangla at the administrative level, but after the death of Sheikh Mujib, this process came to a halt and English continued to be the primary language. The process was continued when Hussain Muhammad Ershad introduced the Bangla Procholon Aeen, or Bangla Implementation Act, of 1987.

The scenario has changed in Bangladesh. At different administrative levels, Bangla is the official language. But, although the lower courts carry out their activities in Bangla, English remain influential since many of the judges in the high courts and Supreme Court give their verdicts in English.

The influence of English is even greater in the areas of science and technology, for the sake of higher education. Major problems include the fact that there are not enough books in Bangla to teach with and that most of the books and references are in English or other languages.

Everyone is obviously not learning English because they like English or Shakespeare or Elizabeth Bishop, etc. They are learning it because the English language has established itself as the language of the world. The English language has an influential history. It started its journey as a West Germanic language in the early 5th century A.D. and, gradually, with the growth of British Empire, it spread beyond the British Isles; by the late nineteenth century, it had become the first global “lingua franca”.

From the Roman invasion of England by Julius Caesar in 55 B.C. to any aggression against other countries, the English language was often a tool of imperialist politics. Nowadays, English is used as the official language in 53 countries and 300 to 400 million people use English as their primary language all around the world. Many religious and state entities have patronized English.

On Feb. 21, 1952, several people were killed by police as thousands protested for their right to use the Bangla language. Rabindranath Tagore, given the name Gurudev, and other Bengalis have given the Bangla language a place of honor in the world. If we Bangla-speaking people can focus on Bangla, the rest of the world be in our hands; many “Gurudevs” will shine before the world. Then, the imperialist politics of English will collapse.

Christian Evangelist beaten to death in Bangladesh

William Gomes — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:11:30 +0000

A Baptist youth minister and evangelist of the Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh was found seriously wounded in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, on Dhaka University’s campus, in the evening of Sept. 12, 2009.

Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh has been active for 25 years and has 320 churches and 30,500 members. The church has faced severe problems during the second Iraq War, and, at various times, evangelists were persecuted.

Police Sub-inspector Mohammed Wahid, of the Sahabag police station, said, “On Sept. 12, at around 8 p.m., I got a message that an unidentified man was found seriously wounded outside of Suhrawardi Park. I rushed to the scene and found the wounded man, and immediately took him to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Meanwhile, we came to learn from him that his name is Swopon Mondol and that he is a worker of Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh. His wife, Lucky Mondol, came to the hospital when she was informed about the incident. I left him at the hospital for treatment since his wife was there. Later, I came to know that Mondol died at 12:10 p.m., meaning in the early hours of Sept. 13.

“From local people, I came to know that Swopon Mondol and three or four people with him ran after some Dhaka University students over the issue of a theft. One of the students ran to the nearby campus and brought more students, who then beat Mondol brutally, until he fell down onto the floor.”

Lucky Mondol, the wife of the dead Christian evangelist, said, “My only son, Diptoo (age 10), and I rushed to the hospital. Some youth came to the hospital and wanted money, threatening me. My husband was fighting for his life, and this group of violent youths were threatening me and demanding 1400 taka, saying that my husband stole one of their mobile phones. I found myself helpless. I prayed for my husband.

“I am afraid to file a police report. Who will guarantee my safety and give me money to pay for the case? I don’t doubt that the violent people who beat my husband brutally and even came to the hospital afterward might kill me if I file a police report. And now it’s a challenge for me and my son Diptoo to even survive, because my husband was the only earning member of our family.”

Sulekha Mondol, Mondol’s sister, said, “We are so poor, and we are in the minority. My brother Swopon was very pious and very patient. He preached the good news of Christ, yet such a good man was killed like an animal. Now we are afraid, and we don’t feel safe. Many Christian evangelists have been killed, and no one has gotten justice. On Sept. 13, we buried my brother in fear and hoping for justice in our village. We could hardly arrange for the money to bury my brother and transport his body from the hospital to our village in Khulna.”

Bishop Albert P. Mirdha of Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh said, “Swopon Mondol was really a very active church worker over the last 14 years, and we are all shocked by his murder. Minorities are not safe in Bangladesh.”

Human rights activist Annie Halder said, “According to Art. 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,’ and, according to Art. 3, ‘everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.’ Here, we have seen that there is no security of life and that the Christian evangelist was tortured like an animal.”

Inspector Wahid said, “I have been working for the police for a long time, and when I saw Mondol, he looked like a simple and gentle man. I can’t imagine that he would steal anyone’s mobile phone. Recently, at Dhaka University, some violent students have been harassing innocent people, and, in this case, a gentle man was brutally tortured and killed. A source has told us that the group of students were from Mohasin Hall and were led by Mohammed Rajan.”

Change: a choice or a challenge

William Gomes — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:45:55 +0000

The American political figure Benjamin Franklin advocated, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” Any hope for the future comes to an end for an individual when their ability to change comes to an end. As something ends and something else begins, it inspires one to move forward and apply what is gained to society and to the world. Winston Churchill asserted, “There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.”

A positive change in the right direction is the highest need on the Indian subcontinent, especially for Bangladesh. The areas of society and politics are groaning for change in Bangladesh. Yet the nation has failed to see positive and lasting change in its social life and politics. The question is whether change is a choice or a challenge before the nation.

The nation of Bangladesh was born out of an armed conflict pitting West Pakistan against East Pakistan. Nine months after the war broke out, the Pakistan Army of West Pakistan surrendered at last on December 16, 1971, when the Mukti Bahini, a guerrilla force supporting East Pakistan, decisively defeated it. During the war, there were widespread killings and violations of human rights carried out by the Pakistan Army with support from political and religious militias of East Pakistan of that time. Three million people were killed, 200,000 women were tortured and raped, and the women who were raped gave birth to thousands of war babies.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The true democrat is he who, with purely nonviolent means, defends his liberty and, therefore, his country’s and ultimately that of the whole of mankind.” It is very clear that the political regime of West Pakistan was not democratic and that the people and nations who supported them were equally liable for the brutal genocide committed against the innocent people of East Pakistan.

The nation of Bangladesh was obviously a result of a positive, dynamic change. Prominent writer Nathaniel Branden said, “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” The nation of Bangladesh was created with a deep desire for secularism, but the nation has now been named as an ultra-Muslim country, as declared in the constitution itself. Almost four decades after the war for independence, all of the political parties and leaders of Bangladesh are failing to recall the principle of secularism put forth in the constitution of Bangladesh, with some politicians and political parties even fighting the removal of the declaration of Islam as the state religion from the constitution.

Once the people of Bangladesh took a strong position in ’71 to fight against sectarianism and challenged the world in the way it thought about Bangladesh. Yet now, the world still thinks of Bangladesh, not with sympathy or love, but with a fear of Islamic terrorism.

Bangladesh remains a threat to the world due to its expanding Islamic terrorism and will be one of the highest global threats in coming years. Political Islam is deeply ingrained in the way of life and politics of Bangladesh. There was a time when Bangladesh was under attack by foreigners, but now the nation is under attack from a power that controls the people and life of the nation, namely, Islam.

The minorities paid the most during the Bangladesh Liberation War, but the nation has failed to recognize their sacrifice. In almost all the ways possible, the minorities are persecuted by state-backed Islamic fascists, yet the nation has failed to secure their rights. The change is very visible. The minorities were persecuted during the Liberation War and are now being persecuted again for having a different religious faith. The war is run by Islamic fascists against secular forces.

Discrimination is highly visible if you look at the position of minorities in the state machinery. After almost four decades, not a single minority had the chance to be a prime minister or president of the nation, because of the sectarian forces out to destroy the minorities and secular forces. Recently, the government decided to change the name of the BDR for the mutiny, where more than 50 army officers were killed by the native paramilitary forces. The government said that the name of the BDR was hampered, so the name should be changed.

Bangladesh has failed greatly in various ways. The government should think about changing the name of Bangladesh. Benjamin Franklin said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” Yes, obviously if Bangladesh fails to change as a whole and move towards progressive political naturalism, the nation will face more than a BDR mutiny in the near future.

It’s time for the nation to think about whether a change for Bangladesh is a challenge or a choice before them. The nation of Bangladesh should remember the famous saying of Victor Hugo, that, “Liberation is not deliverance.”

The root of violence: politics without principles

William Gomes — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:48:27 +0000

Dhaka , Bangladesh, July 29 — Mohandas K. Gandhi claimed that politics without principles was one of the roots of violence. The present political regime in Bangladesh has fully characterized their dictatorship as such, by enforcing politics without principles and leading the nation toward violence.

Bangladesh has experienced mass violence across the country. Recently, when innocent garment workers were killed by law enforcement agencies in Ashulia, violence erupted. Also recently, police arrested Mahmudul Haque Bhuiyan, the local president of a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), in Brahmanbaria, a district in east-central Bangladesh, on specific charges of tender manipulation and abduction filed with the police. As the news of Mahmud’s arrest spread, angry activists of the Chhatra League damaged public property and carried out arson attacks in the town of Brahmanbaria. The whole town turned into a veritable battleground.

Between January and March 2009, six serious acts of violence against women were instigated by fatwas, or religious edicts. The government was silent about the need to introduce a new and specific law to ban fatwa.

The government is ignoring the issue of removing Islam as the state religion and taking out the discriminatory parts of the constitution, in the preamble.

A dictatorship was created by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, known simply as Sheikh Mujib, when the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League was formed as a national party by decree on Feb. 24, 1975. Any political parties other than the political amalgamation of the Awami League were outlawed at the time. In the three decades since, the rulers added various aspects to the dictatorship that Sheikh Mujib had started.

Sheikh Mujib himself encouraged the root of Islamic discrimination to be planted in the state’s machinery, by moving closer to political Islam, both through state policies and in his personal conduct. Bearing the consequences, we now have a defective and discriminatory constitution in Bangladesh with the preamble “BISMILLAH- AR-RAHMAN-AR-RAHIM” and with Islam as the state religion.

Torture and political killings were instituted in Bangladesh by a militia, Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini, supportive of the government and by the government during the rule of Sheikh Mujib. Some people have also accused Gono Bahini, or the People’s Army, an underground gang loyal to the ultra-left political party Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, for political killings, looting of police stations, armed robberies, and other acts of sabotage with the purpose of undermining law and order and tarnishing the image of Sheikh Mujib by spreading rumors about him.

The growth of the BAKSAL was the single most important cause contributing to the death of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Some scholars argued that the BAKSAL was a government of national unity, when in reality it represented an immense national failure of secular democratic forces.

Recently, the cabinet has approved a law to provide lifelong security for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family, effective immediately on July 6, 2009. The law is in line with previous legislation enacted in 2001, when the Awami League was in power, which was repealed by the BNP government that replaced them.

The law is itself a violation and a source of discrimination. While the government shows concern for the security of Mujib’s family members, the common people, and especially the minorities, are facing an inhuman level of life in Bangladesh. Yet the government has not taken any initiative to ensure the rights of the majority of people in Bangladesh.

The law clearly contradicts the fundamental state policy of Bangladesh of “equality of opportunity.”

The present political regime is leading the nation toward another Islamic revolt. The underground Islamic movement is gaining more power than ever and human rights violations are increasing each and every day.

National challenges, dissatisfaction within the army, and the government’s inability to deal with the needs of the time has caused Mujib’s political regime to lead the country toward national failure. Hasina’s political regime is again leading the nation toward another national failure.

Newly married minority woman raped and killed by Muslim thugs

William Gomes — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:34:09 +0000

Radha Rani Halder

Radha Rani Halder, a newly married Hindu woman of the Shariatpur District under Dhaka Division in central Bangladesh, was raped and killed by a group of Muslim miscreants on June 27, 2009.

Ms. Halder worked for the local NGO, the Shariatpur Development Society (SDS).

Mr. Dipankar Bairagee, husband of the slain woman, said that, at about 11 a.m. on June 27, Ms. Halder went for loan collection, as part of her work with the NGO, to the house of local village leader, Mr. Halim Matubbar, in South Goaldia village.

But when she did not return until afternoon, her co-workers started searching for her as she didn’t return on time to the office with the money, and that her mobile was not responding, said Mr. Quamrul Hasan(Badal), the Sector Chief of SDS.

“Finally after frantic search until on late at night, we discovered the unclothed dead-body of Ms. Halder with her throat half-slit near Hajeer Pukur of Palong Upazila in Shariatpur”, said Sector Chief Hasan.

Mr. Bairagee, the devastated husband of the deceased, said, “We got married about 2 months ago. She took up the job to relieve the family of its hardships, but got killed in this brutal way”.

“We have filed a case with the police, but they failed to arrest any of the perpetrators”, said he.

“Local Muslim Mohammed Kalam, Borhan and Motaleb killed my wife after raping her; and they also snatched an amount of Tk 43,996.00, as well as a golden chain and earring from my wife”, added Mr. Bairagee.

Shariatpur police chief said, “The case is under investigation; we are doing our best; and we have arrested one of the suspect”.

Annie Halder, a Catholic human rights activist, expressed anxiety over growing attacks on the minorities in Bangladesh.

“We demand proper investigation of this case and due justice to theperpetrators”, said she.

Bangladesh: Elite force members held for extortion

William Gomes — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:53:04 +0000

Police has arrested three members of elite force RAB, including an assistant director Shoeb Ahmed and two army soldiers Shahidul Islam and Shagar Chandra earlier on July 24th.

The said members of RAB forcefully took Tajul Islam Hiran in a place in the capital and snatched Tk 10.86 lakh from his possession showing threat to kill him on cross fire earlier on Wednesday ,said Syed Sajjad Selim, Motijheel police chief

As Hiran logged an official complain with local police and traced the accused members of RAB,all of them were suspended from service and departmental enquiries started, said RAB-3 deputy director Major Khairul Amin

Police produced the arrestees to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on July 24th.The court sent them to jail pending trial yesterday ,said Syed Sajjad Selim, Motijheel police chief

Police was succeeded to recover Tk 7.5 lakh from the accused, said Syed Sajjad Selim, Motijheel police chief

Since 2004 almost 969 people have been killed while in custody, or in crossfires or in encounters with law enforcement agencies including RAB across the country.

Different human rights organization expressed their deep concern on the incident.

Mexican bishops call for end to violence in Michoacan

William Gomes — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:53:23 +0000

The bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Morelia in Mexico have called for an end to the violence that has plagued the region. They have also implored Mexicans in the area to participate in the Triduum of Prayer for peace July 23 to 25.

“As disciples of Jesus Christ and as pastors of the People of God, we cannot remain silent or indifferent. It is time to raise our voices and ask in the name of God: Enough death! Nobody can escape divine judgment and each one will have render and account for his actions. We call on those involved in violence to heed the voice of God who calls us to life and to peace,” the bishops said in a statement.

They went on to express their sorrow over the wave of violence that has spread across the region and they noted that residents live in an atmosphere of uncertainty and anguish because they feel defenseless. “There are places becoming ghost towns because the lack of security,” the bishops warned.

For this reason the bishops have called for a Triduum of Prayer July 23—25. It will include Holy Hours, Stations of the Cross and the Rosary. They also suggested using prayers for Reconciliation during the Mass when permitted by the liturgical calendar and to pray for peace each afternoon at 3 p.m.

“We must humbly and persistently implore the God of mercy to take pity on us and grant us peace. With the strength of prayer let us struggle to overcome evil with the force of good,” the bishops said, urging that all Mexicans work to “re-establish public order in peace and justice.”

Police vandalize the Hindu minority houses

William Gomes — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:36:16 +0000

Local police vandalize the minority houses of Bonikpara at Rangunia in Chittagong on July 18th . Police broke the gate enter the houses of minority families at around 3:30 in the early morning, said Asa Lota Ghosh

On Saturday police only broke into the houses of minorities and vandalize the houses and roughly beaten the woman and children said locals

As a Hindu minority Prodip Ghosh went to the police station to file a complain against police, police denied to take any complain, said Prodip Ghosh

Local UP chairman Abdul Kaium said as I went to the place of incident , I saw the house was vandalized and the door was broken

Local police chief said police went there to search criminals but as they did not co operate the police broke into the house .

Bangladeshi Juvenile girl get pregnant by Muslim cleric

William Gomes — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:26:19 +0000

A poor girl becomes pregnant by an Imam of a local mosque in Faridpur. The poor girl is now on her seven months pregnancy with high physical and mental risk of immature pregnancy.

Omar Faruk is an Imam and teacher of a “Maktab” (Islamic School) of remote village Padmar Char at the North Channel Union in Faridpur, a central district of Bangladesh.

Imam Omar Faruk misguided the minor and rapped her for long time. The poor minor girl can not speak out in fear and shame. As the girl steps into her deep pregnancy the news spread out in the village.

Some local influential people called arbitration on July 18th. The arbitration council decides that the Imam Omar Faruk will marry the pregnant girl, said locals

On July 18th some local influential people called arbitration on this. The arbitration was chaired by Fazlur Rahman Fazal.

The arbitration body ordered a to cane to the Imam and the minor girl 101 times, also ordered the Imam to marry the girl, said locals

Both Imam and girl were canned 25 times said locals

Although the arbitration on cases of rape is illegal, the head of the arbitration committee Fazal said that I informed the matter of arbitration to the OC Kotwali Nur Alam,of Faridpur .

Oc Nur Alam said I donot know anything the arbitration.

This is the third time marriage of Imam Omar, said locals