American interests in Bangladesh

American interests in Bangladesh
Rabbi Sue Levy writes from USA

The United States’ government is now engaged in several matters concerning Bangladesh, and they are all inter-related. In order to understand the positions being taken at this time, one must first look at the history of the last century. At the close of World War I, Germany had fought a war on its own soil and lost disastrously. Their agricultural fields were in ruins, as was much of their industry, and an entire generation of young men who could have moved the country forward had died. It was unthinkable to many Germans that they should not only suffer so terribly but also accept responsibility for what had happened. Within a decade a leader emerged, Adolf Hitler, a man who told them that all that happened had been the fault of the Jews. And, he promised them easy answers to terribly difficult questions. Never mind that the answers were lies. People were desperate for hope, and they needed someone else to blame. The result was a new war based on radical, fascist, nationalism and, more than anything else upon the hatred which Hitler nurtured.
We learn from our history. Today, Bangladesh is an impoverished country with people as desperate for answers and aid as the Germans were seventy years ago. When people have no jobs, fragile homes or no homes at all, and children they cannot afford to feed, it is tempting to believe those easy answers to difficult questions, and radical Islamists are willing to provide them. And, with those answers, which are no answers at all, comes a new generation of hatred and terrorism.
Here in the United States, we have seen enough of what hatred can do to know that it is in our interest to support moderate Islam and to help people out of the kind of desperate poverty that makes them easy targets of those who would give them someone to blame. In spite of our reputation as a wealthy country, we have many economic problems here at home. We have our own homeless and hungry people to care for and, like Bangladesh; we have our share of disastrous storms and other calamities that drain our resources. Still, we are mindful of the goodness we are so fortunate to have, and we understand that it is our responsibility to share it with others to the best of our ability.
The most noble and gracious way to help others is to make it possible for them to help themselves. To that end, there is legislation pending in our Congress that would give relief from tariffs to ten countries who deserve a helping hand. This would allow Bangladesh to become more competitive in the marketplace and create jobs in the textile and other industries. Virtually all Americans support this legislation and wish for it to become law. We also provide many millions of dollars in direct financial aid to the Government of Bangladesh for development purposes, health care and other Nevertheless, there are some conditions attached to the new legislation. First, there is separate legislation pending at the same time which would require that our government will assist only those countries that protect the human rights of its citizens. This means that all people should enjoy freedom of expression and freedom of religion as well as freedom for journalists to be able to write whatever they wish to say without censorship or coercion. And, there is additional legislation being considered by our government which would restrict financial benefits to any industry in which child-labor is used or in which workers are abused in any way. We believe strongly enough in the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect, that we will not reward people for denying those basic elements of humanity to its citizens.
Many of the readers of The Weekly Blitz are familiar with the false charges that have been brought against the publisher of this paper, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, as well as the fact that he is presently on trial for sedition for having written the truth in a place where truth is often unwelcome. Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution stating that it is the will of our Congress that these charges be dropped, and that the harassment against him must end (The European Parliament has made a similar statement of support for Mr. Choudhury). Therefore, an effort is being made now to add one more restriction to any financial benefits given to Bangladesh – that your government will be in compliance with this resolution and protect a man who does not deserve to be imprisoned or face a possible death penalty. Please understand that I am a Jew and that Shoaib Choudhury is a devout Muslim and my dear friend and spiritual brother. He understands that the word “Islam” means more than submission to the will of Allah. At the heart of the word “Islam,” is the word “peace.” Peace requires understanding. And, understanding requires that the truth be made plain for all to see and read. That is his calling and his lifelong commitment to you and to us all. And for this, I love him as a brother.Is it fair for us to attach so many conditions before we part with money which poor people need? I believe it is, because these same people deserve to have their other needs met as well – the need to be treated with dignity and to be allowed to speak their minds without fear. Bangladesh was founded as a democratic republic, one in which free and fair elections would be held and in which a government would operate not in the interests of the wealthy and privileged, but in the interests of all people. We would like to call the Government of Bangladesh to live up to the promise and principles of its founders, principles which we share. And, if that can happen, then we wish to do everything possible to help those who need us most. I am not an elected official, and I do not speak for my government. I am an American, and I’m expressing my best understanding of all that my country stands for, and my deep caring and affection for the people of Bangladesh who would do the will of Allah in peace and friendship with us.

Courtesy: Weekly Blitz www.weeklyblitz.net

Deadly Delays

Deadly Delays

By: Dr. Richard L. Benkin

I was one of the few Americans in Dhaka last January when elections were canceled and a State of Emergency declared with the backing of the military. Like almost everyone—both Bangladeshis and foreigners—I greeted the new government with hope. It seemed that this just might the way for Bangladeshis to make a clean break from their tragic history. I still harbor the same confidence in Bangladesh’s current leaders, but three months after their takeover, I wonder if they have not dissipated the large amount of political capital they were given in January. The United States imports about 70 percent of Bangladeshi garment exports, and there is a trade bill with a Senate committed that should be an easy pass; but it is not. The tariff relief it would have awarded Bangladesh—already a weak substitute for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) the Bangladeshis really want—is in severe jeopardy.
The new government has embarked on ambitious anti-corruption and anti-radical programs to their credit, but they continue to misread the importance Americans and others place on the false prosecution of Weekly Blitz editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Mr. Choudhury’s prosecution has attained a high profile in the West—the source of Bangladeshi aid and the market for Bangladeshi exports--where delays in dropping the admittedly baseless charges are seen as stopgaps for appeasing radical Islamists and undermining the War on Terror. Moreover, they seem to say that the new government is not so serious about human rights reform and the use of the Bangladeshi judiciary to silence dissidents, journalists, women, and minorities.
Prior to the State of Emergency, every one of the western democracies had come out publicly against holding the elections that were scheduled that month. This seemingly odd turn of events should have tipped off even the dimmest bulb that things had reached a point of no return. The impending elections were transparently rigged; and if the BNP should hang its head in shame for shedding all but the shell of Bangladeshi democracy, the Awami League also contributed its share of stupidity to the situation. For even after it had won over every serious nation to its side, the AL in the form of its leader Sheikh Hasina declared her intention to increase rioting in the streets and shut down the country. No wonder it was almost impossible to find a Bangladeshi who was not happy about the new regime (aside of course from those who expected to benefit from the corruption gravy train that had come to be a signature of Bangladeshi politics).
It is no surprise that the previous government completely mishandled the Choudhury case. It was beholden to its Islamist partners who were determined to make Mr. Choudhury an example for other Muslims who might decide to oppose them. It tried to fool the Americans with interminable and whispered plots to end the matter without taking a stand against the Islamists, while touting invisible credentials as allies in the War on Terror. Its Washington embassy was feeding Dhaka a regular diet of misinformation to ignore the growing outrage over the Choudhury case as little more than a temporary nuisance. Thus, when the US Embassy presented Dhaka with a Congressional resolution demanding they drop the charges “immediately,” it was incredulous.
And why shouldn’t the government have expected as much? After all, it had made persecuting journalists something routine, and there was never much outrage over it before. But Mr. Choudhury had somehow captured the West’s imagination. He began his efforts by extending a friendly Muslim hand to Jews and Christians; a friendly Bangladeshi hand to Israelis and Americans. His combination of Bangladeshi pride and resoluteness in opposing international Islamists encouraged us. And he was unabashed and public when so many other Muslims who oppose Islamists do so quietly.
Thus, Mr. Choudhury’s supporters looked to Dhaka’s new leaders with anticipation. Previous officials admitted that the charges remained only to appease Islamists, to whom the government was no longer beholden; and the esteemed international human rights attorney Irwin Cotler had identified eight violations of Bangladesh’s own law in the prosecution. Dr. Cotler’s clients have included Nelson Mandela and Andrei Sakharov. Surely, Bangladesh’s leaders do not want to see their country placed along side of Apartheid South Africa and Soviet Russia.
When Congress passed the Shoaib resolution, I passed Dhaka a cue about its potential consequences. An article published in several Bangladeshi papers noted that the Republican floor leader for the debate and someone who supported the resolution “wholeheartedly” represents the district with largest importer of Bangladeshi goods in America. It was ignored. While the previous government responded to US concerns with damning duplicity and dissembling; this government has responded with delays. But movement on trade is not waiting; and what should have been a smooth trip through Congress for Bangladesh now appears to be in jeopardy.
Senator Gordon Smith, Oregon Republican, proposed a bill that would give tariff relief to several countries, Bangladesh among them. This sort of thing normally sails through Congress easily, but because Bangladesh remains defiant of a House Resolution passed by an overwhelming 409-1, the measure faces some difficulty. Already several organizations have been lobbying Senators for specific language requiring Bangladeshi action. Some Senators are getting angry telephone calls from their constituents. If Bangladesh wants to reap the rewards that the US is offering, it is time for it to put this false prosecution to rest.
Today’s leaders in Bangladesh seem to have a keen sense of what will benefit the country and its people, but have not acted. There are several ways to drop the charges via the courts or the administration. And the world knows it. If despite resolutions by the US, the EU, Australia, and others the government maintains these false charges, their only conclusion will be that the leaders in Dhaka lack the will to make it happen.

Courtesy: Weekly Blitz www.weeklyblitz.net

Voice of moderation

JEWISH WEEK EDITORIAL

Voice of moderation

He's not a household name. But, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury should be.
He's facing a possible death sentence ‹ for the crime of wanting his Muslim-majority country to recognize the Jewish state.
Bangladesh's ambassador to the United States, Shamsher Chowdhury, says Choudhury, the editor and publisher of The Weekly Blitz, an English-language newspaper published in Bangladesh's capital, leaked classified information that endangered state security.
A host of human rights organizations have rushed to Choudhury's defense, saying such charges are false and malicious. The Bangladeshi journalist's only crime, they contend, is that he speaks out against Islamic fundamentalism and tried to attend a conference in Israel. He also has called for his nation ‹ a country where Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise ‹ to establish diplomatic relationships with Israel.
We often wonder where the voices of Islamic moderation are. Choudhury provides one such voice.
In an October interview with The Jerusalem Post, Choudhury said he has "found Jews to be among the most dependable and sympathetic of nations in the world. I am proud to have brotherly relations with many Jews in the world."
He also said Israel "is the only modern state in the entire Arab world, and its technological strength is much superior to that of many Western countries."
In May, the American Jewish Committee presented Choudhury with its Moral Courage Award, recognizing his efforts to promote dialogue between Muslims and Jews and his courage to condemn Islamic extremism. The Bangladesh government prevented him from visiting the United States to receive the honor.
Now, he awaits a trial later this month that could result in the death penalty.
Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) introduced a resolution in the last congressional session calling on the Bangladeshi government to drop all charges against Choudhury, stop "harassment and intimidation," and "hold accountable those responsible for attacks" against him. They plan to reintroduce it.
We call on President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, our members of Congress and Ban Ki-moon, the new United Nations secretary general, to let Bangladesh know its treatment of Choudhury is unacceptable.
A voice of moderation should never be silenced.

10.01.2007

Rep. Mark Steven Kirk

Rep. Mark Steven Kirk champions the effort to free Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.