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6 SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2017 DT News PM urges hajj pilgrims to pray for peace • Tribune Desk CURRENT AFFAIRS Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the hajj pilgrims to seek mercy of Almighty Allah while offering prayers at the holy mosques to allow Muslims, as well as people of other faiths in the country, to live peacefully and to continue the nation’s progress. “You are going to the holy places. You will offer prayers so that Muslims and people of other faiths can live in this country peacefully and may Allah allow the peoply wrongle interpreting Islam to return to the right path,” the premier said while inaugurating this year’s Hajj programme at Ashkona Hajj Camp Saturday. Sheikh Hasina said we should be careful that no one can misuse Islam, as the religion never supports killing of innocent people and indulgence in militancy and terrorism, reports BSS. Due to the activities of some misguided people, the whole Muslim Ummah is in danger, she said, adding that Muslims are being harassed around the world and are even being killed. “We will not allow them to carry out their activities in our country, as Islam is a religion of peace and Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (Pbuh) Fears of more Israeli-Palestinian violence over holy site • AFP, Jerusalem WORLD Stabbings and clashes that left six people dead raised fears on Saturday of further Israeli-Palestinian violence as tensions mount over new security measures at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site. Friday’s violence – a stabbing attack that killed three Israelis and clashes which left three Palestinians dead – was among the most severe in recent years. There were concerns over whether it would spark wider unrest as Israeli officials grappled with how to ease tensions over the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. The site in Jerusalem’s Old City that includes the revered al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock has been a rallying cry for Palestinians. Tensions have risen throughout the past week because of new Israeli security measures at the compound following an attack nearby that killed two policemen on July 14. The measures have included the installation of metal detectors at entrances to the site, which Palestinians reject since they view the move as Israel asserting further control over it. Israeli authorities say the July 14 attackers smuggled guns into the holy site and emerged from it to shoot the policemen. Abbas freezes contacts Three Palestinians between the ages of 17 and 20 were shot dead. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported 450 people wounded in Jerusalem and the West Bank, including 170 from live or rubber bullets. In the evening, a Palestinian broke into a home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank during a Sabbath dinner and stabbed four Israelis, killing three of them. The 19-year-old Palestinian was shot by a neighbour, an off-duty soldier, and was taken to hospital. Preparations were also being made to demolish the attacker’s home, a measure Israel regularly employs because it views it as a deterrent, although human rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment. Amid mounting pressure to respond to the dispute over the mosque compound, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas announced late Friday he was freezing contacts with Israel. • Islamist parties in trouble over 33% female leadership rule • Manik Miazee SPECIAL The Islamist parties of Bangladesh are facing an unprecedented challenge, trying to meet the Election Commission’s requirement of having female members in at least one-third of all committee memberships. Although none of the registered political parties have met this requirement yet, many including the two major parties have reported significant progress to the EC. The deadline for this condition is 2020. But for the Islamist parties this is both an ideological and a logistic crisis. Many are unwilling to commit to having female leadership because of their religious views and some do not even have enough female members to fill 33% of the leadership positions. EC asked all registered political parties to include 33% women in their committees before 2020 with a view also always preached that. No one has the right to kill innocent people. The Almighty will pass the final judgment. Why can’t they have faith in Him?” the prime minister added. She said the people misinterpreting Islam are creating confusion among members of the public, such as claiming that a person who commits suicide would go to haven. But Islam never says that, she said, adding that “we don’t want our country to be ruined in this way.” Later, the premier sought help from the pilgrims to reach out to people with the true message of the religion. “You will pray to Allah so that his blessings fall on these people and they change their minds.” Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Abdul Jalil gave the welcome address while prayers were offered for safe journey of the pilgrims and acceptance of the holy Hajj by the Almighty. Later, the prime minister exchanged pleasantries with the pilgrims. The first Hajj flight to Saudi Arabia this year, carrying 419 pilgrims, will take off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on June 24 morning. This year, the Hajj flights will continue till August 26, 2017. Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Airlines will carry some 127,198 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year to perform Hajj. • to increasing women’s participation in politics. Leaders of different Islamist parties told the Dhaka Tribune that they are not morally happy in doing this, but they are working on including women in their committees as per the EC’s instructions. “We are working to change our party charter as required to follow the EC provision,” a leader of an Islamist party said. Currently, Bangladesh has more than 20 Islamic political parties, of whom 11 are registered with the EC. The EC announced the rule in 2008, but none of the registered Islamist parties have submitted the required progress reports. Currently, most of these parties have less than 1% female representation in their committees. Only Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami took a visible step last year, amending their party charter to have 33% women in their committee by 2020. The Pir of Chormonai Sayed Rezaul Palestinians react following tear gas that was shot by Israeli forces after Friday prayer on a street outside Jerusalem’s Old city July 21, 2017 REUTERS Karim, who is the ameer of Islami Andolon Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune that they do not have a single woman in their committee yet. “Our party is working to include 33% women in our committee by the deadline. The latest party meeting on July 15 decided to move forward on this,” he said. In the parties that do have women in various committees, none of these women are working directly in the field and are not a part of the decision making process, sources in Islamist parties said. They also said female members are not interested to be in the committees. Leaders of Islamic parties are saying they are working to find a way to include women in the committees while keeping their ideologies unchanged. Islami Oikya Jote Secretary General Mufti Faizullah said his party was allowing women into the party’s upper levels in a way that is permissible in Islam. “We are working on this matter and will submit our report soon to EC,” he said. Sources said Islamic parties would require more time, may be till 2030, to comply with the EC recommendation. Most of the parties will send papers to the EC reporting on the present status of women in their committees. The EC on June 13 sent letters to 40 registered political parties inquiring about their current status, but in reply, most Islamist parties have sought more time. Currently, there are no women in the central and grassroots committees in different parties including Jamiat-E- Ulema-E-Islam Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, Bangladesh Islami Front (BIF), Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) and Bangladesh Khelafat Mojlish. Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Ahmad Abdul Quader told the Dhaka Tribune that they had sought more time from the EC. He said the party had recently formed women’s units to try and recruit more women. The secretary general failed to say what the percentage of women is in the party at present. “We have opened women’s units in Sylhet, Moulvibazar and other districts,” he added. “Islam does not allow women in the top leadership of a party. Although there some conflicting issues here, we are nevertheless working to to fulfill the EC’s condition. But we need more time.” He said because of social and cultural realities it would not be possible to fulfill the EC’s condition within the deadline and that the condition was unfair. “Not a single political party, including Awami League, BNP and secular parties, meet this condition,” Faizullah added. He said: “Some one of our party leaders said if we might need to bring our domestic helps into the party to fulfill the conditions.” He criticised the EC’s condition, saying it was illogical and an idea imported from the west. •
News SUNDAY, 7 JULY 23, 2017 DT With climate change driving child marriage risks, Bangladesh fights back • Reuters RIGHTS Climate change-driven extreme weather – from flooding and mudslides to blistering heat – is accelerating migration to Bangladesh’s cities, raising the risks of problems such as child marriage, according to UNICEF’s head of Bangladesh programmes. “In Bangladesh, climate change is in your face. You can’t avoid it. You can see it happening,” said Sheema Sen Gupta in an interview in London with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Every year you have cyclones, floods, landslides. It’s a given. It’s now part of everyday living, and the clearest thing you see (from it) is rural to urban migration.” But surging migration to cities by rural families no longer able to make a living from farming or fishing brings other threats, from worsening urban overcrowding to child marriage, as families seek to keep girls “safe” in a new environments. “I hesitate to say climate change and urbanisation are the major causes of child marriage. But they do compound it and make it a bit more difficult to intervene,” said Sen Gupta, who has been in Bangladesh for seven months and previously worked for UNICEF in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Ghana and Somalia. However, innovative efforts to curb the threat – particularly training young people to help each Hefazat chief Shafi flown to Delhi for treatment • Anwar Hussain, Chittagong NATION Ailing Hefazat-e-Islam chief Shah Ahmed Shafi has left Dhaka for New Delhi for better treatment. Azizul Haque Islamabadi, central organising secretary of the Islamist platform, told the Dhaka Tribune that a flight carrying Shafi left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10am Saturday. “He [Shafi] has been suffering from various old age complications. He is now taking liquid food through tube. His respiratory problem has also worsened. That’s why he is going Delhi for better treatment. Delhi’s Deoband Madrasa teacher Arshad Madani will look after him during the treatment session,” Azizul said. The 96-year-old was undergoing Across Bangladesh, more than 4,000 youth clubs have been set up which gather young people regularly to listen to radio broadcasts on human rights issues, health, nutrition and other topics, and then discuss the issues REUTERS other – are paying off, with Bangladesh’s government now incorporating programmes started by organisations such as UNICEF and Save the Children, she said. Across Bangladesh, more than 4,000 youth clubs have been set up which gather young people regularly to listen to radio broadcasts on human rights issues, health, nutrition and other topics, and then discuss the issues. Youth Initiatives Preventing child marriage is one of treatment at a private hospital in Chittagong city after he fell sick on May 18. He was flown to Dhaka on June 6 after his condition deteriorated. Doctors at Asgar Ali Hospital in Gendaria treated him for old age complications and released him from the hospital on July 10. The controversial nonagenarian leader, who is known as Boro Hujur (the oldest cleric) among his followers, is heavily lambasted by progressive people for his highly prejudicial views on various social issues and also for the radical Islamist platform’s pledge of Islamising Bangladesh. Shafi is the rector of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam, also known as Hathazari Madrasa, and the chairman of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, the largest Qawmi Madrasa board in the country. • 15 years on, no disability allowance for Mir Kashem • Abdul Aziz, Coxs Bazar NATION Despite being a physically and psychologically challenged person, Mir Kashem of Ramu upazila Cox’s Bazar have repeatedly been approaching the administration to get his disability allowance for the last 15 years. An inhabitant of Ilishia village of Joyarinala Union Parishad under the upazila, Kashem, who has been speech impaired for last 30 years, is visiting the government offices for last 15 years after the allowance was introduced. the main focuses of the groups, Sen Gupta said, with members keeping an eye out in the community for girls at risk, and then, if they see a threat, alerting community leaders, who are able to step in. “The best tool is the adolescents themselves,” she said “They intervene – they know who to contact, they have a helpline. They call and say a marriage is planned.” Better yet, said Sen Gupta, a psychologist by training, the groups have created a growing conviction among many girls that early marriage is not only bad for their health and prospects, but something they can avoid with community support. “Adolescents themselves are more able to say ‘I’m not getting married’” she said. “Girls are able to stand up to their parents.” Monitoring of child marriage rates over the last two years suggests that numbers are falling, but Sen Gupta said UNICEF is not yet fully confident of the data. Bangladesh in February passed a Child Marriage Restraint Act, His mother Nur Jahan had been looking after him since his father Hazi Yusuf Ali passed away 12 years ago. But, she too died two weeks ago making him an orphan. Kashem cannot explain people about his problems and he can not walk either. “We have visited different government offices for my brothers disability allowance for last 15 years, but the wait is not over yet,” said his brother Mofizur Rahman, a schoolteacher at Sabrang upazila of Teknaf. It has become very difficult for Mofizur to look after his brother as he comes to Ramu every Thursday and have to go back to Teknaf on Saturdays. The 30-year-old disabled Mir Kashem is yet to get any help from government or private sources. Although it has passed 15 years after introduction of disabled allowance by government, but his name is not enlisted there yet. Their parents, while alive, had tried which bans marriage of girls under 18 – a significant change in a country where 18 percent of girls are married before 15 and more than half by 18, according to a 2016 UNICEF study. However, the new ban has a gaping loophole that allows parents to agree to such marriages in “exceptional circumstances” with a magistrate’s approval, Sen Gupta said. UNICEF and other partners are now “trying to frame the rules about what the exception is so everything doesn’t become an exception”, she said. Sen Gupta said that low-lying and densely populated Bangladesh, widely seen as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, sees the risks and has proved adept at scaling up successful pilot efforts run by non-governmental organizations into broader government-run programmes. “Bangladesh has a good framework of climate adaptation, based on the fact that they need to survive,” she said. “Clearly there is an awareness (climate impacts) are increasing and we need to do something.” That is an attitude needed more globally, she said. “People need to understand how important this is for kids, for their rights, for their development,” she said. “If we don’t look at climate change, at addressing these issues, we won’t make the progress we’re committed to making.” • hard and soul to have Kashem’s name enlisted for the allowance, but in vain. Now, his brother Mofizur is fighting to do something for him. When asked, local UP member Mofizur Rahman said said he was unaware about the matter. “I will try to enlist his [Kashem’s] name this time,” said the UP member, who is now serving his third term. Cox’s Bazar Social Welfare Directorate Deputy director Pritam Kumar Chowdhury said: “After the allowance was introduced, the upazila social welfare office enlisted names of disabled people as suggested by local UP chairman and members. As the local Union Parishad could not submit the name of Mir Kashem, it was not included.” Ramu Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahajahan Ali said: “I came to know about the matter. Instructions have been made so that Mir Kashem gets all government facilities, including disability allowance soon.” •
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Page 23 and 24: Showtime Films coming out this Eid

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