Todays E-PAPER (121-12-12)

EDITORIAL FRIDAY,
THE
BANGLADESHTODAY
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
4
Children deserve hope and a future
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Friday, September 29, 2017
Lesson from the
Karbala tragedy
Muslims on Sunday will recall worldwide,
including Bangladesh, the greatest of
tragedies that they have known , the
martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson
of Prophet Mohammad (SM) in the desert
sands of Karabala -- which is now a part of
present day Iraq --on this day fourteen
hundred years ago . The day is called the
Ashura, the 10th day in the Islamic month of
Muharram when this epic tragedy happened.
The Imam with his handful of companions
were besieged by the army of the despotic and
very cruel ruler Yazid who only sought the
acceptance of his rule by Imam Hussain and
his followers as the main condition for sparing
their lives. The Imam and his family members
and followers were only some 72 in number
whereas the forces of Yazid were some twenty
to thirty thousand well armed horsemen.
Even among the ones in the Imam's camp,
some were only women and children who
could hardly contribute to his strength in
facing the very mighty enemy. Thus,
surrounded on all sides by vastly superior
forces, cut off from water and food for days,
the small band of the faithful led by the Imam
were worn down by the elements and the
overwhelmingly powerful enemy breathing
down their neck.
They could choose surrender and acceptance
of the terms set by the enemy. But this was not
to be because they were very deeply resolved
in their minds not to compromise with
wickedness, despotism and depravity to
uphold the glorious tradition of Prophet
Mohammed (SM) that the duties of a true
Muslim is never to give in to the forces of evil
under any circumstances but to struggle to the
utmost to uphold truth and justice and have
faith in only Almighty Allah. Thus, in order to
uphold this most honorable and virtuous
Islamic tradition, Imam Hussain and all of his
companions decided to embrace certain death
and to go down fighting than agreeing to the
conditions set by the despicable tyrant.
It was a spectacle of matchless sacrifice and
heroism the like of which the world has never
seen. Even before the arrival of the Ashura,
the Imam's follower --physically weakened
but spiritually invincible-- died valiantly in
battle one by one knowing the surety of their
deaths at the hands of the enemy forces. Then
came the day of the Ashura. The family
members of Imam Hussain similarly laid
down their lives in battle and so did the
Imam, finally and most valiantly as the
enemy's arrows pierced the bosom of his
remaining infant son whom he made a last
desperate attempt to provide a drink of water.
The heads of the slain ones in the Imam's
camp including that of the Imam were cut off
from their bodies and carried in pikes. The
bodies were dragged and trampled by horses
to disfigure them. Such were the barbarities
and cruelties which have probably no other
parallels in human history. So also occurred
the saddest of tragedies that Muslims have
known.
But did the unique sacrifices of Imam
Hussain and his followers go in vain ? Surely
not. For the memories of the great sacrifice at
Karbala are revered to this day by the world's
Muslims while there is none to praise or pray
for Yazid or his descendants. On the other
hand, Karbala has remained an inspiration
for Muslims down the ages-- to teach them to
be absolutely unflinching in not
compromising with evil in any form but to be
most scrupulously guided always and in all
situations by the Islamic quest for truth,
justice, kindness, fairplay and complete
submission to Almighty Allah. Besides, the
very resolute stand taken by Imam Hussain
and his companions at Karbala remain as a
beacon of light not only to Muslims but also
to all members of the human race, regardless
of their religious faiths, who believe that
goodness and truth must always be upheld
and promoted no matter the personal costs.
From Syria to Myanmar, children
caught in the crossfire of conflict
are victims of a double betrayal.
Forced out of their homes in the
biggest refugee crisis since the Second
World War, they have now become the
innocent victims of a broken promise
that they would, even as refugees, be
able to attend school. And, even as
their circumstances worsen and their
numbers increase, their plight is going
all but unreported.
The loud cheering that has greeted
past humanitarian aid pledges has
given way to a shameful silence. As the
news cycle churns on and coverage
shifts to more sensational events, the
75 million children and young people
worldwide whose education has been
interrupted by forced displacement
become less likely ever to return to the
classroom.
Perhaps it is no accident that the
promise of education for all school-age
refugees is not being fulfilled. No
amount of goodwill can overcome an
international aid architecture that
remains stacked against children.
Education spending is still caught
between humanitarian aid, which
focuses on the most basic necessities
for survival, such as food, shelter, and
medicine, and development aid
programmes, which are planned over
years and are slower to respond to
crises. As a result, education is often
treated as a lower priority, the last to
be funded and the first to have its
financing redirected.
A case in point: the UN Emergency
Relief Coordinator, recognising gaps in
aid spending, has, to its credit, just
allocated an additional $45 million
(Dh165.2 million) to support relief
operations in Afghanistan, the Central
African Republic, Chad, and Sudan.
But these funds, while vital, are not
EVER SINCE the law-enforcement
agencies (LEAs) stumbled upon the
fact that high-grade universities are
also producing terrorists, something that
the underprivileged citizens have known for
years, they have been in a state of panic and
are prescribing cures that cause much
apprehension in well-informed circles.
The first reaction of the LEAs to the
discovery that a suspected terrorist had
been attending a public university was to
conclude that they should have a record of
all the students in the country, from schoolgoing
children to those attending higher
classes at universities and other
institutions. All those who know what an
entry in police records means were alarmed
at the blatant threat to students' basic
rights.
Then a police official came up with a far
more perverse proposal that the authorities
should watch and report the formation of
any group on campus and also keep a watch
on students who start regularly performing
religious rituals and on female students
who 'suddenly' take the hijab. This could
easily lead to the hounding of students who
might be forming groups to study together
or to discuss problems they face in
classrooms or in hostels or who wish to get
together for singing or merely to share
jokes.
Keeping watch also means spying on
Germany has just narrowly
escaped a swing to the right
even as it held its ground
cautiously with a moderate party
winning the polls. Having said that,
polarization remains rapidly on the
rise and the winds of change are
gradually blowing in from Europe.
The road ahead may remain
uncertain in the coming days for
Germany, as even if Angela Merkel
brings together what is being called
the "Jamaica Coalition", it may not
prove to be a sustainable long-term
arrangement.
Constituting an unlikely coalition,
the CDU/CSU, Greens and liberal
Free Democrats signify three
different points of view, while the
green, black, and yellow colors of
these allies are the same as in the
Jamaican flag. The only other option
is the center-right yellow and black
coalition of the Free Democratic Party
and the Christian Democratic Union
(CDU), so Germany has now entered
an experimental phase in contrast to
its previous stability.
It is at a virtual crossroads as the
far-right political force of the
Alternative for Germany (AfD) has
pulled through as the third-largest
party in the country and is bound to
influence new policies as well as prove
to be an impediment for the liberals.
nearly sufficient, and only a tiny
fraction will go toward education
provision. Meanwhile, organisations
like the United Nations Refugee
Agency (UNHCR), the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA), Unicef and Unesco are
doing laudable humanitarian work, but
remain underfunded.
Last year, the Education Cannot Wait
(ECW) fund was created to close the
financing gap and ensure that
education is protected when disaster
strikes. It was a heartening
development, supported by all UN
agencies. But the disheartening reality
is that financing has not kept pace with
need. Yet funding headwinds have not
dampened ECW's ambition under its
new director, Yasmine Sherif. The
young fund has swiftly marshalled its
initial $120 million to promote quality
education for 3.2 million displaced
children and, in turn, to support
17,000 teachers, with investments in
GoRDoN BRowN
and around Syria, as well as in Chad,
Ethiopia, and Yemen.
Working with a network of partners
focused on helping Syria's refugees,
ECW is addressing structural
challenges, such as teacher
remuneration and certification
processes, while helping to create a
A case in point: the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator,
recognising gaps in aid spending, has, to its credit, just
allocated an additional $45 million (Dh165.2 million) to
support relief operations in Afghanistan, the Central
African Republic, Chad, and Sudan. But these funds, while
vital, are not nearly sufficient, and only a tiny fraction will
go toward education provision. Meanwhile, organisations
like the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNhCR), the UN
office for the Coordination of humanitarian Affairs
(oChA), Unicef and Unesco are doing laudable
humanitarian work, but remain underfunded.
fellow students which is bound to lead to
harassment and blackmailing of innocent
students and corruption by various
administrators involved in student affairs.
Students have to be won over with love
and affection instead of being hounded.
Besides, these preposterous suggestions
are based on the same flawed assumptions
that have prevented the whole antiterrorism
drive from achieving any
significant breakthrough, namely,
concentrating on catching radicalised
students instead of tackling the factors that
go into the making of educated, and in
many cases highly educated, terrorists.
When we refer to students in higher classes
I.A. REhMAN
new curriculum based on coexistence.
Together with Lebanon's Ministry of
Education and Higher Education, - a
department under stress from the
influx of a half-million Syrian refugee
children - ECW is also helping to fulfil
the goal of delivering a quality and
relevant education for all young people
aged 3-18. Such innovative initiatives
represent important progress. But
meeting the needs of the children who
have been left out and left behind will
take far more funds than ECW so far
has at its disposal.
In Syria, a devastating and
protracted civil war has left more than
seven million children in need of
Spare the young ones
at colleges and universities we mean young
girls and boys in the 19- to 25-year age
bracket; no section of the population has
been so consistently neglected as them. The
youth policy drafted many years ago
expired before being implemented. And the
ongoing crackdown on NGOs is preventing
the latter from conducting youth-related
activities. Indeed, the youth are rarely
The first reaction of the LEAs to the discovery
that a suspected terrorist had been attending a
public university was to conclude that they
should have a record of all the students in the
country, from school-going children to those
attending higher classes at universities and
other institutions. All those who know what an
entry in police records means were alarmed at
the blatant threat to students' basic rights.
Economic stability provided by the
Merkel government in the past
decade was the major reason for
victory and proved to be its saving
grace. The election campaign focused
on reminding Germans that they had
Europe's strongest economy, only
3.7% unemployment, and the fastestgrowing
GDP among the Group of
Seven industrialized nations.
In today's Europe, Germany
symbolizes stability, especially after
the United Kingdom's decision to
leave the European Union, even
though it has swerved precariously
toward the right and brought rightwing
extremism firmly into the folds
mentioned in official schemes for the
people's socioeconomic advancement.
Amongst the few official documents in
which the youth are mentioned is the one
used to launch the Pakistan Vision 2025 -
and it admits that "a large set of Pakistani
youth is dissatisfied, frustrated and in a
of the establishment.
All is not well ahead, as The Wall
Street Journal's Anton Troianovski
suggests: "The election result signaled
a sudden turn for a political system
whose relative stability has
underpinned the European Union in
recent years as it lurched from crisis
to crisis."
The fact remains that for Merkel's
conservative CDU/CSU bloc it was
the worst result in the past 70 years.
The present scenario calls for all of
her political chutzpah to make the
Jamaica Coalition work, even as
ultra-nationalists proclaim it is a new
dawn for them.
humanitarian assistance, and some 2.5
million without homes. In February
2016, the Supporting Syria and the
Region conference in London attracted
$1.4 billion in pledges for education,
but only a fraction of those funds have
so far made it to the front lines. The
country remains in ruins, and
reconstruction has yet to begin.
Syrian refugee children in Lebanon
are at the sharp end of this failure. To be
sure, an innovative initiative to ensure
educational access for these children - a
two-shift school programme that uses
the same classrooms as Lebanese
children - frees up valuable space and
materials, making it possible to deliver
an education for only about $600 per
pupil. The goal is to provide 540,000
Syrian and vulnerable Lebanese
children aged 3-18 some form of
education this year, with 220,000
benefiting from the double-shift system.
Yet donors have contributed only
$200 million so far - $100 million less
than is needed. As a result, hundreds of
thousands of vulnerable children could
be left without access to education.
Already, Lebanon is being forced to
make painful cuts and surrender
precious ground. Jordan and Turkey,
which have also embraced the doubleshift
model, are facing similar
dilemmas.
Gordon Brown is former Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom
and former Chancellor of the
Exchequer, UN Special Envoy
for Global Education and Chair
of the International Commission
on Financing Global Education
Opportunity. He chairs the
Advisory Board of the Catalyst
Foundation.
Source: Gulf News
state of disarray due to low education levels
and large-scale unemployment. This has
led to serious social problems including
drug abuse, crime, mental disorder,
terrorism and religious fanaticism".
What is being done to solve the problems
mentioned above? Is Vision 2025 still
valid? The programme depended on five
enablers: shared vision, political stability,
peace and security, rule of law, and social
justice. Are these factors of progress in
place? Is the goal of increasing public
expenditure on higher education from 0.2
per cent of GDP to 1.4pc and raising
enrolment from 1.5 million to 5m still being
pursued? Is a state that appears to be in
greater disarray than the youth capable of
realising its grandiose schemes?
You don't have to look very far to find out
why the youth are frustrated. Look at the
big gap in enrolment up to the secondary
school level and higher levels. As much as
40pc of the population in the 19- to 25-year
age bracket cannot dream of higher
education, and employment opportunities
are declining or are not increasing
significantly. The Economic Survey does
tell us of programmes for training the youth
in useful skills and that 100,000 young
women and men will be trained in 2017-
2018 and 2018-2019.
Source: Dawn
Angela Merkel and the ‘Jamaica option’
SABENA SIDDIQUI
Constituting an unlikely coalition, the
CDU/CSU, Greens and liberal Free Democrats
signify three different points of view, while the
green, black, and yellow colors of these allies
are the same as in the Jamaican flag. The only
other option is the center-right yellow and
black coalition of the Free Democratic Party
and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), so
Germany has now entered an experimental
phase in contrast to its previous stability.
This could prove to be Merkel's
choppiest fourth term, and it has
come about in reaction to her
humanitarian decision to let nearly
900,000 refugees into Germany in
2015. A coalition partner for the last
four years, the Social Democratic
Party of Germany (SPD), blames her
for its disappointing results and has
chosen to sit in opposition instead.
Announcing this decision to
supporters, SPD leader Martin Schulz
said: "Taking in so many refugees split
the nation, that has become clear. We
didn't manage to convince a segment
of our society that our country is
strong enough to handle the task."
Meanwhile, there is also pressure
on Merkel from groups of industry
heads to go ahead with the new
coalition so that the economy remains
unaffected. Dieter Kempf, president
of the BDI industry association,
explained, "Our companies need clear
signals. Now it's all about averting
damage to Germany as a place of
business."
Clearly reflecting the anxiety
prevailing in business circles, it is a
relatively new experience for them to
experience change after the stable
majority power rule in the past
decades.
Source: Asia Times