04-03-2022

FridAY, MArcH 4, 2022
4
Gearing up for a 'Made in Saudi Arabia' Lucid EV
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Friday, March 4, 2022
Dangers of further
patronizing
madrashas
The decision taken sometime ago to recognize Quami madrasha
degree as at par with graduation degrees obtained by students from
the other main streams of education in the country, would go
unnoticed but for its short and long term consequences. Apparently, it
should offend nobody. But any honest examination would show up the
adverse economic, political, social and geo-strategic implications of the
same.
Without wanting to demean or malign, it can be said irrefutably that
madrasha education in general leaves a lot desired. If it had been
otherwise, then it would not be considered as unfit to be recognised as a
standard and appropriate form of education in the country. Everyone
knows that the courses presently taught in the madrashas are largely
based on the tenets of Islam, the practice of Islam and Islamic history,
philosophy, law and related subjects.
Madrasha education, absorbed seriously, can make its pupils austere
practicing Muslims and well versed on Islam. This is not to say that good
Muslims are not needed in our society. However, good Muslims are found
also among those who have had no masdrasha education but received
formal and secular education in the sciences, commerce and the
humanities.
The difference is that those who obtain higher degrees in the formal and
mainstream education systems of the country are generally found to have
fuller education with a relevance to society's needs. They can fill job slots
in different economic sectors and can be counted as productive persons in
their particular spheres whereas madrasha degree holders are mainly
found to be suitable to serve only as prayer leaders. We surely need prayer
leaders but there are probably enough of them and for meeting future
needs there is no requirement to dot the countries with madrashas by
denying funds to science and technology or other forms of education that
only can create true human resources for ready economic application.
There is also the other aspect of madrasha education. The countrywide
bombings some years ago finally alerted the government about the threat
from extremists. Many of them were nabbed by subsequent dragnets of
law enforcement bodies. Tracing the background of the arrested
individuals, it could be seen that nearly all of them received madrasha
education at some stage in their life or were connected to such
institutions.
Those who feel empathy for madrasha education would say that most
of these centres of religious learning are not the reservoirs of terrorism.
While this may be accepted with some reservation, the fact is that a large
number of them have been found to be the breeding or training grounds
of militants who carried out the carnages in that period. Thus, there is
enough ground to generalize that this system of education can foster
extreme behavior .
Anyone with an open mind who cares to mingle with madrasha
students cannot fail to note that they suffer from rigid mind-sets. The
world, according to them, is a choice between black and white ; there
cannot be room for any complexities. One has a choice to either share
their world view of standing for Islam and wage jihad against the infidels
or be condemned for not doing so. This mental rigidity, failing to
appreciate differences of opinion, belief and conduct, make the madrasha
educated young ones ideal for use as suicide bombers or for other forms
of conduct that derive inspiration from extreme dogmatism or fanaticism
that cannot accommodate in the least any opposing thought or action.
Persons soaked in madrasha education, therefore, are not expected to be
tolerant enough to appreciate the values of democracy, pluralistic
societies, human rights and the art of live and let live which is the hallmark
of all civilised, peaceful and progressive human societies.
All of the above is really re-stated by this writer because of his complete
failure to find rationale in the decision to promote rather than regulate
and discourage, madrasha education. The arrests of militants in recent
years were activities in the right direction. But you cannot cure a disease
for good by only treating its symptoms. The cure lies in recogni zing the
cause of it and treating it at the source. When it has been amply
recognized that madrashas are feeding the terrorists or helping to swell
their ranks, in this situation, it is simply insensible to create conditions for
further luxuriant growth of madrasha education. Reportedly, the number
of general educational institutions, which receive government funds, has
increased by some 9.74 per cent against a 22.22 per cent growth of
madrashas in recent years. The decision of to recognize the degrees of not
only Quami madrashas but other types of madrashas as well, will only
inspire the establishment of madrashas at a faster pace.
Madrasha graduates gaining recognition are expected to sit for public
examinations or the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations in great
number. So far, they had no access to BCS exams as their degrees were not
recognized. But now that the bar no longer remains, the floodgates will
open and many learners of madsrasha education will get the opportunity
for entering the country's civil services with their comparatively
inadequate knowledge and typical mind-sets. On the one hand, after
becoming civil servants they will not help the end of good governance any
because of their sheer knowledge deficiency and, on the other, many of
them can be expected to work behind the wings for the Islamic extremists
to wage Islamic revolution or to Islamize the administration.
It needs no special intellectual abilities to realise either that the ruling
party's alleged or seemingly growing fraternity with Islamists are creating
serious external concerns and helping to build up a case that Bangladesh
could gradually turn into another staging area of Islamic zealots like
Afghanistan was at one time.
Already, utterances of top ranking leaders in India have been noted that
Bangladesh is turning into a country infested by Islamic terrorists who are
endangering the security of India. This writer read an article by an
American based in Dhaka who underlined that the US and India are
having the same outlook as regards the growth of Islamic extremism
under official patronization in Bangladesh which could threaten the
security of both India and USA. It was also alluded in that article that the
US would probably find nothing disagreeable if India attacks Bangladesh
militarily or invades it for a period to root out the extremists.
Thus, time is more than ripe to consider what grave dangers to the
security of Bangladesh are developing from giving encouragement to
fanatical forces.
Few months ago, I wrote an article in
Arab News titled "Investing in EV to
Achieve Sustainable Growth." In the
article I talked about Saudi Arabia's Public
Investment Fund's bold move to invest in
Lucid Inc. Lucid is a US company, which
makes premium electrical vehicles that
will compete with the likes of Tesla and
others.
In the article, I said that this is a
strategic move by the world's biggest oil
exporter to become a participant in the EV
industry, instead of being a bystander.
I also highlighted the fact that the
investment made by PIF in Lucid made
Saudi Arabia capable of achieving
multiple goals envisaged in the Vision
2030 at the same time.
I talked about the socioeconomic benefit
of building a Lucid manufacturing plant in
Saudi that will act as a seed that could
transform the Kingdom into a technology
hub. It will also create innovative and
rewarding jobs and domesticize skills in a
high-skill sector. Another key component
that we should not overlook is Saudi
Arabia's drive toward clean energy and
how EVs can play a role as part of this
move.
So, it was a matter of great pleasure to
learn that Lucid Group is in fact taking a
concrete step forward and will be building
a Lucid manufacturing plant in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia that will produce 150,000
EVs a year.
The company signed the agreements
earlier this week with the Ministry of
Investment, Saudi Industrial
Development Fund and King Abdullah
Economic City to do just that. Lucid
announced that this will be the company's
first international manufacturing plant
outside the US, which may lead up to $3.4
Ukraine war tests Israel’s relations with Jews worldwide
As Ukraine remains consumed by
fierce fighting, fresh geopolitical
calculations are taking shape
worldwide. Jolted into action, European
nations led by Germany have promised to
increase their military budgets and impose
harsh sanctions on Russia. Few countries
have remained neutral about this conflict.
Given its "special friendship" with the
United States, Israel's tepid response to the
crisis has surprised some analysts. While
the Israeli foreign minister has condemned
Russian aggression towards Ukraine, the
official line from Tel Aviv has been
remarkably muted.
This ambiguity is all the more shocking
considering Ukraine's sizable Jewish
population because it pits Israel's
understanding of the national interests of
the Jewish people against the narrow
interests of the Israeli state. The Ukrainian
crisis demonstrates the limited extent to
which Israel will place the interests of
Jewish people above that of statecraft.
Since its founding, Israel has used the
threat of global anti-Semitism as its raison
d'etat. After the horrors of the genocide
against Jews in Europe, the Jewish people
cannot exist without a state and army of
their own.
This line of argument has proven to be
remarkably useful for the Israeli
government in defending its own
aggression against Palestinians and other
nations in the Middle East. Israel regularly
invokes the interests of the Jewish people to
explain its actions such as the occupation of
East Jerusalem and the settlement of the
biblical lands of the West Bank.
For millions of Jews living outside of
Israel, their support for the country stems
billion of value over 15 years.
The decision by Lucid to build its
overseas plant in Saudi wasn't taken
lightly. By all accounts, the company sees
Saudi Arabia as an important pivotal hub
for Lucid EVs and feels there is
tremendous market potential in Saudi
Arabia and in the region.
The use of EVs is also part of Saudi
Arabia drive to clean energy. This is a
proof that the Kingdom's drive to clean
energy is real and the country is "walking
the talk" to meet its Vision 2030
objectives.
Lucid said in its statement that it
reviewed multiple opportunities before
selecting Saudi Arabia as the site for its
first international manufacturing plant.
The company said it expects to benefit
from the availability of "competitivelypriced
commodities and a newly
emerging domestic supply chain, and a
factory location that facilitates global
logistics". Lucid also expects to employ
"several thousand people" - primarily
Saudi citizens - at the factory once full
production capacity is established.
In truth, by investing billions of dollars
in the Kingdom, Lucid is putting high
trust into the Saudi fiscal and investment
regulatory framework, and the country's
human resources capability. Saudi Arabia
from a deep-seated feeling that Israel is
their only refuge. If an outbreak of anti-
Semitism forced them to flee, Israel would
be there to protect them.
Powerful pro-Israel advocacy groups such
as the American-Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) play on these emotions
in order to drum up support for Israel's
political objectives and silence critics of Tel
Aviv's aggressive treatment of the
Palestinians.
The Ukrainian crisis presents a
fascinating challenge to this core tenet of
Israeli propaganda because Ukraine is
home to one of the largest Jewish
populations in Eastern Europe. There are
an estimated 50,000 practicing Jews in the
country and Jewish life is visible from
places of worship to cultural centers.
The number of Ukrainians with Jewish
ancestry (and eligibility to immigrate to
Israel) is estimated at between 200,000 and
400,000. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr
Zelensky, and some of his key ministers are
also Jewish. Outside of Israel, Zelensky is
one of the world's only Jewish heads of
state.
Given the sheer scale and visibility of
Jewish life in Ukraine, one would think that
Israel would be on the front lines of finding
a solution to the conflict and aiding the
FUAd AL-ZAYer
JoSePH dAnA
has been getting ready for this moment for
many years. The country has been
investing in the education sector for
decades and in training its youth in
engineering and other crucial disciplines.
The manufacturing of EVs requires high
innovative skills. For example, Chemical
Engineers will be needed to work on
battery manufacturing whereas electrical
and mechanical engineers will be needed
for the production of motors and the
the company signed the agreements earlier this week with the Ministry
of investment, Saudi industrial development Fund and King Abdullah
economic city to do just that. Lucid announced that this will be the
company's first international manufacturing plant outside the US,
which may lead up to $3.4 billion of value over 15 years.
vehicle itself. In addition, professionals
with cross-sectional expertise in chemical
engineering, electronics, embedded
software and electrical engineering will be
needed. Also, the new fields of
Automotive Engineering, Electric Vehicle
Engineering, Vehicle Mechanics and
Vehicle Architecture will be highly sought
after. Saudi universities such King
Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and
KAUST nearby must introduce these new
majors as part of its curriculum in order to
support the EV industry in the Kingdom.
Also, under the guidance of Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the
country has been going through a rapid
transformation beginning with the
overhauling of its regulatory and
investment framework in order to make
the Kingdom more attractive for foreign
direct investment such as the Lucid plant.
Jewish community there. That hasn't been
the case.
As the conflict drags on, Israel's approach
will become increasingly difficult to sustain.
A Russian attack on Kiev's main TV tower
on Tuesday damaged the Babi Yar
Holocaust memorial site nearby and killed
five people.
The site marks one of the biggest single
massacres of Jews during World War II.
Zelensky said Russia's attack showed
the number of Ukrainians with Jewish ancestry (and eligibility
to immigrate to israel) is estimated at between 200,000 and
400,000. Ukraine's president, volodymyr Zelensky, and some of
his key ministers are also Jewish. outside of israel, Zelensky is
one of the world's only Jewish heads of state.
history was repeating itself. Israel
denounced the strike but did not single out
Russia as the perpetrators.
It's easy for Israel's leaders to express
concern about the well-being of Jews
around the world but when push comes to
shove, Israel is a country like any other with
its own geopolitical concerns.
In this case, Tel Aviv doesn't want to
disturb its relationship with Russia. Not
only does Russia play an important role in
regional politics (most notably in Syria) but
it is a vital trading partner for Israel.
"It is so important for us that Russia turns
a blind eye to what we have been doing in
Syria, acting against the transfer of
weapons, the entrenchment of the
Iranians," Orna Mizrahi, a former deputy
national-security adviser for Israel, told the
New Yorker.
Saudi Arabia is also committing to build
the needed infrastructure to
accommodate the use of EVs such as
charging stations, etc. The good news is
that Lucid is a very innovative company
and its top-end vehicle model has an EPA
rating of 800 kilometers of driving range
on a single charge, which is 160 km longer
than a Tesla Model S! This means one can
drive from Riyadh to Dammam, and back
without the need for stopping or charging!
The use of EVs is also part of Saudi
Arabia drive to clean energy. This is a
proof that the Kingdom's drive to clean
energy is real and the country is "walking
the talk" to meet its Vision 2030
objectives which include reducing carbon
emissions by more than 60 per cent. The
Kingdom is investing in clean
hydrocarbon technology ventures such as
the production of blue hydrogen in
NEOM. Saudi Arabia is also planning to
plant 10 billion trees as part of the "Saudi
Green Initiative."
PIF investment in Lucid, and Lucid
plans to make EVs in Saudi Arabia is in
line with Saudi plans to implement
sustainable energy strategies in the
transportation sector and reduce its
carbon footprint. Also, shifting to EVs
means that the Kingdom can export more
of its crude to meet increasing global fuel
demand.
The development of EVs made in Saudi
Arabia provides ample opportunity for the
Kingdom to diversify its economy,
improve sustainable mobility, reduce its
carbon footprint while, at the same time,
planting the seed for innovative industry
that will create new jobs for Saudi youth in
a high-end, growing industry.
Source: Arab news
In the early days of the conflict in Ukraine,
Israel rejected a request from the US to cosponsor
a United Nations resolution
condemning Russia's assault. Tel Aviv
walked this position back, saying that it
would join a resolution but wouldn't
support sanctions against Russia.
It would seem that realpolitik trumps
Israel's hollow rhetoric about protecting the
Jewish people around the world.
For its part, Israel has reiterated its
support for any Ukrainian Jew wishing to
immigrate to Israel but it has stopped short
of offering support to Jewish Ukrainians
who wish to remain at home and fend off
Russian aggression.
What's remarkable about this position is
that it doesn't make any attempt to protect
Jews where they are. As a Jew living in
Ukraine, Israel seems to be saying, you are
basically on your own.
Let's be clear, Israel has no binding duty
to protect Jewish people (or any people)
outside of its borders. Many Jewish people
actually have a moral problem with Israel
claiming to represent them since they have
made a conscious decision not to immigrate
to the country. Israel will continue to speak
in the name of the Jewish people when it
finds it convenient.
That's what this crisis is revealing in
obvious detail. Because it isn't in Israel's
interest to challenge Russia, the Jews of
Ukraine have been left to essentially fend
for themselves. The next time Israel invokes
worldwide Jewry in explaining its own
actions, it will be instructive to remember
the battle for Ukraine's sovereignty.
Source: Asia times
Ukraine crisis: As hope wanes, hypocrisy thrives
Andrew MitrovicA
That equation, of sorts, came to mind as
I watched with a depressing mixture
of grief, sadness and dread Russia's
invasion of Ukraine occur in real time on
TV.
While diplomats, sitting in a solemn
circle, urged restraint at the United Nations,
the familiar images of "shock and awe"
began anew and an equally familiar sense of
déjà vu once again seized a war-weary
world's consciousness, too.
It was not supposed to turn out this way.
I read on Al Jazeera's opinion page and
elsewhere that it was unlikely that Vladimir
Putin would do what he has done. The
reasons offered by writers much more
acquainted with Russia's leader, the region
and its history made sense to me and were
reassuring.
Perhaps, like you, I held fast to the hope
that war could be avoided, that diplomacy
would prevail, and that yet more innocents
in yet another part of the globe would be
spared the inevitable pain, suffering,
indignities, and horrors caused by small
men with big armies.
The "analysts" and we were wrong.
So now, hope seems lost - again. It is a
casualty of another stupid, useless war
started by another small, inadequate man
with a big, powerful job.
Perhaps, like you, before Putin chose war,
I imagined the possibilities over the not-sodistant
horizon. I imagined that a sliver of
optimism could finally break through the
gloom as some of us emerged from the long
grip of a killer virus. And I saw selfless, kind
and intelligent people shepherd us from loss
and uncertainty towards a welcomed
measure of recovery and promise.
The slim prospect of knowing possibility,
optimism and promise has been erased;
replaced, suddenly and bluntly, by a
foreboding for the fates of millions of
Ukrainians caught in the lethal crosshairs of
this latest spasm of insanity and a world
that is going back, back to a "cold war" we
thought we had left behind.
Since early Thursday morning, an already
damaged, wound-tight world has become
more fragile and ominous. The chance that
a new, bourgeoning cold war may, in time
or by mad design, turn into a wider hot war
is more conceivable today than it was just
days ago.
These are bleak times for those of us who
care about our neighbours far beyond our
parochial interests and borders. All the
hard, necessary work done by so many good
people in so many places who have tried to
fashion a return to living life - fully and
completely - has unravelled in an instant.
Still, our duty, our obligation is to render
aid and comfort - as best we can - to the
Ukrainian children, women and men who
are holed up in bunkers and subway
stations to escape the death and destruction
above. It is our duty and obligation to help
Ukrainians - as best we can - to find safe
haven if and when they seek it. It is our duty
and obligation to help Ukrainians resist and
regain provenance - if possible - over their
country.
Courageous Russians understand this
duty and obligation. Thousands have gone
into the streets in cities across Russia to say
no to despair, no to inhumanity, no to war.
They have risked their freedom to show
solidarity with Ukrainians next door.
We must commend enlightened Russians
for taking a just and humane stand when
confronted with the imperative to do so.
But other players in this unfolding drama
deserve our scorn and censure for their
blatant hypocrisy on astounding display.
It has been astounding to watch an
American president and a British prime
minister and their surrogates at the UN
and alike condemn Russia for violating
supposedly sacrosanct and binding
charters and international law when
American and British foreign policy has,
for generations, been a ruinous reflection
of haughty contempt for those same
charters and laws.
History is replete with countries and
peoples who have paid and continue to pay
dearly and collectively for the decisions
made by American presidents and British
prime ministers - in particular - to dismiss
diplomacy in favour of force and "regime
change".
Source: Al Jazeera