In their two decade “War against Terror”, Western governments have bombed, invaded and occupied Muslim-majority countries in pursuit of Al Qaeda and Daesh, along with sanctioning and outlawing what they perceive to be militant Islamist political parties, and then freezing assets and denying migrant visas to those with ties to Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood […]
The twins of the subcontinent, Pakistan and Bangladesh, seem to come closer for a better and more secured future, forgetting the errors and bitter memories of the bloody past. One finds such a ray of hope if one reads the letters that the Prime Ministers of both countries sent to each other on March 23 and 26 respectively, on the occasions of their National Day and 50th. […]
“He who indulges in falsehood will find the paths of Paradise shut to him,” Hazrat Abu Bakr, the First Islamic Caliph. The Declaration of Independence “I, Major Ziaur Rahman, Provisional Head of the Government, do hereby declare the Independence of Bangladesh. …. I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the […]
Bangladesh’s national flag was designed along the model of the Japanese flag, with changes in color. Bangladesh is now considered one of the leading emerging economies. We have now outdone Pakistan in all indicators of socio-economic development. But, by the end of the 1960s, we were far behind all development indicators compared to the then […]
“In that case, we revolt.” ~Major Ziaur Rahman (March 25, 1971) “I am Zia speaking.” That’s how Major Ziaur Rahman, Second-in-Command of 8 Bengal Regiment, began his historic Declaration of Independence of Bangladesh at the Kalurghat Radio Station in Chittagong on March 27, 1971. The first declaration went in Zia’s name. Later, it was changed […]
Seven Republicans joined every Senate Democrat to convict Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial. That fell 10 votes short of the two-thirds required. But even if 57-43 was not be enough for a conviction, it was a strong bipartisan repudiation. After all, the main thrust of Trump’s defense was not to defend him on the […]
I borrowed the title of this piece from James Baldwin, the celebrated African American novelist, playwright, essayist and thinker. Baldwin wrote brilliantly and with prescient insight, in the 1960s and 70s, about America’s original sin: racism. Baldwin had also borrowed the title to warn white America that the completion of the democracy that Americans had […]
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has taken office with a majority in the Senate. In his first five days as secretary he has initiated dialogue with the foreign ministers of 23 different countries as well as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Joseph Borrell and African Union Commission chairperson […]
https://www.ajiunit.com/investigation/all-the-prime-ministers-men/ February 2, 2021
Joe Biden knows enough about the US presidency to understand that the first few weeks are the easiest and most pleasant. There inevitably will be setbacks and crises, particularly for a president who took office amidst a raging pandemic, economic collapse, and a climate crisis near to a tipping point. In the early weeks […]