Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Islamic Republic of Pakistan and People’s Republic of Bangladesh, two countries, which have a similar past and were one country until 1971, seem to have a very different path and future.  One is pursuing Talibanism and the other secularism.  The full name of each country reflects their course and possible destination.  Read a short paragraph about each country from Wikipedia:

Pakistan (ⁱ/ˈpækɨstæn/ or ⁱ/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاكِستان‎) (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪˈst̪aːn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاكِستان‎), is a sovereign country in South Asia. With a population exceeding 180 million people, it is the sixth most populous country in the world. Located at the crossroads of the strategically important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and Western Asia, Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along theArabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west and north, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan’s narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and also shares a marine border with Oman.

Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ; Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh), is a country in South Asia located at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. It is bordered by India and Burma to the north, west and east and separated from Nepal and Bhutan by India’s narrow Siliguri corridor in the north. Bangladesh is part of the ancient and historic ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means “Country of Bengal” in the official Bengali language. The country has a rich and diverse cultural heritage arising from its long history as a melting pot of civilization. It straddles the fertile basin of the Padma (Ganges), Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and Meghna rivers.

Most Muslims will be happy to see the word ‘Islamic’ in Pakistan, but, one should not fall for emotional appeal and knee jerk reaction. In the name of Pakistan, ‘Islamic,’ has become a code word for ‘Talibanism,’ since General Zia ul Haq’s regime. Pakistan may be the only country, whose flag gives a share to the minorities in its white stripe, yet, where persecution against a minority sect of Islam is enshrined in her constitution.

In the case of Bangladesh, whereas, the word ‘People,’ could be read as socialist until the collapse of USSR, in future it will symbolize human equality, human rights and secular principles of governance that humanity has come to endorse after centuries of religious wars and constant unnecessary bickering. Secularism, which I believe, is also true essence of Islamic teachings and early Islamic history, especially during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him.

The above is just a prelude, I wanted to share two very divergent news from the two countries, published today in BBC, which clearly are an omen for things to come.

Bangladesh’s Kamaruzzaman sentenced to death

The deputy head of Bangladesh’s opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party has been sentenced to death by the country’s war crimes tribunal.

Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was found guilty on five out of seven counts of torture and mass murder committed during the 1971 war of independence.

The tribunal was set up in 2010 to try people accused of collaboration.

Kamaruzzaman, who denied the charges and said his trial was politically motivated, is set to appeal.

Jamaat says the government is using the trials to curb opposition activities ahead of elections due next year.

International rights groups, meanwhile, say the tribunal falls short of international standards.

Street battles

In a packed Dhaka court room, Kamaruzzaman was convicted of mass killings, rape, torture and kidnapping, said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

Continue reading the main story

Bangladesh independence war, 1971

• Civil war erupts in Pakistan, pitting the West Pakistan army against East Pakistanis demanding autonomy and later independence
• Fighting forces an estimated 10 million East Pakistani civilians to flee to India
• In December, India invades East Pakistan in support of the East Pakistani people
• Pakistani army surrenders at Dhaka and its army of more than 90,000 become Indian prisoners of war
• East Pakistan becomes the independent country of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971
• Exact number of people killed is unclear – Bangladesh says it is three million but independent researchers say it is up to 500,000 fatalities

• Watershed moment
• Key defendants
• Article that changed history

He was found guilty of masterminding what the prosecution described as one of the bloodiest single episodes in the independence war – the killing of at least 120 unarmed farmers in the remote northern village of Sohagpur which subsequently became known as the “Village of the Widows”.

Three women widowed as a result of the killings testified against Kamaruzzaman during his trial. They described how he led Pakistani troops to the village and helped them to line up and execute the farmers.

Thursday’s announcement of the verdict and death sentence prompted cheers of celebration from crowds gathered outside, says the BBC’s Masud Khan in Dhaka.

Kamaruzzaman, who would have been about 18 during Bangladesh’s secession war, was charged in August 2010, a month after being arrested in a separate criminal case.

He was accused of being a key organiser of the al-Badr, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani army which killed Bangladeshi intellectuals during the 1971 conflict.

His conviction comes at a testing time for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has made prosecution of 1971 war crimes one of her government’s key goals.

Read further in BBC.

Gunmen abduct Pakistan ex-PM Gilani’s son at election rally

Source: BBC

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says his son has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen during an election rally.

Mr Gilani told the BBC his son Ali Haider – a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) – was seized in the central city of Multan.

He accused his political opponents of being behind the attack, which came ahead of Saturday’s elections.

One person was reportedly killed when the attackers opened fire at the rally.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack.

Taliban threats

Eyewitnesses say the gunmen arrived at the gathering in a black Honda car and a motorbike.

“A couple of them started shooting,” a teenager at the rally told Pakistan’s Geo TV.

“A man standing in front of Gilani was hit and fell down. Then they grabbed Gilani, put him in the car and sped away.”

Reports say the person who died in the shooting could have been Ali Haider Gilani’s bodyguard or secretary. Another five people were injured.

Eyewitnesses say a bullet also hit Ali Haider and he was bleeding when the kidnappers put him in the car, Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper reports.

Ali Haider – the youngest son of the ex-prime minister – is contesting a seat in the Punjab provincial assembly.

“We want our brother back tonight. If we don’t get him, we will not allow elections to be held in our area,” his elder brother Ali Musa – who was in tears – later told reporters.

Police have now sealed off all entry and exit point in Multan, and a massive search operation is under way, local media report.

Yousuf Raza Gilani served as prime minister until June 2012, when he was forced out of office by the Supreme Court over his refusal to pursue a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.

But it is still a powerful political family, with Mr Gilani’s sons standing in the elections to the provincial and national assemblies, the BBC’s Mike Wooldridge in Islamabad says.

Read further in BBC.

Separation of Mosque-Church and State

• Solomonic wisdom needed to establish Separation of Mosque-Church-Synagogue and State
• Violence in the Bible and Jihad in the Quran
• Religion, Politics and Human Rights
• Sharia Law: Concept of Enforcement?
• How Shariah, an Intended Compass for Peace, Became a Tool of Oppression
• An invitation to other religions: demonstrating human rights and Universal Brotherhood from your scriptures
• ‘Let the Muslim be my Master in Outward Things.’ References to Islam in the Promotion of Religious Tolerance in Christian Europe
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Islam!