Travel 5 - South East Asia (Bangladesh)

The 1:00 AM arrival, from China, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was my worst airport experience ever.  Travel agencies indicate accurately that one can obtain a Visa on Arrival at the airport, but nothing is said about the inability to obtain Bangladesh taka at any currency exchange outside the country.  Therefore, at 1:00 AM, the main currency exchange point is closed ... and, thus, the great ‘red tape’ odyssey began.

More than one hour later, I exited Immigration control, found my suitcase, and walked outside to be greeted by a huge number of aggressive taxi hustlers, not to mention the residual humidity and high temperature.  Eventually, I met the driver sent to take me to the foreign teachers residence ... another 45 minutes.

Arriving at the residence, I was met by a tall, muscular, bare-chested, eunuch-looking porter, who carried my heavy suitcase up three flights of stairs.  The apartment had two en-suite bedrooms, occupied by two nursing teachers, and one spare room for me.  Thus, my outside bathroom contained a ‘squat’ toilet and a cold bucket shower.  I just ‘crashed’ onto the bed for the remainder of the morning.

Next day, although having been advised to rest, I walked to the campus of the International University of Business, Agriculture and Technology (A fifteen-minute walk).  Rickshaws were available, but I was still trying to come to terms with the value of the taka (It seems that the rickshaw ride would cost approximately 20 cents Canadian).

Hey, taxi!

Then, I was met by the senior foreign teacher, the head of a Canadian-sponsored nursing faculty, who knew nothing about my terms of employment.

Eventually, I was introduced to the Vice-Chancellor, who explained that, although there was an English language faculty of 16 professors, there was not a specific English language programme.  He wanted to create a BA (Honors) programme as soon as possible but, at the moment, English was taught as a minor subject.  My task was to audit the English classes, both students and teachers, and produce a report providing advice for improving the teaching.

Excellent Students

The audit of English language classes concentrated on the teaching of oral English and, although there were instances when regular classes concentrated on the teaching of reading and writing, it was possible to observe teaching styles.  Readability of PowerPoint presentations was particularly interesting.

University Tagore Celebration

During this period, the university celebrated the anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, a writer, poet, and composer, who won the first Nobel Prize for Literature for a non-European in 1913.  I was introduced as the guest of honor ... and it was.

Tagore Celebration Student Participants

I finished my report four weeks later and, although requested (invited) to stay and teach for the remaining four weeks, I found that the negative conditions found in my report were very difficult to overcome within the short period remaining.  Therefore, I did not hesitate to accept an invitation to move downtown to my friend’s apartment ... with its modern conveniences.

Relocating to the relatively modern down town area, nevertheless, had its drawbacks.  Although 90% of the population are Muslim, according to the Constitution it is a secular country, and it is not hard to imagine a mosque on (almost) every city block.  Normally, I could live with that, but this is the 21st century and the imams have discovered electronics (Loudspeakers).  Now, I could live with that too, if the range of sound from each mosque did not overlap, but they do and the sound of calls to prayer is similar to the echos of the Grand Canyon.  Of course, there will be at least one reader who will chide me for being critical of the traditions of another country.  Nevertheless, the reverberating sound of the calls outside one's bedroom window every (every) morning starting at 5:00 AM ... is extremely irritating.

Incidentally, another aspect of Bangladeshi life that will never be forgotten, is the low value of human life.  Every time I picked up a daily newspaper, I was astonished by the number of murders that were taking place every day (Every day).  There are two categories;  firstly the group attacks on males resulting from some petty street argument and, secondly, the 'honor' killings of females, more often than not, housemaids.  Then, only if reported, do the police become involved, but only to document the incident (Rarely is there a report of a conviction).  It is difficult not to mention religion in this context.

During my stay, my friend was required to attend a conference in Bangkok.  And as the hotel, etc., was paid for, it seemed natural that I should accompany her (Probably explained in part Travel 6).

Religion 4 - The Global Blasphemy Law

As a keen reader of international media, I thought that I was aware of most things, but the following article, when it appeared in Forbes Magazine caught me on the hop.  It describes an attempt to create a global blasphemy law applicable to every nation.

US Supports UN Anti-Free Speech Measure 

While you were out scavenging the Walmart super sales or trying on trinkets at Tiffany or Cartier, your government has been quietly wrapping up a Christmas gift of its own: adoption of UN resolution 16/18. An initiative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (formerly Organization of Islamic Conferences), the confederacy of 56 Islamic states, Resolution 16/18 seeks to limit speech that is viewed as “discriminatory” or which involves the “defamation of religion” – specifically that which can be viewed as “incitement to imminent violence.”  Whatever that means. 

Initially proposed in response to alleged discrimination against Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11 and in an effort to clamp down on anti-Muslim attacks in non-Muslim countries, Resolution 16/18 has been through a number of revisions over the years in order to make it palatable to American representatives concerned about U.S. Constitutional guarantees of free speech. Previous versions of the Resolution, which sought to criminalize blasphemous speech and the “defamation of religion,” were regularly rejected by the American delegation and by the US State Department, which insisted that limitations on speech – even speech deemed to be racist or blasphemous – were at odds with the Constitution. But this latest version, which includes the “incitement to imminent violence” phrase – that is, which criminalizes speech which incites violence against others on the basis of religion, race, or national origin – has succeeded in winning US approval – despite the fact that it (indirectly) places limitations as well on speech considered “blasphemous.” 

The background to all of this, unsurprisingly, is an effort on the part of Muslim countries to limit what they consider to be defamatory and blasphemous speech: criticism of Islam, say, or insulting the prophet Mohammed – which, as we’ve learned, can mean anything from drawing a cartoon or making a joke in a comedy sketch to burning a Koran. Such acts – according to some readings of the Koran and, indeed, according to law in some OIC countries – are punishable by death. Hence the riots that met the publication of the so-called “Danish cartoons,” the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, the murder of Theo van Gogh, and on and on. 

Deception.   Here’s where Resolution 16/18 gets tricky.  Because who, exactly, arbitrates what is “incitement to imminent violence”? Violence by whom? If drawing a caricature of the Prophet incites violence by Islamic radicals to the tune of riots, arson, and murder, all sanctioned by the IOC itself – then drawing such a caricature (or writing a book like the Satanic Verses) will now constitute a criminal act. And that is exactly what the OIC was aiming for. It is also in direct violation of the principles of Western democracy – and the First Amendment. (Though it is crucial to note that any resolution passed by the General Assembly remains non-binding, which makes you sort of wonder what the point of all this is, anyway.) 

Moreover, since many would claim that the persecution of blasphemers is mandated by their religion, conflicts emerge between guarantees of free expression and the guarantee of freedom of religion and the practice of one’s faith. In other words: your free speech allows you to insult my prophet: my freedom of religion compels me to kill you for it. 

What about “incitement to violence”?  Whose violence? 

This is how the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation plays “Gotcha. 

This is how the American government, however unwittingly, subsumes its own Constitution in deference to the demands of the Islamic state.  It’s a dangerous game. 

Yet in all of this, America has stood strong in its defense of free speech – even blasphemous, hateful, racist, sexist, Pentecostal, homophobic, and ignorant speech. We must continue to do so, no matter what pressures we may face. Because in the end, limiting our rights to self-expression and – above all – the questioning of religious beliefs – will never help to make the world more peaceful – or more free.

Abigail R. Esman

Politics 2 - Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism, even in a political sense, may be interpreted in various ways.  Generally speaking, it has come to mean the argument for extending equal status to distinct ethnic and religious groups without promoting any specific community values.

Originally, in my opinion, it was thought to lead towards assimilation and monoculturalism.  But, now, this commendable idea seems to have failed.

We have a global society that is multinational and where everyone in the developing countries, today, because of the Internet and other forms of international media, desires a higher standard of living ... and we cannot be critical of that.  The problem is the perceived entitlement of citizens of poorer countries to emigrate to richer countries and, this, they will attempt to accomplish illegally, if necessary.

As I said in the introduction, it is “extending equal status to distinct ... groups without promoting any specific community values”.  Therefore, it accepts religious beliefs dependent upon observance of the country’s laws and constitution.  For example, if Sikhism requires a man to carry a knife, the knife should by symbolic and unable to cut.  If Islam requires a women to be modest, it is too extreme to completely cover the face, and security laws must predominate.  If genital mutilation is considered to be a violent and disfiguring injury, then, those who carry out such acts must face the full force of the law.  Finally, Sharia law is not part of Canadian law, and any attempt to include parts of it, must be strongly resisted.

Ask an immigrant from Somalia (for example) if they are, either, a Somalian, a Somali Canadian, or a Canadian (assuming citizenship), there should only be one answer.

Assimilation was never going to be successful and, now, it seems that multiculturalism is a failure too, at least, according to many powerful world leaders — Thus, another look at our whole immigration philosophy is necessary.

Therefore, it is a political requirement ... highlighted in Norway, recently.


Is that a controversial comment to make?  I hope so.