Star Diary

Religious Intolerance

A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I were returning home from practice at the Handball Federation in Gulistan. On our way back, we encountered a Hindu procession celebrating the Roth Festival. We were thoroughly enjoying their display of music and dance and spirit of celebration when a sudden commotion interrupted everything. As the procession made its way to the road right opposite the Baitul Mokarram Mosque, people from inside the premises started throwing rocks and pebbles at the celebratory crowd. Passers-by and vehicles that fell in between were getting injured and damaged also causing major traffic but that was not the least of their worry. Neither was the disgraceful image they were portraying to others.

As a follower of the Muslim faith, I felt ashamed at the behaviour of the fanatic mosque attendants. In no way does our religion prescribe disrespecting the faith of others and causing harm to them. How this level of intolerance has been allowed to become so widespread goes beyond my comprehension. Religious and ethnic diversity in our country should be embraced and celebrated to bring people together and not be used as a tool to widen barriers among our already divided population. I urge the authorities and individuals to address this issue more firmly.

Anika Rahman,
Banani, DOHS,
Dhaka

Sick Man?

One night getting down from the bus at Farmgate, I noticed a young man by the sidewalk vomiting into the drain. His knees were staggering and he looked really sick. I thought he had a really high fever or something like that. I looked around and everyone else was walking by, totally ignoring the sick man. He looked like he was in need of a help and I had every intention of helping him get back to his feet and fetch him a ride if need be. I went to him and asked, “brother are you okay, do you need any help?” To my surprise, I noticed that barely 10 feet away there was another young man, grabbing a tree in an attempt to steady his knees, and he was also vomiting.

With a shock, I realised that these two young men were not sick, but were two drunkards who had somehow landed in the middle of this busy street and had chosen this not so obscure corner of the sidewalk for this specific purpose, probably unaware or uncaring that hundreds of people were watching them. Of course, they did not get any help from me and neither did anyone else in the crowd help them. Young men like this are a nuisance to society and measures should be taken by concerned authorities to make sure they do not disturb anyone or create unwanted scenes in the middle of busy streets.

Azim Molla
Dhaka

Prejudiced Officials

About two months ago, I had gone to a university with my cousin who was going to join the university. While we were waiting at the administration office of the hostel to complete the admission process, a young lady who, from her own speech, studies in a reputed private university came to admit her younger sister into the female hostel. Surprisingly enough, the officials refused to initiate the process due to the absence of her parents. When she mentioned that her parents were, then, abroad, she was asked to present a male relative who would be the acting guardian for her sister. She replied that as she had completed the whole admission process, she could take charge of her sister. But the officials did not pay attention to her since she was a woman! I was thunderstruck! If the officials of an educational institution think in this fashion, how will the students be enlightened?

Ashim Kumar Paul
Govt. Edward College
Pabna

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