THE BIG PICTURE
When students have to do the job of the law enforcers
Hopefully, the mass agitation will bring change. Hopefully, our leaders will feel the irony of the situation in which students have to take to the streets to ensure drivers have valid licences while law enforcers are seen going around vehicles driven by kids.
Tackling Radicalisation - Looking for answers
The recent attack on eminent writer Professor Muhammed Zafar Iqbal has brought the issue of radicalisation and militancy to the spotlight once again. The Daily Star talks to experts from three fields—Monirul Islam, Chief of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police; Shafqat Munir, a research fellow with the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS); and Dr Mohammad Monzur E Elahi, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at National University—for their opinions on the overriding challenges we face, what we have done to combat radicalisation and what we should do in the short- and long-term.
THE BIG PICTURE / Why rape victims stay silent
From the outdated legal concepts under which cases of rape are tried in court, the “medical” tests that are required for proving rape, to the institutions which are supposed to stand by the survivor, it is not surprising that many women are scared or traumatised to even report incidents of sexual violence.
Recognition of Qwami Degree / Will this lead to integration?
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that the government will take steps to recognise the Dawrah-e-Hadith of Qwami madrasah education as equivalent to a Masters degree. The Daily Star talks to Professor Ali Riaz and Professor Salimullah Khan about the controversy surrounding the issue.
Fourth Anniversary Of The Rana Plaza Collapse: Where do we stand?
The Daily Star talks to three experts - a researcher, a labour activist and a development professional - about the progress Bangladesh has made and the challenges it still faces.
Future of the DCC market
In the wee hours of January 3, a devastating fire engulfed the DCC market in Gulshan-1. It took firefighters 16 hours to douse the flames which led to the partial collapse of the market. It has been nearly a month since the fire that destroyed almost half of the 600 shops of the once thriving marketplace. The Daily Star looks into the uncertainty revolving the future of the market and those whose livelihoods depend on it.
THE BIG PICTURE / Disturbing deviations in children's books
Over the recent backlash of the erroneous content and apparently mysterious changes to the curriculum, the education minister on January 10 stated during a press briefing, “I'm not avoiding my responsibility, but I'm leaving the matter to you whether handing over such a volume of textbooks is a bigger thing than these errors,” to which, the answer is an obvious yes.
The Rocky Road of Democracy
December 6 is observed as Democracy [restoration] Day in the country, marking an end to the autocratic rule of HM Ershad in early December of 1990.
