Discrimination and racism

Alice A. Islam

Martin Luther King, Jr, the great civil rights leader of America had said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. As such if we want peace and justice to reign, "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."
   Discrimination and racism continue in a large scale. How degrading it is to think that human beings hate each other because of their religion, language, skin and race. Surely one race cannot be inferior to another. Under the skin all are human beings having the same needs of life. Discrimination towards the black has not stopped. Are they not human beings and don't they have the same needs like the white? What happened in Bosnia need not be repeated. Even mothers started killing their daughters who had been raped! The world has not learnt a lesson from the death of so many innocent people. The attack on Babri Masjid is a shame on the world we live in. It makes one wonder how we can call ourselves civilised.
   The blood has still not dried on the roads of Bangladesh. During the Liberation War the Pakistan army troops killed thousands of innocent men, women and children and the cause was discrimination and racism. People of the same country are killing their own people because of the difference of language and race. The attackers felt themselves to be superior in every way just as Hitler thought the Germans to be the most superior race in the world.
   To go farther, let us not forget what happened to a beautiful country like Iraq. And what about the Palestinians? How long are they going to suffer at the hands of those who consider themselves to be superior? History has not taught a lesson to the Jews who were persecuted by the Germans. Human rights are still being violated by the so-called democratic countries. Today the whole world stands exposed as being a big jungle where the stronger animals are killing the weaker ones. What happened in Bosnia makes the concentration camps of Hitler seem but a trifle. Yet the world sits by and does nothing.
   What was Anne Frank's crime? Who has not read the diary she left behind her? It has been translated into so many different languages that hardly anyone has missed reading it. But before going any farther, let me tell you a joke which will dispel the depression I have started.
   I was in Brussels with my husband who was there on an official assignment. Since Amsterdam is not far from Brussels I grabbed the opportunity of visiting Anne Frank's home and museum. The distance is only a two hours drive and there are the windmills on the side of the road which will tell you that you have entered the territory. One day we were sitting in a senior embassy officer's residence when I asked the hostess if she had visited Anne Frank's home. She gave me a blank look and said, "Anne Frank'? Who is she? No., I have not met her as yet."
   I didn't know what to say, so I looked at her ignorant face and wondered what type of people are sent abroad to represent the country. I said, "When she comes to our house next time, I will bring her to see you." She was very pleased and said, "Yes, do that. I would like to meet her."
   The diary which Anne Frank left behind her is a living reminder of the discrimination towards people with a different religion, race and colour, Anne Frank was born in 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. It was in 1933 when Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany that the Jewish persecution began.
   Anne's father Otto Frank left with his family for Amsterdam. Many Jewish Germans left for other countries, but this became very difficult after 1938. In 1940 the Germans occupied Holland. It was in 1942 that the Franks had to go into hiding in the house where Otto Frank had his wholesale business in herbs and spices.
   The Anne Frank House is very much like other house in the old part of Amsterdam. They are long and narrow. In those days the price was determined by their width. But they could not be too long as this would prevent the daylight from entering the rooms. That is why two houses were built; one in front, a courtyard in the middle and an annex. It was in the annex where Anne hid with her family and where she wrote her diary. This is where all the events which took place are noted in her diary. She has described it exactly as it was and one wonders what a great writer she would have been had she survived the horrid situation facing her:
   The entrance to the annex was hidden behind a hinged bookcase which is still there. The windows are blackened with old newspapers to keep out the light. The toilet which they could not use for fear of making a noise, the stove where they cooked their meals are all kept intact. On the wall Anne had pasted some pictures which she had cut from magazine are also reminders of the little girl who was so brave. Why was she hiding like a criminal if she had done no wrong?
   Hitler had formed a party known as Nazi. After an unsuccessful coup d'etat he was put in prison where he wrote a book called "Mein Kamp (My Struggle). In it he said that the Germans were Aryans and that this race was the best and all other races were inferior but the most inferior were the Jews. They were blamed for all that went wrong in Germany and so when he became the Chancellor in 1933, the persecution of the Jews started. He became more powerful after World War 11 started and that is when thousands of Jews were sent to concentration camps. Anne Frank was one of the number of innocent people who lost their lives just because they were Jews. And yet the Jews have not learnt a lesson from the past.
   Anne Frank's house is now a museum to preserve the Annex which has become renowned through the diary. The main idea is to keep Anne's dream for a better world. But it is sad that discrimination and racism still continues and no one is able to stop it.

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Jurist with a profound sense of social justice

Halima Akhtar

Poet Alfred Tennyson composed his famous In Memoriam after the demise of his intimate friend Arthur Hallam. Justice Syed Mahbub Murshed's achievements warrant a similar poem. S M Murshed is a prominent figure and name across all sections of our nation. His aristocratic background was a fitting precursor to a brilliant academic career. Murshed rose to pre-eminence as a jurist imbued with a deep sense of social justice. His contribution to the field of literature and belles-letters was no less outstanding. All in all, he lavishly bestowed upon us his vast store of wisdom on various issues ranging from jurisprudence to politics to innumerable social causes.
   As a jurist he was a pre-eminent exponent of the rule of law. Like many great legal minds he drew his inspiration from a variety of historical, philosophical and theological sources. Yet he was able to interpret these sources in his own inimitable fashion. His genius lay in the ability to fashion these diverse influences into his own brilliant individualism. He was acutely aware of the fact that excessive insistence on the letter of the law often violates the spitit, and turns the law into an ass.
   In recounting his legal skills one is reminded of the artfulness of Portia's intervention in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. The letter of law, and the contract between Antonio and Shylock clearly required Shylock payment of the eponymous pound of flesh, but he was prevented from exacting this by Portia's artful insistence that not a drop of blood be shed in the process! The application of the rule of law is ultimately down to the deft, and even witty, handling of the law by legal practitioners.
   Murshed demonstrated his talent in this connection by reforming innumerable laws, unravelling their complexities; offering us something truly unique in the process. He can be compared to great jurists such as Marshall, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Lord Denning. He was forever kind and generous with his affectionate advice for his juniors, without ignoring those senior to him. His relations in this area were governed by mutual self-respect and tolerance.
   
   Great judge
   Murshed's reputation as a great judge came through some famous cases like the Mahmud and Samabarton Mamla, all of which are landmarks in the legal history of Pakistan. His forte lay in constitutional law as evidenced by the Minister's and 'Pan' cases. His fame was not just confined to the shores of his country, but he had an international reputation in this regard. Like all great judges his judgements were not only impartial but tinged with humanity and compassion.
   But the hallmark of a truly great man is the ability to rise above the narrow confines of his profession. Murshed never allowed himself to be shackled by any particular ideology or dogma, but took a keen interest in the political deve1opments of his time.
   Communal violence and partition
   He was distressed by the terrible communal violence that punctuated the politics of the 1940s. Following the transfer of power and the partition of India in 1947, he joined those who were determined to bring to an end the frenzy of communal violence that swept through the Indian subcontinent.
   In 1954 he helped draft the famous 21-point manifesto of the United Front led by his maternal uncle Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul Huq. He played a prominent part in the mass upsurge of 1969 against Presidcnt Ayub Khan, and in the round table conference convened by Ayub in its wake. He lent support to the 11-point demands of the students of East Pakistan. During Bangladesh's war of liberation he refused to collaborate with the Pakistan army despite the inevitable pressures.
   
   Committed to democracy
   His commitment to democracy, and his interpretations of the same was akin to Abraham Lincoln. He dedicated his energy to the freedom and wellbeing of people. He protested vehemently against any form of corruption, venality and exploitation. When the education department of our country was becoming corrupt, Murshed stressed that the role of teachers is to instil values, indicating that they should be at the forefront in protesting against any undesirable situation.
   We should be cognizant of the range and depth of his knowledge which included writings on diverse subjects in top journals and magazines. His association with the Anjuman-e-Mufidul Islam showed his concern for the poor. He was President of Rotary and Lions clubs, and was deeply involved with many cultural and social causes. As a powerful voice of humanity, to him 'man was the measure of all things'.
   Inevitably, men like Murshed have to confront many obstacles. Socrates was forced to drink the cup of hemlock; Murshed too was subjected to many pressures by the Government for his honesty, integrity and above all his independence. But unlike the proverbial Faust he did not sell his soul, remaining uniquely courageous in maintaining his freedom.
   As a man Murshed was loving to his family and affectionate to his friends. His compassionate vision of Islam still inspires us. He was truly an international figure. He will continually inspire us as someone whose values and principles, as well as his steadfastness in this regard.

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