Language Bangladesh
Bangladesh
On March 13, U.S. Embassy Dhaka Deputy Chief of Mission Judith Chammas visited the Madinatul-Ulam Model Institute for Women, a women's madrassa run by the Rahmat-E-Islam Mission. She held a discussion with 20 young womenwho have received two-year scholarships from the U.S. Embassy to learn English at a local English Language Center. ... [Read More]
Bangladesh (06/05)
Almost from the advent of independent Pakistan in 1947, frictions developed between East and West Pakistan, which were separated by more than 1,000 miles of Indian territory. East Pakistanis felt exploited by the West Pakistan-dominated central government. Linguistic, cultural, and ethnic differences also contributed to the estrangement of East from West Pakistan. Bengalis strongly resisted attempts to impose Urdu as the sole official language of Pakistan. Responding to these grievances, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1948 formed a students' organization called the Chhatra League. In 1949, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani and some other Bengali leaders formed the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League (AL), a party designed mainly to promote Bengali interests. This party dropped the word Muslim from its name in 1955 and came to be known as Awami League. Mujib became president of the Awami League in 1966 and emerged as leader of the Bengali autonomy movement. In 1966, he was arrested for his polit ... [Read More]
Visit to Women's Madrassah in Bangladesh
Dhaka, Bangladesh: On March 13, U.S. Embassy Dhaka Deputy Chief of Mission Judith Chammas visited the Madinatul-Ulam Model Institute for Women, a women's madrassa run by the Rahmat-E-Islam Mission. She held a discussion with 20 young womenwho have received two-year scholarships from the U.S. Embassy to learn English at a local English Language Center. American Embassy Dhaka photo ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
An interdenominational Protestant church holds English-language services weekly in Busandhara. This interdenominational congregation is self-supporting and employs both a senior and a youth pastor, who is in charge of a youth group from grades 6 through 12. The Anglican Church, St. Thomas New Centre, has an English-language service for Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Methodists every Friday morning. The Seventh-day Adventists hold an English-language service on Saturday mornings. The Dhaka Assemblies of God Church holds services twice a week, on Friday mornings and Sunday evenings. The Latter-day Saints, Mennonites, and Bahai are also represented in Dhaka. Education Dependent Education&nb ... [Read More]
Bangladesh
There were no developments in the 2002 assault of the Bengali-daily Jugantor's correspondent Monirul Haider Iqbal, who was assaulted allegedly because of his stories on the illegal occupation of shrimp fields by supporters of the ruling coalition. There also were no developments in the 2002 alleged kidnapping of Shukur Ali, a reporter with Anirban. In 2002, the Bengali-language daily Dainik Uttarbanga Barta's publishing license had been suspended but later was reinstated following the publication of an article that incorrectly listed the PM as the leader of the opposition. ... [Read More]
Thomas, Harry K. Jr.
United States Ambassador to Bangladesh Harry K. Thomas, Jr. arrived in Dhaka to assume his duties as the 11th U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh. Ambassador Thomas arrived from Washington, DC, where he has been taking introductory Bangla language lessons at the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute in preparation for his assignment to Bangladesh. Mr. Thomas ser ... [Read More]
Bangladesh
On April 18, armed men led by Chittagong City Corporation's Ward Commissioner and Awami League member Mamunur Rashid assaulted two reporters from Chittagong's Bengali language newspaper Purbokon following the publication of a report critical of Rashid. The attackers confined the two journalists in the newspaper office until 3:30 a.m. and beat them. The gang then ransacked the office of the newspaper. On August 7, several persons including a nephew of former BNP Minister Major General (retired) Majidul Haq, repeatedly stabbed and seriously injured Bulu Sharif, the Magura district correspondent of the Dhaka based Bengali-language newspaper Jugantor while he was returning home from assignment. Sharif was attacked for a news story regarding Majidul Huq's prospects in the October election. ... [Read More]
Background Notes: Bangladesh
Background Notes: BangladeshPA/PCSource: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public AffairsDate: Oct 15, 199010/15/90Category: Country DataRegion: South AsiaCountry: BangladeshSubject: Cultural Exchange, Resource Management, Military Affairs, History, International Organizations, Trade/Economics[TEXT]Official Name: People's Republic of BangladeshPROFILEGeographyArea: 143,998 sq. km. (55,813 sq. mi., about the size of Wisconsin).Cities: Capital-Dhaka (pop. 5 million). Other cities-Chittagong (1.8million), Khulna (1.2 million), Rajshahi (700,000). Terrain: Mainlyflat a ... [Read More]
Bangladesh
A government Film Censor Board reviewed local and foreign films and may censor or ban them on the grounds of state security, law and order, religious sentiment, obscenity, foreign relations, defamation, or plagiarism. The Board did not ban any locally produced films during the year; however, in April the Film Censor Board obliged a filmmaker to modify a film's dialogue before issuing a certificate for public screening. On December 14, the High Court stayed the screening of the film "Hason Raja" (a mystic philosopher who composed hundreds of songs) in response to a petition filed by Sadia Chowdhury Porag, a descendent of Hason Raja. In her petition, Porag asserted that the film bears no relationship to the truth, distorting the image of and placing a stigma on the memory of Hason Raja. The court also issued a show cause notice to the Film Censor Board to provide reason why screening of the film should be allowed. The Board banned the screenings of several imported English-language movie ... [Read More]
Bangladesh
A government Film Censor Board reviews local and foreign films, and may censor or ban them on the grounds of state security, law and order, religious sentiment, obscenity, foreign relations, defamation, or plagiarism. During the year, the Film Censor Board banned 14 English-language films on the grounds of obscenity and 13 Bangla-language films, although after 2 months the ban on the Bangla-language films was lifted. The Government also banned the screening of any English-language films in approximately 10 movie theaters that regularly do not comply with the Censor Board. Cable operators generally function without government interference, but on August 15 (the anniversary of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation's founder and father of the current Prime Minister), the Government asked them to suspend their operations for the day, and the operators complied. Video rental libraries provide a wide variety of films to their borrowers, and government ... [Read More]
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