Letters
Privacy Compromised
After reading the article 'Privacy Compromised' published on October 8, 2010, I felt very restless.
The only thing that keeps coming to my mind is: is all this happening because we are moving away from our beautiful religion Islam? Islam is not just the rituals, it is a complete way of life. The Quran is a book from Allah not to put up high on the shelf only to recite when some one dies. The Quran is our survival guide. How many of us are using the Quran as the book of guidance? Many of us just read without taking a word in it. How can we then follow something that we don't know! What is the purpose of our life? What are Islamic values?
The Quran has all the answers to our every day worries.
Let us open the Quran, read the translations, ponder upon it and implement it in our lives. Encourage our children to do the same before it is too late! Instill Islamic values in our children.
If you are a Muslim, be a practicing one. May Allah guide us all.
Zainab Chowdhury
American International School Dhaka
* * *
When privacy is compromised with publication of obscene pictures, disaster befalls upon the girls and their families. The girls are treated as prostitutes. Sometimes, they are threatened that the pictures will be sent to their parents. Many lives are destroyed this way. Families fall apart, marriages disintegrate, lives are ruined. Many young women fall prey to these circumstances where former and present boyfriends post compromising photographs on the net. The victims face unbearable trauma, public humiliation, and ostracism. Some women are deceived by false marriage and many girls' faces are superimposed on the bodies of foreign porn models. Most importantly, the government needs to impose stringent punishment to the concerned culprits to prevent this crime from taking place.
Mowalamul Islam (Milon)
University of Dhaka
Shahidullah hall pond
In Dhaka, recreational areas especially wetlands like lakes or ponds are declining day by day. The few that still remains are subjected to pollution and mismanagement. Shahidullah hall pond of University of Dhaka is one of them. This pond is one of the finest places of DU campus. Everyday, mainly on holidays, hundreds of people visit this place. But now this pond is subjected to severe pollution. Even though it is restricted, everyday large numbers of people from outside the university area not only bathe here but also wash clothes, which certainly effect the environment of the pond. Another problem is that some of the food shops of the adjacent area throw their waste into the pond. DU administration, department of environment and all the environmentally aware people can do something to protect such a lovely place.
Md Readul Ahsan Nipu
University of Dhaka
On Aziz Super Market
Aziz Super Market, which was the famous meeting place of intellectuals, is now giving up its floors to a number of boutiques. It was the main junction from where creative writings were published passionately. Re-publication of articles of eminent writers was also a tradition. With the zealous advancement of commercial activities, the creative activities have come to a standstill. Although the boutique business is profitable, it does not promise much to the cultured citizens. Aziz was also the nucleus of the short film industry. The number of bookstalls is decreasing day by day. In spite of the encroaching boutique houses, bookstalls such as prathama, samabesh, parua etc still draw the attention of book worms. Media can play a vital role to help form a platform for literary gatherings at Aziz. We must take effort to retrieve the golden days of Aziz Super Market.
Muhammad Anisul Islam
University of Dhaka
Biodiversity and our Environment
Biological diversity or biodiversity is the library of life. It is the variety of all flora, fauna and microorganism which is found in our planet. The world's biological diversity is a vast and unevaluated resource. It comprises of every form of life. Biodiversity is playing a great role in our economy, ecology and overall environment. About 4.5 percent of the GDP in the USA is attributable to the harvest of wild species; worldwide medicines from wild species are worth some 40 billion dollars a year. It provides an abundant and essential supply of indispensable goods and services. Once upon a time our country had a rich diversity of flora and fauna. But now this diversity is diminishing at an unprecedented rate. The underlying cause behind this is excessive human pressure, deforestation, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of exotic plants and animals, illegal trade, destruction of the ecosystem etc. Now it is one of the most pressing environmental and development issues. According to IUCN at present 895 species are found in our country. Among them 13 species have become extinct, 64 species are endangered, 86 are vulnerable and 51 are threatened. There is a complex relationship between biodiversity and the ecosystem. The structure of the ecosystem is fully related to species diversity, so if one species can't perform its function properly the whole ecological balance might be destroyed. From the human point of view, the loss of a species is the loss of a potentially valuable contribution to humanity. There is no doubt that immediate steps should be taken to conserve our existing diversity. If we lose one species it can never be replaced, because life is an irreversible process. Conservation of habitat and species preservation can help to protect the wildlife from extinction. So I hope the government will consider this problem as a serious one and will take necessary steps to handle it.
Sujoy Subroto
SUST, Sylhet
Submission Guideline:
Letters to the Editor, Star Diary and Write to Mita, with the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words. All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter is not necessary, but every write-up should include the writer's name, phone number and email address (if any). While The Star welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. The Star does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups ranges from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity.
All materials should be sent to: The Star magazine, 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 880-2-8125155 or emailed to: <thestarmagazine@gmail.com>
It is recommended that those submitting work for the first time to The Star take a look at a sample copy beforehand. Our website is: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2010
