The Quotation of the Week (May 3 - 9, 2015)

A quotation of Goethe on 'deception,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Doodle (A snake: January 16, 1995) © Jerome D'Costa

The Quotation of the Week (April 26 - May 2, 2015)

A quotation of Charles Caleb Colton on 'religion,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Doodle (Going to the church: June 23,1994) © Jerome D'Costa

Quotation of the Week (June 2-8, 2013)

 A quotation on 'little girls,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

A doodle of a little girl (Toronto: May 10. 2013) © Mary D'Costa

A Doodle: FACE

A doodle of a face

Doodle (Dhaka: January 30, 1993) © Jerome D'Costa

The Poem of the Month (May, 2012)

Doodle (Dhaka: February 4, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

Gossip

“Oh, do you know?”

“Oh, did you hear?”

“Do you know what happened?”

“I’ve something interesting to tell you!”

These are all introductory talk to get the attention of the listener.

The content of the talk veers on hearsay, made-up stories,

Incomplete information, a mixture of truths and half-truths,

Innuendos and insinuations galore,

Embellished and unflattering news about one’s neighbour.

Although this is the product of an active mind of the gossiper,

It’s cooking up of stories about the gossipee.

This way, the gossiper gives away his or her inner self,

Which is disrespectful, vindictive and short.

The gossiper has “I’m-better-than-thou” attitude,

Who wants peace of mind, an emptying of the jar

By vomiting all the lengthy tales accumulated inside.

The peace of mind comes for a while only,

But again, as if by default, he or she engages in the same practice.

Gossiping is such a waste of time, energy and creativity.

It is so much of demeaning of oneself and stooping down below the gossipee,

In spite of having better things to say and better things to do --

That would really uplift oneself to a more humane level.

A Doodle: Fish

A doodle on hilsa fish

Doodle (Dhaka: March 5, 1993) © Jerome D'Costa

Doodle: A Bangali (Bengalee) Woman

_

A Bangali (Bengalee) woman
Doodle (Dhaka: November 22, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

A Doodle on AIDS VIRUS

In the early 1990s, the AIDS virus became

quite widespread in the world

Doodle (Dhaka: April 28, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

Shame on the United Colors of Benetton!

A doodle on "Shame on the United Colors of Benetton!"

Doodle (Toronto: November 17, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

The United Colors of Benetton (UCB), a well-known Italian clothing fashion company, started its advertising campaign this year with the theme of “Unhate.” The intention of this campaign, according to the company’s head Alessandro Benetton, is “the reconciliation and acceptance” in the face of increased hatred in the world. 

This campaign portrays digitally manipulated shocking images of world leaders, who are opposed to each other, deep-kissing on their lips. Large colourful images include those of Pope Benedict XVI kissing Egypt’s imam Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed El-Tayeb, US President Obama kissing Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, Israel’s Premier Benjamin Netanyahu locking lips with Palestinian National Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and so on. 

The Vatican vehemently protested against this portrayal of the Pope and the imam, and , as a result, the company removed the pope and imam’s image from its display and campaign. 

In the past, the United Colors of Benetton also had its annual campaigns where it used other types of shocking images. In one year, it showed an image of a Catholic priest deep-kissing a Sister (nun).

Vatican spokesman Reverend Federico Lombardi said:  “This is a grave lack of respect for the Pope.” He also called it offensive to the “sentiments of the faithful” and “a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation.”

Alessandro Benetton in a statement said that the campaign is “solely to battle the culture of hate in all its forms. We are sorry that the use of an image of the pontiff and the imam should have offended the sensibilities of the faithful in this way.”

Some Observations on the 2011 Ad Campaign of the United Colors of Benetton

The United Colors of Benetton has been losing money for the past several years. This year, in the face of economic crisis in Europe and some other parts of the world, this company wanted to regain its market by ultra-shock valued advertising campaign. In reality, this campaign proved to be cheap, brute and short. The owner and his cohorts in the company displayed a shocking lack of respect for persons of position who have hundreds and millions of followers. They also gravely lack in regard for cultural and religious sentiments of people. 

To express "reconciliation and acceptance," two persons' hugging could be tolerated, but in some cultures kissing on lips and deep kissing at that is considered a heinous and most vile act.  

This company did not display manipulated photo of Alessandro Benetton lip-locking with his rival company’s owner or CEO expressing “reconciliation and acceptance.” Instead, it took on other leaders.

The shock and awe method may generate a cheap and temporary laugh and excitement, especially among some youth, but it cannot have a lasting effect. This year’s ad campaign exposed the hate of this company in a naked manner. Instead of the “Unhate campaign,” it turned into a hate campaign. 

If this company’s thought-level and moral ground is so low, what can people learn from it? Sadistic fun has a limit to it. Is this the beginning of the end of the United Colors of Benetton?

A Doodle: A CROWDED BUS IN DHAKA

A crowded bus in Dhaka

Doodle (Dhaka: May 21, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

The Poem of the Month (October, 2011): HALLOWEEN

A Halloween doodle

Doodle (Toronto: Oct. 31, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

Halloween

By Jerome D'Costa

Trick or treat?

Trick.

Trick or treat?

Treat.

Trick or treat?

Trick and treat.

That's the suspense

                of the Halloween.

The Poem of the Month (August, 2011): NATURAL DISASTERS

A doodle on the 1992 cyclone in Bangladesh

Doodle (Dhaka: November 21, 1992) © Jerome D'Costa

Natural Disasters

By Jerome D'Costa

Natural disasters come, natural disasters go

Unexpectedly, beyond any human reach.

To some, disasters come from God

As trials or punishments,

To others, they are part of

The Nature’s cycle of vagaries.

For the last few decades,

Natural disasters are occurring

At a frequent rate,

With ominous ferocity and calamity.

Some say, mankind with its greed and self-centeredness,

Mistreating the Nature and its environment

In a naked and unabashed manner.

As citizens of this world

We need to lead our lives most responsibly

So that our man-made global warming

Might not trigger the Nature’s frequent furies.

Doodle: AN UNKNOWN ANIMAL

_

An unknown animal came up in my doodle
Doodle (Dhaka: February 29, 1992) © Jerome D'Costa

Doodle: THE FACADE OF A CHURCH

_

The facade of a church
Doodle (Dhaka: May 22, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

Doodle: BANGLADESH IS A GOOD COUNTRY

_

Doodle (Dhaka: July 19, 1991) © Jerome D'Costa

Doodle: A Saddened Face

_

A Saddened Face
Doodle (Dhaka: April 18, 1995) © Jerome D'Costa

A Doodle: A Young Man

_

A young man
Doodle (Dhaka: January 20, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

A Doodle: "God Is Good"

_

A doodle on God

Doodle (Dhaka: May 21, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

Bangladesh Government Attempt to Ban Fatwa Condemned by Islamic Parties

_

The Bangla (Bengali) writing on top says: Murtad'der faashi cchai
(we demand the hanging of the Muslim apostates);
the writing on the body says: fatwa'baaz (indiscriminate
issuer of religious edicts).
Doodle (Dhaka: July 20, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa

When this doodle was drawn, tensions were going on between two groups of people in Bangladesh -- liberal politicians and intellectuals in one side, and Islamic fundamentalist politicians and religious leaders on the other. The second group was issuing fatwas indiscriminately (Islamic religious edicts) on different issues, actions and certain persons. Present events and news prove that the tension is still strong.

Bangladesh Attempt on Prohibition of Fatwas Condemned

Mufti Fazlul Huq Amini, the Chairman of Islami Oikkya Jote, warned that "the country will be on fire" if fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) is banned in Bangladesh, reports the Bangla Kagoj weekly of March 1, 2011 of Toronto.

In a recent seminar on "Fatwa: The Present Perspective," organized by Islami Ain Bastobayon Committee (commitee for Islamic laws), Mufti Amini said, no court has the right to give verdict on the Qur'an and Hadis. No verdict can be given on the rules and laws provided by the Qur'an and Hadis. To do anything against fatwa is doing it against Allah (God). If the fatwa is prohibited, hundreds of thousands of alims (or ulemas or Muslim scholars) will protest in the streets.

Mufti Amini criticized Bangladesh's Chief Justice, Education Minister, Finance Minister, Law Minister, Member of the Parliament Rashed Khan Menon, and Professor Kabir Chowdhury of the University of Dhaka and said that these persons were all self-declared atheists.

He further said, the present Education Minister's new education policy is an obnoxious anti-Islamic policy. It this policy is realized, Islam will vanish from Bangladesh. [Muslim] students will also become murtads (religious apostates).

He also said, fatwa was there in the past, fatwa is there now, and it will be there in future.
The amir of Dhaka city, Maulana Abul Kashem, presided over the seminar. Other speakers were the Secretary of Oikkya Jote Maulana Adbul Latif Nezami, Professor Maulana Abdul Karim, Maulana Fazlul Karim Kashemi, Mufti Abul Kashem, Mufti Mojibur Rahman and others.

What is Fatwa? Who Can Issue Fatwa?

Fatwa is an Islamic religious ruling or legal opinion given by a knowledgeable and recognized mufti (Muslim scholar who interpretes the shari'a or Islamic law). Muslims are not bound to follow it. The criteria of the Quranic fatwa are not as easy as they seem to be. How many qualified and recognized muftis are there in Bangladesh, especially in village situation, to issue fatwa legally?

Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, especially in villages where most of the people are illiterate and semi-literate, fatwa is taken as a binding on people. The fatwa issuers also takes advantage of this mind-set. Although, many of them, not suitably equipped to issue fatwa, do so indiscriminately on any matter or person. In most cases, fatwas are used as a weapon to take revenge on or to punish someone for self-serving reasons. Many of the local religious persons who issue fatwas, do so under pressure from influential persons or for their self-serving reasons. Issuance of fatwa indiscrimately is forbidden in Islam.

The State of Fatwa in Bangladesh

The following headlines give a picture of the situation of fatwa in Bangladesh, where it is being used mostly against women.

• Fatwa and the helpless women in Bangladesh (The New Nation: Dec. 18, 2002)
• Fatwa leads to 303 whips (The Daily Star: June 29, 2009)
  
• Take Measures Against Fatwa (The Daily Star: Dec. 7, 2009)
• Bangladesh: Stop Parallel Justice System Issuing Religious Edicts to Punish Women (South Asia Citizens Web: Dec. 9, 2009)
  
• Crime in the Name of Belief (The Star Weekend Magazine: Feb. 26, 2010)
• Fatwa illegal (High Court rules against all extra-judicial punishments upon writ petitions) (The Daily Star: July 9, 2010)
• Bangladesh family tells of grief over girl whipped to death (The Guardian: Feb. 4, 2011)
  
• 503 women publicly flogged in Bangladesh (Indo-Asian News Service: Feb. 14, 2011)
• Bangladesh: Fatwa Killing Sparks High Court Inquiry, Directives (Law Library of Congress, USA: Feb. 17, 2011)
  
• The fatwa scourge (The Daily Star: Feb. 18, 2011)
• Fatwa in practice for personal gain: Dr. Kamal Hussain (The Daily Star: March 2, 2011)
• Govt. asked to explain failure to stop fatwa (The Daily Star: March 3, 2011)
  
• Supreme Court hearing on fatwa adjourned (The Daily Star: March 4, 2011)
  

Today is the International Women's Day when the whole world is celebrating women's achievements and progress regarding their freedom, self-determination and rights as human beings. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, some people are trying their best to fetter their women further in the name of religion. If half the population (women) is deprived of their legitimate rights and participation in the society, how can that country see the light of progress and prosperity?

Doodle: Tik-tiki (house lizard)

_

Called tik-tiki in Bangla (Bengali), these house lizards
are common in Bangladesh. They have been
such named because of their call "tik-tik-tik".

Doodle (Dhaka: May 21, 1994) © Jerome D'Costa