Program's suspension
Hi to everyone.
This may come as a bit of a surprise, or maybe not at all because I have been able to contact most by email, but I am back in the United States. Peace Corps Bangladesh suspended its program and evacuated all its volunteers and American staff due to safety and security concerns. It was very abrupt and its suddenness came to a surprise to most volunteers, including me. Some volunteers, including my site mate, were out of their site and did not have a chance to pack or say goodbye at all because they had to go to Dhaka immediately. I had four hours to pack and say goodbye, and within twenty four hours half of us were on a plane out of the country. It was non-stop traveling from Dhaka-Singapore-Tokyo-Los Angeles-Washington D.C. I still can't really believe that I am back and that I will no longer be teaching at my school or having tea at the local tea stall.
The safety and security concerns had been building up, as I had mentioned in one posting. For these very concerns, I was not at liberty to discuss them openly via the internet, which makes this posting rather out of the ordinary. It is very unfortunate and frustrating, but Bangladesh is not in a good situation: the general elections are at the end of this year, before and after which includes riots, strikes, and assassination attempts; there was the threat of bird flu, which although there are no official cases, does not in any way convince me that the infection is not in the country; and finally, there are Muslim extremists who have since my group's arrival been trying its best to get us to leave by issuing violence and threats against volunteers. I commend the office for holding out as long as it did and for not risking lives when it got to be too much. However, I am upset that the office did not keep us as informed throughout this process as I would have liked. As it turns out, there is credible evidence that the JMB, a banned fundamentalist group in Bangladesh, organized the synchronized bombings around the country in August, orchestrated the suicide bombings directed at Peace Corps in two towns in November, and threatened to kidnap a volunteer last week. This was the last straw in Peace Corps' opinion, and after numerous visits by Washington and investigations, D.C made the call for us to be evacuated.
I feel compelled to give my own opinion on Muslim extremism, because it is my duty really to uphold Peace Corps' three goals: (1) to provide technical support to countries who ask for it, (2) to learn about and participate in the local culture and language, and (3) upon returning to the States to educate and promote understanding for Americans of other cultures. That last goal is what I would like to touch upon briefly. Many have their opinions on Islam and on extreme branches of the religion. The description that I have hoped to produce here in this journal is one of understanding, because that is what the world needs more of right now. Bangladesh remains a moderate Muslim country, with the vast majority of its population against acts of violence committed in the name of Islam. Time and time again, I had conversations with nationals, devout Muslims most often, wherein they said that splinter groups such as the JMB are morally repugnant and do them a great, great disservice in the world. In my opinion, the people who use violence to promote Islam do so because they are angry about the mismanagement of their country and what they view as attacks on their religion. The JMB by and large focuses on national issues and wants an Islamic state for Bangladesh. They do not want Islam to change or evolve, which is in fact what every religion does over time. A good comparison might be that Islam is what Christianity was in the medieval period (Inquisition anyone?), because Islam is just about that old, or young I should say.
What I see as the JMB's driving force is not Islam itself, but their outrage at the mind-boggling, entrenched corruption of the country and the social ills that have been plaguing the population for so long. People don't have food, they don't have opportunities to go to school, they can't find work, etc. These are basic things that gone without, people turn to desperate measures. They take recourse in different things, and the JMB takes recourse in a fundamentalist conception of God and their narrow picture of what is religiously right. It is terrible that these things happen at all, but even worse I believe is that at the moment when we ought to be addressing the real, core issues of why these countries are in a mess, we are directing our attention to the the means and methods reactionaries use to commit these vicious acts. Therefore, I don't dismiss or pardon what JMB or any other group is doing, but I do think we need to be looking a little closer before drawing conclusions.
I will close this entry, but not on such a serious note. It is difficult to say what my plans are at the moment, but whether Peace Corps related or not, my 7 months in Bangladesh will influence my life. The people's warmth and generosity was unlike anything I had ever seen, and I believe that it is much due to Islam's emphasis on charity that they are so giving. Despite all the challenges facing Bangladeshis, I have met some of the most hard-working and dedicated people. Despite how much I complained about the limitations facing women in Bangladesh, I have never been so proud as I was there to be one myself. The courage that those women demonstrated, the commitment to achieving their goals, and the love that they showed to their families and friends, were more inspiring than anything I have ever encountered before. It makes me emotional just to think of it.
I will post some of my last pictures soon, so if interested, check that link in the near future. Take care everyone, and thank you for helping me with my third goal of Peace Corps by reading these entries.
-Marie
This may come as a bit of a surprise, or maybe not at all because I have been able to contact most by email, but I am back in the United States. Peace Corps Bangladesh suspended its program and evacuated all its volunteers and American staff due to safety and security concerns. It was very abrupt and its suddenness came to a surprise to most volunteers, including me. Some volunteers, including my site mate, were out of their site and did not have a chance to pack or say goodbye at all because they had to go to Dhaka immediately. I had four hours to pack and say goodbye, and within twenty four hours half of us were on a plane out of the country. It was non-stop traveling from Dhaka-Singapore-Tokyo-Los Angeles-Washington D.C. I still can't really believe that I am back and that I will no longer be teaching at my school or having tea at the local tea stall.
The safety and security concerns had been building up, as I had mentioned in one posting. For these very concerns, I was not at liberty to discuss them openly via the internet, which makes this posting rather out of the ordinary. It is very unfortunate and frustrating, but Bangladesh is not in a good situation: the general elections are at the end of this year, before and after which includes riots, strikes, and assassination attempts; there was the threat of bird flu, which although there are no official cases, does not in any way convince me that the infection is not in the country; and finally, there are Muslim extremists who have since my group's arrival been trying its best to get us to leave by issuing violence and threats against volunteers. I commend the office for holding out as long as it did and for not risking lives when it got to be too much. However, I am upset that the office did not keep us as informed throughout this process as I would have liked. As it turns out, there is credible evidence that the JMB, a banned fundamentalist group in Bangladesh, organized the synchronized bombings around the country in August, orchestrated the suicide bombings directed at Peace Corps in two towns in November, and threatened to kidnap a volunteer last week. This was the last straw in Peace Corps' opinion, and after numerous visits by Washington and investigations, D.C made the call for us to be evacuated.
I feel compelled to give my own opinion on Muslim extremism, because it is my duty really to uphold Peace Corps' three goals: (1) to provide technical support to countries who ask for it, (2) to learn about and participate in the local culture and language, and (3) upon returning to the States to educate and promote understanding for Americans of other cultures. That last goal is what I would like to touch upon briefly. Many have their opinions on Islam and on extreme branches of the religion. The description that I have hoped to produce here in this journal is one of understanding, because that is what the world needs more of right now. Bangladesh remains a moderate Muslim country, with the vast majority of its population against acts of violence committed in the name of Islam. Time and time again, I had conversations with nationals, devout Muslims most often, wherein they said that splinter groups such as the JMB are morally repugnant and do them a great, great disservice in the world. In my opinion, the people who use violence to promote Islam do so because they are angry about the mismanagement of their country and what they view as attacks on their religion. The JMB by and large focuses on national issues and wants an Islamic state for Bangladesh. They do not want Islam to change or evolve, which is in fact what every religion does over time. A good comparison might be that Islam is what Christianity was in the medieval period (Inquisition anyone?), because Islam is just about that old, or young I should say.
What I see as the JMB's driving force is not Islam itself, but their outrage at the mind-boggling, entrenched corruption of the country and the social ills that have been plaguing the population for so long. People don't have food, they don't have opportunities to go to school, they can't find work, etc. These are basic things that gone without, people turn to desperate measures. They take recourse in different things, and the JMB takes recourse in a fundamentalist conception of God and their narrow picture of what is religiously right. It is terrible that these things happen at all, but even worse I believe is that at the moment when we ought to be addressing the real, core issues of why these countries are in a mess, we are directing our attention to the the means and methods reactionaries use to commit these vicious acts. Therefore, I don't dismiss or pardon what JMB or any other group is doing, but I do think we need to be looking a little closer before drawing conclusions.
I will close this entry, but not on such a serious note. It is difficult to say what my plans are at the moment, but whether Peace Corps related or not, my 7 months in Bangladesh will influence my life. The people's warmth and generosity was unlike anything I had ever seen, and I believe that it is much due to Islam's emphasis on charity that they are so giving. Despite all the challenges facing Bangladeshis, I have met some of the most hard-working and dedicated people. Despite how much I complained about the limitations facing women in Bangladesh, I have never been so proud as I was there to be one myself. The courage that those women demonstrated, the commitment to achieving their goals, and the love that they showed to their families and friends, were more inspiring than anything I have ever encountered before. It makes me emotional just to think of it.
I will post some of my last pictures soon, so if interested, check that link in the near future. Take care everyone, and thank you for helping me with my third goal of Peace Corps by reading these entries.
-Marie