Tyranny in Kuwait
Friday, 8 August 2008
WE vehemently condemn the tyranny unleashed by the Kuwait authorities on the workers of Bangladesh who have been deprived of their legitimate remunerations and other benefits by the employers there. They simply gave vent to their anguish and agony suffered at the hands of the employers in Kuwait for long and certainly did not deserve to be treated like beasts. They have been beaten mercilessly by the Kuwait police in captivity. These workers have been subject to inhuman torture by their employers right under the nose of the Kuwait authorities and perhaps that was done at their behest.
It is, therefore everybody's right to protest against injustice which actually Bangladeshi workers did which according to Quran can be termed as "Jehad". Any protest against injustice is called "Jehad" in Islam. It is highly unfortunate that instead of solving their legitimate grievances, the authorities there maltreated and sent back them home without any payment even. Most of them could not bring their personal belongings even. This is barbaric behaviour and it only can be attributed to a country like Kuwait which boast of being an Islamic nation. Our Prophet (sm) had instructed, "pay the wages of labour before drying up of his sweat": whereas the wages of these workers were either not paid or paid partially in violation of contract.
In Islam, honouring of any lawful contract by both the parties are binding on each other. There were reports even the 'maids' hired in that country from various countries including Bangladesh were treated like slaves which is strictly prohibited in Islam and they were even subject to sexual abuse ! So what kind of Islamic law is pursued in that country which is in clear contravention of the holy Quran and Sunnah?
The government of Bangladesh (GOB) and particularly the diplomatic staff should be equally held responsible for the tragedy and their failure to tackle the situation. What has the foreign office been doing ? The diplomatic staff engaged and paid by the countrymen totally failed in their duties to handle the situation. What have those diplomats leading a flamboyant life in those countries been doing when the dissatisfaction amongst the workers has been brewing up for some time? The allegation against them is the same all over, whether it is in Malaysia or in the Middle East; they do not provide any help to the Bangladeshi expatriates. These workers are keeping the economy of the country intact and the country is totally dependent on the foreign exchange earned by these workers who are neglected by those 'diplomats'. Even the salaries of those diplomats are paid from the hard earnings of those unfortunate workers. Our hearts bleed when we see how shabbily and rudely those workers are treated by the customs and civil aviation personnel at our airports upon arrival only to extort them. The government should provide special VIP enclosure at our airports for those illustrious sons of the soil.
We, therefore, demand those workers holding legitimate employment visas are allowed to go back to their jobs and paid their contractual wages commensurate with the global inflation and are provided with usual benefits. Those who lost their jobs should be given adequate compensation. Our Foreign Advisor does specifically bear the responsibility for achieving these legitimate demands from the Kuwait government. Our diplomats from those countries must be called back home for their utter failure in handling the situation. They must be made accountable and pay for their inefficiency and neglect.
Mohammad Ataul Hoque
E-mail: mahoque@ulc.com.bd
It is, therefore everybody's right to protest against injustice which actually Bangladeshi workers did which according to Quran can be termed as "Jehad". Any protest against injustice is called "Jehad" in Islam. It is highly unfortunate that instead of solving their legitimate grievances, the authorities there maltreated and sent back them home without any payment even. Most of them could not bring their personal belongings even. This is barbaric behaviour and it only can be attributed to a country like Kuwait which boast of being an Islamic nation. Our Prophet (sm) had instructed, "pay the wages of labour before drying up of his sweat": whereas the wages of these workers were either not paid or paid partially in violation of contract.
In Islam, honouring of any lawful contract by both the parties are binding on each other. There were reports even the 'maids' hired in that country from various countries including Bangladesh were treated like slaves which is strictly prohibited in Islam and they were even subject to sexual abuse ! So what kind of Islamic law is pursued in that country which is in clear contravention of the holy Quran and Sunnah?
The government of Bangladesh (GOB) and particularly the diplomatic staff should be equally held responsible for the tragedy and their failure to tackle the situation. What has the foreign office been doing ? The diplomatic staff engaged and paid by the countrymen totally failed in their duties to handle the situation. What have those diplomats leading a flamboyant life in those countries been doing when the dissatisfaction amongst the workers has been brewing up for some time? The allegation against them is the same all over, whether it is in Malaysia or in the Middle East; they do not provide any help to the Bangladeshi expatriates. These workers are keeping the economy of the country intact and the country is totally dependent on the foreign exchange earned by these workers who are neglected by those 'diplomats'. Even the salaries of those diplomats are paid from the hard earnings of those unfortunate workers. Our hearts bleed when we see how shabbily and rudely those workers are treated by the customs and civil aviation personnel at our airports upon arrival only to extort them. The government should provide special VIP enclosure at our airports for those illustrious sons of the soil.
We, therefore, demand those workers holding legitimate employment visas are allowed to go back to their jobs and paid their contractual wages commensurate with the global inflation and are provided with usual benefits. Those who lost their jobs should be given adequate compensation. Our Foreign Advisor does specifically bear the responsibility for achieving these legitimate demands from the Kuwait government. Our diplomats from those countries must be called back home for their utter failure in handling the situation. They must be made accountable and pay for their inefficiency and neglect.
Mohammad Ataul Hoque
E-mail: mahoque@ulc.com.bd