While working at Rawalpindi in 1970, I was asked by a Pakistani gentleman about my identity whether I am a Muslim or Bengali first. I proudly identified myself as a Bengali then a Muslim.
   Naturally, he was not happy and confirmed his conviction that breaking up of Pakistan was just a matter of time. This incident came back to me again in relation to the current debate on singing of the national anthem in Bangladeshi madrassahs.
   This is a serious gap in achieving the goal of a unified nation in Bangladesh. The reluctance of the Islamic clergy to accept traditional Bengali culture as a dominant force in shaping this young and sovereign nation is a contentious issue.
   The madrassah education which produces a clergy class carries a diametrically opposite ideology which works against creating a unified Bengali nation. The sharia taboo against music and songs is based on ignorance. A handful of Islamic fundamentalists like the Taliban’s use brute force to enforce this taboo but the vast majority of the Muslims do not share their views.
   Akbar Hussain
   Canada

Success of Indian democracy stands in stark contrast to the bloodlettings taking place in other nominal South Asian democracies — Pakistan and Sri Lanka. These nominally democratic countries have failed to bring peace and prosperity to their people because of their propensity to resort to violence for political change. India’s success in running a relatively violence-free democratic process has been mainly due to Mahatma Gandhi and his legacy of non-violence.
   When Mahatma Gandhi launched his non-violent political movement to end the British colonial rule in India, he made it clear why he rejected all calls for a violent freedom struggle: ‘If Indians take up guns to kill the British, given India’s great ethnic and religious divisions, they would still be using the same guns to kill each other long after the British had gone. I don’t want India’s freedom if it meant Indians would be free to slaughter each other. If India makes violence her creed I will not care to live in India.’
   Thanks to Gandhi, India, despite sporadic bloodlettings, has remained a basically peaceful and stable nation. It has faced many crises since its inception, but it has been able to resolve these crises without descending to never-ending bloodbath as happened to neighbouring Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It still faces many threats and but Indian democracy has proved to be capable of resolving them without resorting to protracted violence. This is evident from the Indian response to recent terrorist attack on Mumbai. Although it was clear that the attack was carried out by extremists based in Pakistan, India’s response has been prudent and non-violent. Gandhi’s teachings will come handy as India faces extremists who are causing havoc in Pakistan.
   Mahmood Elahi
   Ottawa, Canada