MsYiY - Yasmin Choudhury

‪#‎ honour‬  abuse  ‪#‎ misogyny‬   ‪#‎ sylhet‬   ‪#‎ bangladesh‬   ‪#‎ letter‬ My rally call today to all Muslims & Brits - as part of Eid Mubarek is to say enough is enough - let's kick out evil patriarchy & oppression once and for all please? ‪#‎ equalityforall‬ (Now - for a series of open Choudhury letters from me. One of many to my British Bangladesh London based Muslim family who are utterly UnIslamic). Open Letter From An Aunt To The Next Generation Imtiaz Choudhury (20, nephew Brunel University), Nadia Choudhury (19 niece Graveney School), Mikhail Choudhury (16 nephew at Harris Academy, Mitcham). As I have been kicked out and expelled/ostracised by my #British & #Bangladesh family and community - I wrote via iPhone on low battery. Hence excuse typos or grammar errors. Also I may have your ages wrong as being your aunt. That is not my fault.  You will recall that I was cut off by your parents Nazmin Choudhury and Enamul Haque...

This is my story of British domestic honour based violence now gone international.  I am Yasmin Choudhury.   I am a social entrepreneur.  I live in London and am British.  I am  the founder of Lovedesh ( social business/enterprise) and  Amcariza Foundation ,  a British charity. The former is launching the #LTTTW campaign    which will showcase my heritage nation of Bangladesh and other nations in August 2015 at a top prestigious venue in London.  Both are designed to make the rest of the world fall in love with 'Third World' nations and to buy from the artisans out there - so that more pennies can be put into the pockets of local people. 

Today is World Hijab Day (WHD).  Sigh.   And I whole-heartedly and unreservedly disagree with the idea, the concept, its message and strategy.   Like the WJD founder I am Muslim.  I too am of Bangladeshi heritage.  That is where the difference ends.   But I am British. Was born in London.  And I have never worn hijab unless the occasion merits it.  Many of the women in my British community and especially women in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh do. Yet growing up I recall how hardly anyone covered their hair.  I find it interesting.  Because I am not sure the reason is in always about empowerment.  Today, in 2015 nearly all the Muslim women in my community both in UK and Bangladesh wear the hijab with a black overcoat or the niqab.  And it is starting to really worry me. Sigh. Not the wearing of course - which I utterly support.   It is the why, the how, the when and the who. And how by wearing it - perhaps other ...

Photo to the left shows me with my beloved, late dad.   Today, Sunday September 21, 2014  is World Peace Day.   If my beloved dad were alive today, out would have come his cranky Smith Corona typewriter. The neatly folded creased carbon paper and the emission of furious jabbing of the keys, which would wobble his NHS glasses at the end of his nose.  Off my dad would go, ranting and raging under his breath as he squinted and scowled his way into writing and demanding an end to the war in the Middle East.  This was London.  And it was not a few years back. No. It was the 1980s.   His letter would have been aimed at his arch political nemesis, Mrs Thatcher over the Iran-Iraq war.  Peace eh? What's the odds?   Back to WPD. Not to be confused with WMD (Weapons of mass destruction) or Tony Blair.  

Am rather fed up. In fact am simmering.  Here is why.  On Saturday 5 July, 2014, brave British newspaper The Guardian did an article on Bangladesh as a holiday destination with a title of ' Big Bang. "  A small voice that tried to showcase there might be more to Bangladesh than meets the eye. They were the first to agree to fly out with me - to investigate my theory that Bangladesh is ready to be a new holiday destination.   At time of writing this it has got 50 or so comments .  Some of them quite strong and virulent (which thankfully have already been removed).  Some accusing the writer of being on dope.   It made me sad.  And it reminded me of the long, dusty, thankless walk I am on.   But now it is time to fight back on behalf of Bangladeshi people. Its artisans. Its resort owners.   And why the Bangladesh Tourism Board must address the issues around infrastructure, traffic and negative image. 

"In order for evil to flourish, all that is required is for good men to do nothing." From Edward Burke.  18th century Irish statesman and author.  (1729 - 1797) This is a blog post I wrote on my top 10 suggestions to help Bangladeshi garment workers. Problem is, I, like most of us, truly didn't know the extent of how badly the garment workers were suffering.  I love my skinny jeans. I have oodles of them. At least 15.  And with many of these, would smile at the irony of the 'Made in Bangladesh" label and the connection it made with me, personally.  Little did I know that it would soon be my raison d'etre. 

On May 2, 02:05 PM EST Christiane Amanpour of CNN interviewed Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina via live video conference on the Rana Plaza garment's factory collapse. Check it out here http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/02/prime-minister-says-bangladesh-is-reforming-its-garment-industry/#comment-53141 I could not help commenting and so here goes.

(Written back in March 5, 2013). My first ever post.  What a sad way to start.  I cannot believe after decades of travelling,  Etihad Airlines were the first airlines ever to lose my luggage and namely all my clothes and toiletries.  I have never flown with them before.  Ok - I take that back - some memory of Bangladesh Biman is surfacing here but I may have blotted it out at the time, due to the incessant shrieks of my mother hysterically baying for Biman's blood after the airline lost her luggage.  The experience scarred me I am sure and goof fortune had the sense to keep me protected from the horror of lost luggage as am sure she felt I had done my time - until now.