Tuesday, December 26, 2006 at 12:12am
Nobel winner slams 'low politics'
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen expressed concern over "ferocious religious politics" practiced in many countries and said the "world has been made poisonous" by "flawed intellectuals joining hands with politics."
This trend distorts both the political and intellectual areas while preventing ordinary citizens from enjoying human rights, Sen told a function in his native Dhaka, Bangladesh, to mark the 20th anniversary of Ain-O-Salish Kendra (ASK), a leading human rights and legal aid group of Bangladesh, IANS News Service reported Tuesday.
His message came as Bangladesh prepares for a contentious general election Jan. 22 marked by protests and violence. This kind of politics leads to "battles, alarming categorization in British society on the basis of religious identity and flawed intellectuals joining hands with low politics," he said.
The 1998 Nobel Prize winner for economics voiced concern at the growth of religious extremism from Hindus and Muslims that destroys secular feelings and creates intolerance, the New Age Tuesday quoted him as saying.
Sen hailed women's agencies for playing an active role in broadening the campaign for better treatment of women to equal rights for all. Praising Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus' initiative to provide credit for the poor, especially women, Sen said earning an independent income, finding jobs outside home, having ownership rights and eduction have enhanced the well- being of women in recent years.
American billionaire and philanthropist George Soros also took part in the function.
This trend distorts both the political and intellectual areas while preventing ordinary citizens from enjoying human rights, Sen told a function in his native Dhaka, Bangladesh, to mark the 20th anniversary of Ain-O-Salish Kendra (ASK), a leading human rights and legal aid group of Bangladesh, IANS News Service reported Tuesday.
His message came as Bangladesh prepares for a contentious general election Jan. 22 marked by protests and violence. This kind of politics leads to "battles, alarming categorization in British society on the basis of religious identity and flawed intellectuals joining hands with low politics," he said.
The 1998 Nobel Prize winner for economics voiced concern at the growth of religious extremism from Hindus and Muslims that destroys secular feelings and creates intolerance, the New Age Tuesday quoted him as saying.
Sen hailed women's agencies for playing an active role in broadening the campaign for better treatment of women to equal rights for all. Praising Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus' initiative to provide credit for the poor, especially women, Sen said earning an independent income, finding jobs outside home, having ownership rights and eduction have enhanced the well- being of women in recent years.
American billionaire and philanthropist George Soros also took part in the function.