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<title>Counterpoint &#45; Lubna Ferdowsi</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/rss/author/lubna-ferdowsi</link>
<description>Counterpoint &#45; Lubna Ferdowsi</description>
<dc:language>en</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Copyright 2025 counterpoint&#45; All Rights Reserved.</dc:rights>

<item>
<title>When a War Thousands of Miles Away Reaches the Kitchen Table</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/war-thousands-of-miles-away</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/war-thousands-of-miles-away</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Bangladesh cannot end the war in the Middle East. Nor can it prevent the next pandemic, commodity shock or geo-political disruption. What it can do is decide how exposed its citizens will be when the next shock arrives. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:20:29 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Middle East conflict, energy security, Bangladesh economy, jobs</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Four Murders, Two Narratives, and the Evidence in Between</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/four-murders-two-narratives-and-the-evidence-in-between</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/four-murders-two-narratives-and-the-evidence-in-between</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Somewhere between those two narratives, Ganapati, Pritilata, Agami and Ayush risk ceasing to be four human beings and becoming evidence for somebody else’s political story. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:56:17 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Ganapati Chakraborty, Murder, Rangpur, minority</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>We&amp;apos;re Missing the Key Point About the Pink Buses</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/when-a-pink-bus-is-a-bridge-not-a-boundary</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/when-a-pink-bus-is-a-bridge-not-a-boundary</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Giving a woman a corner of the bus and giving her control of the direction of the entire bus are not the same politics. Today her passengers may be women. Tomorrow everyone may be on board. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:23:39 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Pink Bus, Women, Transport</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Creation of Moral Permission for Violence</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/the-creation-of-moral-permission-for-violence</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/the-creation-of-moral-permission-for-violence</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Is coercive moral policing becoming normalized in Bangladesh’s public sphere? ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:14:20 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>New Age, Constitution, Ashes</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Bangladesh Cannot Afford to Dismiss the Warning Before Reading It</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/Bangladesh-Cannot-Afford-to-Dismiss-the-Warning-Before-Reading-It</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/Bangladesh-Cannot-Afford-to-Dismiss-the-Warning-Before-Reading-It</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When the minister responsible for internal security dismisses a terrorism warning before reading the report, the greater concern is no longer only the warning itself, it is the state’s capacity to respond to one. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202608/image_870x580_6a86cb061ab08.jpg" length="58993" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:40:05 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Al-Qaeda, AQIS, Salahuddin Ahmed, UN, Terrorism</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>But Why Didn’t She Leave?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/but-why-didnt-she-leave</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/but-why-didnt-she-leave</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The woman does not remain because she is foolish. She may be trapped inside a psychologically destabilizing pattern in which exceptional moments of tenderness are interpreted as evidence that the relationship can still be saved. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:00:22 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Survival, Abusive Marriage</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What Defines a Client State?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/what-defines-a-client-state</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/what-defines-a-client-state</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If autonomy matters only in relation to one great power while compliance with another is rebranded as &quot;technical cooperation,&quot; then Bangladesh has not escaped dependency. It has merely changed its address. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:23:17 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>India, United States, Foreign Minister, Foreign Policy</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Is an Empty Chair Diplomatic Leverage?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/Empty-chair-diplomatic-leverage</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/Empty-chair-diplomatic-leverage</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If the chair simply remains empty, the summit proceeds, other states advance their interests, India absorbs the symbolism without changing its behaviour, and Bangladesh returns home with little more than domestic applause, then it was not leverage. It was an opportunity lost. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:18:24 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Diplomatic strategy, Bangladesh, India, BRICS</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What is the Greatest Myth About Kashmir?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/What-is-the-Greatest-Myth-About-Kashmir</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/What-is-the-Greatest-Myth-About-Kashmir</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ India says Kashmir is an integral part of its territory. Pakistan says it is an unfinished international dispute. Global powers treat it as a question of regional security. But Kashmiris themselves still do not possess an equal role in determining their political future. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:09:26 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>India, Pakistan, JAAC</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>When the Army Enters the Classroom</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/When-the-Army-Enters-the-Classroom</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/When-the-Army-Enters-the-Classroom</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When an institution that possesses the legitimate instruments of force also begins accumulating authority over the definition of morality, citizenship and national identity, the balance can become fragile. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:21:38 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Waker-Uz-Zaman, Ershad, Zia, NATO</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>When a Female Teacher Smiles, Society Panics</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/When-a-Female-Teacher-Smiles%2C-Society-Panics</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/When-a-Female-Teacher-Smiles%2C-Society-Panics</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A female teacher&#039;s social media reel sparked national outrage -- but the controversy reveals far more about gendered surveillance, respectability politics and patriarchal control than it does about education. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2026 14:48:13 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Women, Teachers</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Politics of Sweetness</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/The-Politics-of-Sweetness</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/The-Politics-of-Sweetness</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Behind every woman labelled &quot;too harsh&quot; may be years of swallowed humiliation. Years of carefully choosing politeness over dignity. Years of emotional labour performed for everyone except herself. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:24:11 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Feminism, Pierre Bourdieu, Deepa Khandakar</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>We&amp;apos;re Looking to Pakistan for Safety Tips? Seriously?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/were-looking-to-pakistan-for-safety-tips-seriously</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/were-looking-to-pakistan-for-safety-tips-seriously</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The more important question is whether technology and outcomes should be treated as equivalent. Installing thousands of surveillance cameras is not the same as creating a safe society. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202607/image_870x580_6a5c97e463bb2.jpg" length="36835" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:54:39 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Pakistan, Safety, Urban Safety</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Crisis of Coherent Foreign Policy</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/the-crisis-of-coherent-foreign-policy-in-bangladesh</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/the-crisis-of-coherent-foreign-policy-in-bangladesh</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Engagement with China is presented as proof of resistance against Western dominance. Good relations with India become synonymous with regional stability. Foreign policy becomes a performance of political identity rather than a framework for advancing long-term national interests. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:23:49 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Foreign Policy, USA, China, India</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why are We Talking About What Women Wear?</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/why-are-we-talking-about-what-women-wear</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/why-are-we-talking-about-what-women-wear</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Women are neither vessels of national honour nor laboratories of cultural experimentation. They are citizens. And the value of a citizen lies not in her clothing, but in her ideas, her voice, her political convictions, and her contributions. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:00:47 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Zubaida Rahman, Sari, Women, First Lady, Clothing, Political Expectations</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Subaltern is Being Renamed</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/The-Subaltern-Is-Being-Renamed</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/The-Subaltern-Is-Being-Renamed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When the language of subalternity becomes a resource through which those closest to power construct their own political identities, we are compelled to ask: Are we truly listening to the voices of the marginalized, or are we witnessing the moral prestige of marginality being transformed into yet another form of political capital? ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202602/image_870x580_699168cb2da31.jpg" length="82565" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 11:09:30 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jamaat-e-Islami, Spivak, Subalterns</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Bedsheet Theory of Women&amp;apos;s Success</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/the-bedsheet-theory-of-womens-success</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/the-bedsheet-theory-of-womens-success</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A political culture that cannot imagine women as independent political actors inevitably returns to patriarchy&#039;s oldest explanation: If a woman has succeeded, she must have traded her body for power. That explanation tells us very little about women. But it tells us almost everything about the society that produces it. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202606/image_870x580_6a30e529884b7.jpg" length="48596" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:04:29 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Women, Patriarchy, Female MP</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Citizenship, Rights, and the Moral Obligation of the State: Lessons from Florida and Saudi Arabi</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/citizenship-rights-and-the-moral-obligation-of-the-state-lessons-from-florida-and-saudi-arabi</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/citizenship-rights-and-the-moral-obligation-of-the-state-lessons-from-florida-and-saudi-arabi</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Whether a PhD student in Florida or a domestic worker returning from Saudi Arabia, the principle is the same: The state must recognize, protect, and advocate for all citizens equally. We do not merely demand justice; we demand presence, accountability, and moral integrity. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202604/image_870x580_69edf2f9a04c4.jpg" length="74789" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:00:21 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Citizens, legal rights, moral obligation</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Food Security is a Question of Sovereignty</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/Food-Insecurity-and-the-Erosion-of-Food-Sovereignty-in-Bangladesh</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/Food-Insecurity-and-the-Erosion-of-Food-Sovereignty-in-Bangladesh</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hunger rarely appears alone; it is accompanied by indebtedness, illness, labour precarity, and social exclusion. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202604/image_870x580_69edcd7951cde.jpg" length="92579" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:57:44 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Amartya Sen, food insecurity</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Child Abuse, Religious Power, and the Silence of Institutions</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/child-abuse-religious-power-and-the-silence-of-institutions</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/child-abuse-religious-power-and-the-silence-of-institutions</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A society in which the “honour of the huzur” matters more than a child’s cry has not yet learned justice. A state in which poor families are afraid to seek justice has not yet learned equal protection. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202604/image_870x580_69e885b438499.jpg" length="90507" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:25:08 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Justice, Settlement</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Case for Mangal Shobhajatra</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/the-case-for-mangal-shobhajatra</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/the-case-for-mangal-shobhajatra</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If belief is so fragile that papier-mâché masks and symbolic animals can threaten it, the problem lies not with the procession, but with the insecurity of that belief. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202604/image_870x580_69d4a8981837f.jpg" length="176432" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:48:12 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Mangal Shobhajatra, Dhaka University, Pohela Boishakh</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Armed in History, Unarmed in Memory</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/armed-in-history-unarmed-in-memory</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/armed-in-history-unarmed-in-memory</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Women were not mere supporters; they were shapers of conditions, bearers of risk, and, in many cases, decisive actors. The war cannot be imagined without them, but its written history has often proceeded as though it could. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202603/image_870x580_69ca294416983.jpg" length="66732" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:45:33 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Women, 1971, Liberation War</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>When Transition Becomes a Gendered Battlefield</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/When-Transition-Becomes-a-Gendered-Battlefield</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/When-Transition-Becomes-a-Gendered-Battlefield</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Bangladesh does not lack visible women, women in campaigns, women in commemorative posters, women seated at consultation tables, women repeatedly invoked in speeches. But visibility without authority is not empowerment; it is performance. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202603/image_870x580_69afb7decac08.jpg" length="42104" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:00:05 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Sheikh Hasina, Khaleda Zia, Benazir Bhutto, Indira Gandhi</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What a Woman Wears</title>
<link>https://counterpointbd.com/What-a-Woman-Wears</link>
<guid>https://counterpointbd.com/What-a-Woman-Wears</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The masculinity crisis in Bangladesh is not a psychological issue alone. Young men possess smartphones but lack jobs, security, or agency. Powerless in real life, they become powerful on screens. Their remaining sense of control is exercised through digital domination of women’s bodies. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://counterpointbd.com/uploads/images/202603/image_870x580_69a5533b84554.jpg" length="50445" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:07:51 +0600</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Lubna Ferdowsi</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Zaima Rahman, Zaima, Women</media:keywords>
</item>

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