Diaspora

Diaspora simply means movement of a group of people from our country to another. In fact, the term ‘diaspora’ refers o people who have left their homelands and settled in other parts of the world either willingly or being forced or for both reasons. There are some major causes for which people disperse to a foreign country. There is a long historical background of diasporas all over the world such as the expulsion of the Jews from Judah who formed the greatest diaspora in history, the fleeting of the Greeks after the Turkey attack and fall of Constantinople, the African Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the movement of Aryans from Central Europe, etc. Besides, colonization, imperialism, conflict and wars, ravages of nature, scientific and technological advancement, globalization, transportation to capital and labour, poverty, high ambition for better living, brain-drain, etc. have contributed a lot to the rapid diasporas in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. But the Palestinian diaspora in the 20th century and the diaspora of the Rohingya refugees in the 21st century have attracted a lot of attention of the world leaders and peace-loving people because of the unspeakable misery and plight of the Palestinian Muslims and the Rohingya Muslims. Similarly, during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971, many Hindus were compelled to disperse in India. Today, in this age of globalization, massive diasporas including the Bangladeshi diaspora are found all over the world. For instance, diasporas of about 3,00,000 and 6,00,000 Bangladeshis live in the United Kingdom and Italy respectively. There are both merits and demerits in diaspora. Forced diaspora creates political, social and economic crises and global problems. But in the post-modern age, it has created ample opportunities in the fields of trade and commerce, social and cultural interaction, friendship and understanding breaking the geographical boundaries of the world.