Smoking in public places

Shahriar Kabir, Eskaton Garden Govt. Officers' Quarters, Dhaka
Although smoking in public places has been banned by the government for quite some time now, people are still seen smoking anywhere and everywhere. Even during the holy month of Ramadan, smokers are lighting cigarettes and puffing out clouds of smoke onto the faces of other people. If I recall correctly, only a year ago, newspapers were flooded with reports of smokers being penalized publicly. Some wrongdoers also had to endure the humiliation of doing sit-ups in front of the ever curious general masses of Bangladesh. But now it seems everyone has forgotten that smoking publicly was ever a punishable crime. Smoking is undoubtedly a most hazardous addiction. Cigarettes, biris and other tobacco leaf products are drugs in disguise and inhaling the smoke by burning these products can lead to cancer, tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis and many other diseases that even sound terrible! Smoking is not permitted in Islam and so every Muslim should avoid this practice for his or her whole life. Most of us already know the demerits of smoking yet we are either smoking ourselves or letting others do it. The anti-smoking law should be implemented properly and rigorously. The general people should also be aware so that no one can smoke in a public place. The cigarette manufacturers must 'Show The Real Picture' of the hazards of smoking. The government can also consider imposing tax on the sale of cigarettes. ADHUNIK can introduce an 'anti-smoke drive' to raise awareness amongst the general people. There should be no place for smoking in a civilized country.