Arabic does it!

Bangladesh’s Religious Affairs Ministry has found a novel way to address the obnoxious habit public urination by appealing to people’s religious sentiments.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 May 2015, 01:00 PM
Updated : 6 May 2015, 01:00 PM

The government had long tried to dissuade people from using public spaces as open urinals.

But its cautionary messages - in bright and bold Bengali - had failed to deter men on the move from unzipping at the first opportunity.

So someone hit upon the idea of writing the messages in Arabic. And, miraculously, the brainwave worked!

Arabic is regarded as a sacred language in Bangladesh, where 94.4 percent of the people are Muslim. But only a few understand it.

Playing upon people’s awe of the language and its religious underpinnings, the ministry has written on roadside walls in Arabic—‘Huna Mamnu Atatbul’.

Though the same message in Bengali had only been treated with disdain by those under ‘pressure’, , the ministry says the Arabic words, though probably not understood, seem to have had drawn instant results.

Encouraged by the impact, the ministry has also made a two-minute documentary on its unique initiative and posted it on video sharing website YouTube.

In the documentary, the ministry christened its initiative as “A smart solution to a foul problem.”

The video was uploaded on the website on May 2. Until 9am Wednesday, 1496 people had viewed it on the YouTube.

People are also discussing it on other social networking sites like Facebook.

“We have been receiving tremendous response. Even the prime minister thanked the religious affairs minister for the initiative after watching the video,” a ministry official told bdnews24.com.

Right beneath the Arabic sentence, the citizens are directed towards a nearby public toilet or a mosque with an arrow mark.

In the video, some people are seen changing their mind at the last moment after seeing the Arabic inscription, while another person is seen repenting for his misdeed after seeing the writing on the wall.

The ministry’s public relations officer Anwar Hossain told bdnews24.com, “The video has been made with a particular idea and we are getting a good response.”

“Apart from creating awareness among people against public urination, the documentary also aims to promote cleanliness with the help of religion,” he said.

Stating that steps would be taken to telecast it in various TV channels, Anwar said it was the responsibility of the city corporations to implement it. 

Religious Affairs Minister Matiur Rahman has said in the video, “Dhaka is a city of mosques. In every mosque there are urinals, yet people are often seen relieving themselves in the open despite the prohibitory message in Bangla.”

He further claims that if the initiative is continued it would “produce 100 percent result.”

Viewers are also appreciating the initiative.

“What an idea sirji,” Sayed Pratik commented on the video, while Nafiul Aziz said, “This is the beginning of the change.”