Mainstream Urdu newspapers Siasat and Munsif regret that she escaped alive
Taslima Nasreen is a prominent ex-Muslim author, feminist and intellectual.
She has been vocally supporting the rights of minorities in
Nasreen has incensed Muslims for writing a factual novel "Lajja" ("Shame") depicting the life of a Hindu family facing the genocide by Muslims in
As a result of her bold initiatives, she was forced to leave
Taslima Nasreen is a strong woman, and we admire her. We need more brave souls just like her. She openly proclaimed that there should be “No veil, no chador, no hijab, no burqa, no headscarf. Women should not use any of these things because all these are instruments of disrespect”.
That is a powerful argument against encasing women in shaggy bags and shrouds.
“Women are told to wear them so that they cannot exist with their self-respect, honour, confidence, separate identity, own opinion and ideals intact," she stressed.
One would think that the oppressed women would rally around her, alas; fear compels most Muslimahs [Muslim women] to remain silent. The Muslimah really have only to fear the believers for the disbelievers respect free choice. The believers will make the Muslimah blood flow if the Muslimah were to remove those shaggy bags and demeaning shrouds. Nothing lasts forever, and this too shall pass away.
On August 9, 2007, Taslima Nasrin was in
“We were all set to kill her”, said Majidullah Khan about Taslima Nasrin.
The brazen attempt to lynch Taslima Nasrin happened in
The Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (MIM) has warned that it will not allow Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin to go back alive if she dared to come back to the city while the Majlis Bachao Tehreek claimed that their plan to kill her was foiled by the MIM attack.
"We are very proud of our MLAs and activists who assaulted her," said MIM leader and Member of the State Legislature Akbaruddin Owaisi. "We will implement the fatwa issued against Taslima if she comes to the city again."
(Photo-Gallery)
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLAs and Jihadis attempt to kill Taslima Nasreen at the
Kudos to the brave elderly man, Mr.Innaiah Narisetti, who stood up to these misogynistic pigs and sustained injuries while defending this defenseless woman.
She looked in disbelief as they hurled abuses against her. Demanding to know "who had mustered the guts to invite her to Hyderabad, they wanted Ms. Nasrin to be handed over to them.
Without further warning, they began throwing books, bouquets, chairs, and whatever they could lay their hands on at her. Some persons in the mob almost got hold of her but Narisetti Innaiah, rationalist and chairman of the Center for Inquiry, who was her host, shielded her. He was injured in his face. A couple of journalists who went to their rescue also sustained injuries in the scuffle.
Ms. Nasrin escaped unhurt though she was badly shaken by the sudden attack that came minutes after she made a categorical statement that she would continue to fight against evil "till my death".'
Here are two videos of the barbaric attack on this defenseless woman:
On August 10 were two fiery, rabble-rousing statements in Urdu newspapers with translations below (The phrase "Gustakh-e-Rasul" means "one who insults the prophet"):
In Siasat, dated August 10, under two headings:
- 'Gustakh-e-Rasul Authoress Taslima Nasrin Attacked with Bouquets of Flowers'
- 'An Observance of What the Shari'at Commands or Merely a Political Ruse?'
'. . . Gustakh-e-Rasul Taslima Nasrin succeeded in safely going back from Hyderabad, despite the fact that three MLAs, with some fifty supporters, threw flowers at her in the name of a protest. The shameless Gustakh-e-Rasul authoress, who stands next to Salman Rushdie, was taking part in a function organized by the Center for Enquiry at the Press Club, Somaji Goda, when three members of the Legislative Assembly, Muqtada Khan Afsar, Ahmad Pasha Qadiri, and Muazzam Khan, together with more than 50 of their supporters, arrived and, while using abusive language, did no more than cause a ruckus and some vandalism. All of them were unable to harm in the slightest a Gustakh-e-Rasul, not even a woman Gustakh-e-Rasul.
A person despised in the Muslim world, against whom fatwas to kill have been issued, on such a person they threw [merely] bouquets that had been placed near the stage, when [in fact] there were not too many people present there to protect her….'Neither the police nor the Intelligence Service knew about the presence of Taslima Nasrin. That is why the MLAs had a fine opportunity to disrupt her program. However, a most opportune moment to enforce the law of Shari'a on that Gustakh-e-Rasul was wasted, what they did was only for political opportunism. The political ambitions of the protesters was also made evident by the fact that they dared not throw shoes or chappal at the Gustakh-e-Rasul who was only three or four feet away from them, but instead kept throwing bouquets. The Muslim Millat can tolerate every tyranny, injustice, and humiliation but it can never tolerate any disrespect to the Last of the Prophets (pbuh). Whenever anyone has shown such disrespect, Muslims have in turn shown no fear in bringing that person to his deserved end. It is a fact of history that the Faithful have never worried about consequences when it comes to punishing a person who defames the Prophet (pbuh).'
2. In Munsif, dated August 10, under three headings::
- 'An Attempt to Attack the Gustakh-e-Rasul and "Notorious in Time" Taslima Nasrin'
- 'The Bangladeshi Authoress Didn't Get Even a Scratch.'
- 'People say: 'The confused author should have been taught a severe lesson.'
'Three members of the legislative assembly, with some fifteen supporters, disrupted the meeting. They raised slogans and threw a bouquet of flowers and a ladies' handbag toward Taslima Nasrin. Taslima Nasrin hid in a panic behind her hosts and was not at all hurt. She was trembling in fear even though no protesters came near her or lay a hand on her….
'Eyewitnesses say that the way this protest was conducted made it look like a welcoming ceremony with flowers instead. The MLAs and other protesters threw only flowers at Nasrin. They took flowers out of the bouquets set up in the hall, and threw them at her. Not one of the protesters had the courage to take off his shoes or chappals and hit Taslima with them, throw them at her, or at least point the same at her. It was perfectly legitimate [ja'iz] to attack Taslima Nasrin, to humiliate her, or to insult and mock her in any fashion. However, the MLAs and workers of a political party threw flowers, which had people's minds ringing with the old song, 'Baharo phul barsao, mera mahbub aayaa hai.'
'What should have been done instead? Taslima Nasrin should have been dishonoured in such a manner that henceforth she'd never dare to return to Hyderabad. But that was not done. There was no police officer present there. Only two persons were trying to protect Taslima. The protesting MLAs made a lot of noise but showed no willingness to charge forward. Those who saw the whole thing call it a "drama." The leaders of this political party had thrown a pot of filth upon the editor of an Urdu newspaper in Mahdi Patnam, but now they showered only flowers on a Gustakh-e-Rasul. Today all was possible to teach a Gustakh-e-Rasul and a disparager of Islam what her end could be, but a political party of the city wasted the opportunity by seeking only cheap publicity. The leaders of this party drew revolvers in their tussle over one hundred yards of Waqf land, but cast only flowers at Taslima today….'
One was not surprised to find such hate against non-Muslims in the Hyderabadi Urdu press. And the more professional report published on the English language website of Siasat, reflective of a kind of hypocrisy also found in Muslim circles, came not as a surprise either. One is always on one's best behaviour in English in India. Or so was the case, we thought. But the August 11 web-edition of the English language Siasat carried an unsigned statement concerning the incident that tells me that things have indeed changed radically. The statement is headlined, 'Barking dogs never bite!', and read as follows:
'It is said that 30 minutes are enough either to make or break anybody's career, reputation or life. In the wake of the incident of attack on Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreeen [sic] at press club on Thursday, it is indeed unbelievable that MIM MLAs got more than 30 minutes and instead of using this time to its maximum damage, they simply wasted it in chanting useless slogans and hurling flower bouquets knowing fully that they would get badly needed political mileage.
'They could not lift even a chair lying near by to attack her with strong impact though only a few persons were present there. It is nothing but a political gimmick played on her.
'The suicide bombers in Iraq are the best example to eliminate not only their targets but also themselves. And they are doing so with an eye blinker. Imagine, what could they have done if they had 30 minutes. Religious sentiments are totally different from the political ambitions.
'If you are religiously hurt, no might on this earth be able to prevent you to eliminate a person or organization that is involved in blasphemy of prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It clearly indicates that whatever MIM people have on their tongue, it is missing from their hearts as the proverb goes that barking dogs never bite.
'Now, according to Times of India and The Hindu, they are trying to add one more 'feather' to their cap by showing an intention to organize a campaign against Taslima to oust her from the country.
'When they could not utilize those thirty minutes to oust her from this world itself, what is the use to organize a campaign now? It is just like an embarrassed cat is scratching the pole. Religion is second to none to Mr. Asad.'
The Munsif does not have an English language edition. Its issue on August 11, however, carried an editorial, which deserves some notice. Titled, 'The Accursed Gustakh-e-Rasul Taslima Nasrin,' it begins by raising a question: 'What would a true Muslim do if he came face to face with a Gustakh-e-Rasul woman and there is no "security" to protect her?' While it explicitly recommends 'beating with shoes' and 'blackening the face,' it also uses innuendo and 'historical' references to suggest more severe actions. For Munsif, any 'protest' must be 'punitive.' It further points out that if the protesters were hesitant to attack a woman, they could have brought some of their own women with them--the MIM has its own 'women force' and women 'corporators'--and the latter could have made Taslima a target of their wrath.
A week later, on August 17 , Muslim leaders in Kolkata revived an old fatwa against her, urging her to leave the country and offering an unlimited amount of money to anybody who would kill her. On November 21, Kolkata witnessed a violent protest against Nasrin by . A protest organized by the "All India Minority Forum" caused riots in the city and forced the army's deployment to restore order. After the riots, Nasrin was forced to move from Kolkata, her "adopted city" to Jaipur, and to New Delhi the following day where she was kept under "house arrest" and forced to leave India on March 19, 2008.
A little background into why Taslima Nasrin has a fatwa on her head.
Indian Muslim group calls for beheading of writer Taslima Nasreen
LUCKNOW, Sunday, March 18, 2007
Nearly seven months after UP minister Haji Yakoob Qureshi raised a storm by announcing a reward on the heads of two Danish cartoonists for lampooning the Prophet, a little-known conservative Muslim group offered a 500,000 rupee (US $11,319) bounty for the beheading of controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen.
Khan said he had declared a reward of Rs 5 lakh for anyone who killed the "notorious woman". He claimed a core body of the board comprising 150 ulema, lawyers, retired IPS officers, doctors and professors had already passed a resolution to oust Nasreen from India. Khan enjoys wide support among the Barelvi sect and the issue is likely to generate heat in coming days, especially with assembly elections round the corner, observers said.
The president of the All India Ibtehad Council, Taqi Raza Khan, said he had declared the reward for anyone who carried out the "quatal" or "extermination" of the "notorious woman."
"Taslima has put Muslims to shame in her writing. She should be killed and beheaded and anyone who does this will get a reward from the council," he said in a statement received in Lucknow, capital of northern Uttar Pradesh state.
The council, based in the Uttar Pradesh town of Bareilly, is a splinter group of the influential All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
Khan said the only way the bounty would be lifted was if Nasreen "apologises, burns her books and leaves."
The bounty was not a fatwa as Khan, while a cleric, is not senior enough to issue Islamic decrees.
What has Nasreen done to ruffle this body? "Yeh aurat behad badzuban hai, aur Shariat par hamla karti rahi hai (this woman has a vicious tongue and has been attacking the Shariat)," said Khan.
Would the decision be reconsidered? Only if "woh mafi mangey, apni sari kitabein jalaye, aur tauba kare (she apologises, burns her books and leaves)," Khan said.
"We have been hearing that the Indian government is thinking of granting her citizenship. The idea is repugnant to all Allah-fearing Muslims. If the Indian government does not drive her out within 10 days, all hell will break lose," Khan threatened.
A reader's comment from the Times of
Arjun, 02 Mar, 2010
Please join the campaign to "Save Taslima Nasrin From Islamic Death Fatwa in India"
'They could have even killed Taslima', say journalists
(IANS)If Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen escaped unhurt in Thursday's attack by Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislators and cadre at the press club here, it was thanks to the Hindu journalists present there.
The journalists acted as a shield to save Taslima, who was targeted by MIM activists at a book release function.
Only six media persons, mostly photographers, were covering the function as the organisers had invited only a handful of people to the function and Taslima's visit was also kept under warps.
"The legislators and those accompanying them were ferocious. Had we not intervened things would have gone out of control," Ravikanth Reddy, correspondent The Hindu, told newspersons.
Reddy, also secretary of the Hyderabad Press Club, was attending a meeting of the club office bearers in the boardroom at the time when three MIM legislators along with a few supporters barged into the hall where the function was on.
"For half hour no policeman reached the place and it was very difficult to control the legislators and their supporters who were throwing everything they could lay their hands on," Reddy told IANS.
Some missiles hit the journalists and a couple of writers and other participants who stood between Taslima and the attackers.
Innaiah Narisetti of the Centre of Inquiry, the organisers of the book release function, bled after the attack along with K.V.S. Giri, a photographer of Deccan Chronicle.
"It is because of the presence of journalists that the legislators were a bit restrained but the mood of the others was nasty. One of them was shouting 'Kill her'," said Reddy, who had tried to pacify the legislators.
"I told them not to resort to such activities in the Press Club. We have let out the premises to an organisation and it was our responsibility to ensure that no harm was caused to the participants of the function," he said.
"Though we managed to push the legislators and some others out of the meeting hall and escorted Taslima to the store room, another group of people arrived and they were more aggressive," recalled H. Satish, photographer of The Hindu.
"Taslima requested us to call the police, and I told her that the police will be reaching in a few minutes," he said.
"Anything could have happened in those 30 minutes. Fortunately the crowd was not armed. We don't know but they could have even killed her," he said.
"She came behind me to protect herself. She was really scared," said K.V.S. Giri, who received minor injuries in the scuffle. "The attackers threw books kept on the dais at her and some hit me."
Innaiah Narisetti, who saved Taslima from several missiles, termed the attack as "shameful".
"It is shameful on the part of our legislators to resort to such use of abusive language and physically attack her. They took oath on the constitution of India but their behaviour was shocking," said the intellectual.
"The attack on a woman writer is shocking but I think this will not deter her from writing for the rights of women," said V. Komala, whose Telugu translations of Taslima's book "Shodh" and Jung Chang's bestseller "Wild Swans" were released by the novelist at the function.
Meanwhile, journalists took out a rally and demanded stern action against those involved in the attack on Taslima.
The three legislators and some others arrested by the police were granted bail late Thursday by a court.
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