The attack on noted writer Taslima Nasrin by legislators and activists of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in Hyderabad on Thursday and the subsequent defence of the attack by party leaders deserve strong condemnation and stern action. Taslima, a controversial writer, has been hounded by Muslim fundamentalists for years and has been forced into exile from her native country, Bangladesh. Muslim clerics have issued fatwas against her for laying bare some unpleasant truths about Muslim society. While the attack in Hyderabad is not the first time Taslima has been targeted, it represents a new low. Those who threw books and chairs at Taslima and others at the press meet in Hyderabad were not an unruly mob that unleashed violence suddenly and spontaneously but a group of party activists, including MLAs. What they engaged in was pre-planned hooliganism. What is even more shocking is the manner in which MIM MLA, Akbaruddin Owaisi, has justified the attack on Taslima and gone on to say that she “deserved more.” He has issued a warning that she will be beheaded if she sets foot in Hyderabad again. A cleric has issued a fatwa calling for the blackening of Taslima’s face for her alleged criticism of Islam.
If Owaisi and others are unhappy with Taslima’s books, they have the option of not reading them. If they believe she has violated laws in this country, they can take the matter to court. But they do not have the right to attack her or anyone else. They need to bear in mind that India is a secular democracy and that they have to play by the rules laid down by the Constitution. The Indian government has issued her a visa to stay in India and it is not for the MIM or any other party to decide whether or not she should be allowed into the country.
The MIM is not some fringe group; it is a political party that is part of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre. This makes the threats issued by its MLAs and others are all the more reprehensible. Their incendiary statements might be mere rhetoric ahead of municipal polls in Hyderabad but they cannot be taken lightly. Owaisi and others are being treated with kids’ gloves. Instead of booking those who attacked Taslima under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code i.e. for attempt to murder, the police have charged them with rioting and trespassing. They deserve stern punishment.
The attack on noted writer Taslima Nasrin by legislators and activists of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in Hyderabad on Thursday and the subsequent defence of the attack by party leaders deserve strong condemnation and stern action. Taslima, a controversial writer, has been hounded by Muslim fundamentalists for years and has been forced into exile from her native country, Bangladesh. Muslim clerics have issued fatwas against her for laying bare some unpleasant truths about Muslim society. While the attack in Hyderabad is not the first time Taslima has been targeted, it represents a new low. Those who threw books and chairs at Taslima and others at the press meet in Hyderabad were not an unruly mob that unleashed violence suddenly and spontaneously but a group of party activists, including MLAs. What they engaged in was pre-planned hooliganism. What is even more shocking is the manner in which MIM MLA, Akbaruddin Owaisi, has justified the attack on Taslima and gone on to say that she “deserved more.” He has issued a warning that she will be beheaded if she sets foot in Hyderabad again. A cleric has issued a fatwa calling for the blackening of Taslima’s face for her alleged criticism of Islam.
