Monday, August 13, 2007

In-nocent Tasleema

Babri Masjid demolition became the reason for many quirks in social life of people specific to Hindu and Muslim religion. India was burning in flames of communalism, barbarism and innocent lives were living on the verge of high level of insecurity, curfew, police exploitation and community fear. People of both the religion were cursing each other and secretly there were parallel worlds from politics and criminals who were engaged in doing best to their thoughts. State security measures tantalize and incidence of Babri demolition and Bombay riots gave an identity to India on global scale of terrorism activated region. When these activities were affecting internal parts of India on various scales, other part of criminalization and demolition were happening in Bangladesh, India’s neighbor country. During those periods of riots in Bangladesh, Tasleema came in picture and write actively about riot cases and property; life vanished in Bangladesh during riots. She forms all his thoughts in form of one book ‘Lajja’. The content of book agonized her critique sitting on political chairs and religious fundamentalists groups, who releases fatwa against her to kill her. [As for Salman Rushdie]
That fatwa forces her to leave her country and she absconded to seek loyalist rehabilitation from Indian government and her people. Although thousands of Bangladeshis migrate to India legally or illegally but this time the migration of a writer was different because such migration was protested by Indian counterpart of religious fundamentalists and their leaders. But some how she managed to have a safe (unsafe) place for her being India as a mediocre.
The reason for writing this article was a recent attack made by a mob of ~30 MLAs and localites from Hyderabad to controversial writer, Tasleema, while she was visiting a conference to release her book. A lady (women) was brutally attacked by goons and gundas in front of media and people, breaking all the law and order by stating that Tasleema and her thoughts are harmful for Muslim community and people. Logically and legally no buddy can attack on a public meeting where thoughts and ideas have to share in context of removing religious ills and describing the outfits of any religion. In fact we are living in a society where we have rights to share information, rights to express and live. What could be the consequences of ideas formed by Tasleema Nasreen for a particular society of people irrespective of person who belongs to a particular community?
This is the personnel guilt of fundamentalist and extremists who think that such an idea of having religious amelioration lead by a woman who is certainly a bit controversial and bit foreign to us and our society is provoking their religion for any kind of wrong doing and wrong reason. Up to an extent Tasleema has written about restrictions imposed by Islam on women, women outcry in her community, atrocities, exploitation, terror surmounted on women, women empowerment and revival of male psychology relating to relationship with female. And she is not the only one who is writing about these entire topics and expressing a general concern over such areas but there are many activists working in these areas. Then why she is been beaten by Chappals in Hyderabad. Who has relegated these MLAs and Gundas to adhere such steps in day light breaking all legal and constitutional rights?
And question remains the same, who is responsible for this? Tasleema or We?

12 comments:

Shiv said...

this is dismay on our part that we, who claiming to tolerant, secular, modern, advanced... promoting the culture of lynching.
To speak against injustice is right that is supposed to be franchised by every cilvil Society.
Erlier, few couple of months ago there was attack on students of MS university during there internal examination raised certain questions over freedom to speek and express...dissident opinions are required to think in other way...otherwise it will be like 'deep slumber in decided opinions' as John stuart mill, written in his political essay on "Liberty". A civil society could only thrive when there will be admissibility from every side...and it is ours responsibility...what kind of society we want- a knowledge based that will be roobust and respect individuals sovereignity, in which there is availability of space for toleration, secularism, scholarship, and respect for each and individual, or a society where reign to decide given in the hands of few people, self prophesying themself moral-teacher-caretaker-police and belive in vandalism, suppression, making mute...
The case of Taslima Nasrin was a tragedy and onece an adverisement of what these goons and so called representative beleive in. These people are exemplifying again like there other counterparts that how they are breaking the law and order- intresting is that after doing such act of malice they were realesed by police soon on bail.
A writer who internationally renowned and proponent of woman's right amid male dominated society became the victim of such indiscent and uncivilised act. This is more than tragedy and same on parts.I am raising question that why Artists and writers are vulnerable to thease attacks?

Pradeep said...

exactly...

Unknown said...

dear pradeep,
pls do not take this response as a support to the attackers, nay, infact i condemn the attacks and being a muslim myself , am ashamed that muslims hv attached and humiliated a woman.
but if we analyse the political scenario , say , over a period of the 10-15 years, which include the demolition of babri masjid and subsequent riots across india and then the mumbai serial bomb , the godra incident and the pogrom carried out against muslim , the post 9/11 war on terrorism , not to mention the kashmir issue, we muslims are in a constant fear of our own.. maybe these devils are a creation of our own community, maybe this is due to the lack of leadership and constant betrayal by the political parties...
the muslim community is under a constant microscope as it is , and the present happenings around the world are further fueling the insecurities of the muslims. i can recount a number of related or unrelated instances which could justify my opinion; but the political asyllum to taslima by indian government is just one of the instances. Do we not have enuf problems of our own , without having to invite more trouble!!

coming back to the taslima question; i personally feel that she neither has any capabilities not any business writing books; i hv tried to read lajja (in english) but found it utterly boring and ungriping.. and had there not been such a hue and cry about the contents in her own country, am sure, u and i would have not been aware about her existence.. taslima is a creation of media hype followed by the fatwa..period. another writer whose life and fame changed after the fatwa is sulman rushdie, but having read his books in the past, i would comment that atleast he is a decent writer.. the point i am trying to make here taslima is unneccesary intrution in our already troubled and rippled existence..and a bangladeshi, who has been given a "sharan", should not try and disturb the uneasy calm, and specially if she's an aweful writer , at that too !!
already enuf things have been written about Prophet Mohammed and his teaching and i'm sure that few of the teaching would either be irrelevant today or would have been corrupted by various people for their personal greed, but we defintely do not need taslima nasreen to guide us about, and defintely not with her poor writing skills..

Pradeep said...

Hi Aseem,
From the starting I was trying to assemble the presence of Tasleema in India....of course it was a political game...but psychologically this fatwa concept is danger in nature keeping the fact of impossible return of Tasleema or Rushdie to their country..they have fear to life...apart from all that Tasleema is not a professional writer...agreed...but how many of ideal muslims came out of muslim community to question their own faith and people knowing the fact that there is a constant sense of insecurity and fear hovering over whole islamic community. After independence and till now..there is not muslim regiment or there are very few muslims who reaches to the high ranks in Indian army. This is a naked truth.
I have raised a question in my article posted here...which was questioning presence of Tasleema in India.......knowing the fact that Tasleema is not skilled as Rushdie in writing..otherwise she would be protected by USA or she would have approached to USA for her protection.
I agreed to you that she is again a problem among several problems. But have a philosophy whether you are knowing or not.
"Nindak niyre Rakhiye, Aangan Kuti Chabay"

Unknown said...

"Bin sabun paani bina, nirmal kare suhay"

This is kabir, is'nt it ?

frankly, i do agree with you; the contribution from the muslim is really abysymally low as is the fact that not many muslim liberals come out and speak against the radicals, atleast not as much as u and i would have wanted to..

and i'm also glad that u agree wt the fact that taslima nasreen being given the asylum in inda was polically motived..

Pradeep said...

yeah the doha was from Kabir...

Every asylum is politically motivated because it has to cross political boundaries of any nation first.

Shiv said...

it is you people's ingorance that you are comapring the literary skills and pointing one over the other...Some few couple of months i attended a literary program in which Taslima hershelf recited poems and they all were awsome and hert rendering as it was coming out of her heart, genuinly. And second is Rushdie's literarture is available directly in language in which he writes, and on the other hand of Taslima it is translated...in which it already lost around 80 percent of depth...Rushdie is citizen of india but still not given entry in its own country- which is heart of his literary practice, since Fatwa. Intrestingly India was the first country who first ban his book ...than other muslim country...his moors last sigh was in banned in Bombay by Tackheray, because it portrayed the free sprit of Mumbai...and then irony his novel mid night children's adapatation was banned in india because of its telling of Indira Gandhi's political savagery, which doomed the sprit of democracy.
Then western countries came forward to help him...for which he is still paying the price...
writers and Artists, whose creation and evolution takes place from herats.They say usually what they see...to say what is happening is wrong which some times costing their lifes...turning the face of human society indiffernt and heinous...
it is not happening at a perticular place but all over the world...I respect human dignity and their free sprit to say and express. There is strong need to revival the whole sytem. there is need of tolerance and feeling of being human rather than leaving the sign of savegary, enemosity, hatred. Extemism of any kind bound to pay its price..first it glorify once action over the others then turned in to utter failure. and result is paid by innocent people.
Since we are moving towards mordenisation, advancement, envisioning the knowledge based society...if this is going on it will fail and obstruct our way as being progressive. We need to be tolerent that only given chance to understand others feelings and arguments.
there were Plato and Socrates who were indicted at their times but now we are almost worshipping and admniring what they given to society.
Socrate was doomed for what is said by state authorities that his philosophy is corrupting the youth's mind...but it was not actually corruption but enlightening the mind...his therories is still relevent and providing the base for others...

Pradeep said...

yes shiv it was incorrect to compare to writers on such narrow grounds.
My point was focused on genuine attacks made on artists and thinkers.
I'm trying to raise one question why state is not able to protect such attacks where it is the question on constitutional liberty which is provided by our sovereign nation.
A country, which is supposedly secular in theory at least, is not able to provide a basic frame to protect the citizenry or refuge in own country.

Shiv said...

Look, it should be...fragile but strong entity- writers, thinkers, intellectuals must be provieded with protection. If not, then we are alrcating the way for a society once it was envisioned by visionay- Ram Rajya or Utopia in political terminology.
Whole matter usully politicised most of times. People those who make it scandal or tragedy on their part are thinkers who have their own agenda on their account rest is peice of Shit.
There is requirement of genuine people in this system those who could curb such violence- making.

Pradeep said...

The utopian concept of life is unimaginable...this is just to remind you there was never been a condition for ramrajya.
But I definitely believe in freedom to express.

Shiv said...

see every thing is revolving around idealism...some utopia..it is like a target or vision we simply have in mind...it is prerequisite for life...

Pradeep said...

yeah Shiv,
it depends on the perspective...prerequisite would be required for life or life would be required for prerequisite.