Bangladesh sucks. Yes it does. It does everything to make Islamists ruin the country. It started a war against me more than 20 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of Islamists took to the streets for my execution by hanging, they did it because I told the truth about the incompatibility between Islam and women’s rights. The government filed cases against me on the charges of hurting religious feeling of the people and I was forced to stay in hiding for months and then was forced to leave the country. I have not been allowed to return to my country since then. Politicians or army whoever ruled the country did not take any action against the Islamists who threatened to kill the writers and intellectuals for criticizing Islam. A renowned writer, Ahmed Sharif, was attacked by the Islamists. Shamsur Rahman, a famous poet was also attacked. Islamists almost killed Humayun Azad for writing a novel that made fun of them. A cartoonist called Arifur Rahman was in jail after the government said his drawings had insulted Muslims. Asif Mohiuddin was arrested 2 years ago for his blogs that criticized Islam. Now he is stabbed by the Islamists.
It can be dangerous to be an atheist. In Bangladesh, a popular atheist blogger was attacked and stabbed by a group of Islamic fundamentalists in a suburb of the capital city of Uttara on Monday night.
According to reports, Asif Mohiuddin was stabbed multiple times in the neck and upper body by three unidentified attackers near his office in Dhaka’s upscale Uttara district. Friends of Mohiuddin, who were with him at the time of the attack, blamed “Islamic fundamentalists.”
As of Tuesday, Jan. 15, Mohiuddin was “improving but still not out of danger” at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where surgeons spent more than three hours trying to repair the damage done by the would-be assassins.
Mohiuddin’s blog, is one of the most visited web pages in Bangladesh. Mohiuddin is known for advocating what some have termed “Militant Atheism” in a country where Islam is the state religion, and over 90% of Bangladesh’s 153 million people identify as Muslim.
The biggest harm Bangladesh did to herself is not really by killing or imprisoning atheists or forcing atheists to go into exile, but by forcing millions of citizens to keep their mouth shut forever. They no more express their opinions that the majority finds different.
Secularism was one of the pillars of new born Bangladesh. It was supposed to become more liberal and more secular than Pakistan. But in four decades, the rulers of the country managed to make it a truly Islamist country. The country was separated from Pakistan. But the truth is, Bangladesh is no better than Pakistan.
I once read on your website something that I believe you wrote, and it was along the lines of, “She does not have a home; she is homeless everywhere.” It helped me learn to not feel attached and therefore, not feel disappointed when a country and its despicable laws fail me. A friend’s friend was killed in Pakistan a few years ago for openly denouncing religion. I was told by a white man (a convert) in an international news room that he would slap me if I insulted his prophet.
There is really no place for women in nationalism.
I Think u are talking about misapplication of islam and dilemma between Ur weird bangaladeshi hinduistic culture and Islam and ur knowledge of rights of women in islam is the weakest, sadly! To know what islam is study from the sources of it and by the examples of earlier generation of muslims, who were the pioneers of the modern world! ,
In that case , mr. umar , can u explain me the available fucking rights in islam about women?? searching… searching… searching… by the name of allah !!!!!!!! i dont see them anywhere !!!!!!!
Dear Taslima,
Please don’t give up hope. We are still fighting against Islamists. You are our spirit. One day we will win.
WRONG WRONG WRONG. Taslima is a LIER.Bloggers were arrested because they insulted the fellings and believes of muslims.Freethinking is everyones right .But you can not hurt anyones fellings and believes directly or indirectly by insulting.Specially for religion. Islam says to show respect to other religion and believes and never force anyone to convert .But that does not mean that atheist have any right to insult anyones believes. So its a duty for every religious person (for every religion) to give proper punishment to the CRIMINALS. SO taslima is A LIER.
Amartya Sen received much criticism for saying that Bangladesh had a better record on women’s rights than India. Even so Bangladesh has a bad reputation on persecution of journalists and bloggers that criticize Islam.
UN reports find India is worse than Pakistan and Bangladesh in gender equality. People should accept the truth.
If you have to compare your country with India in order to make your gender equality sound good, then you have a problem.
Whatever! muslim muslim couple with the true understanding of islam leading are the happiest in this world, not talking about semi-hinduised understanding of people of bangladesh who mix culture and islam and say its islam, The wife of prophet was a business women, women were the scholars in islamic empire, they were the doctors, Umar (RA) a companion of prophet appointed, a woman as a judge of market places. so when u say u have problem, u have problem with the behavior of people where you were brought up and not islam, there is a huge difference if u have even a cent of brain!
Bollocks!! Islam among other religion doesn’t care about women,a fact that Taslima can attest. Muslims give me the same old answer about rights of women in Islam but when I ask them if they would allow their daughter or wife or sister with similar rights they are dumbfounded. Talk about hypocrisy and the ingrained patriarchal mindset.
Also Mr. Umar I want to know how many women prophets are there in Islam and give me 1 reason why your god is not a misogynist?
Taslima,
The world is your home. There are many of us who sight un-seen, love and respect you. Your courage gives us courage.
Thank you.
Neither Bangladesh or India, nor the World and Universe ever was and probably never will be a just place. And nobody promised that it will be . You and many millions of us may feel sad, but its perhaps naive to be disappointed.
If Vivekananda were to be born today, or Taslima would to be born again in 100 years from now – this will still not be a fair place, I am afraid. Yet there must be positivity and progress – that’s the only truth about human civilisation over centuries.
You must be aware, as many vocal mullahs and orthodox priests you have calling for your heads, many times more admirers and well wishers for you exist too – albeit, silent, not in the headlines and not personally known to you. Many of us adore and love you, Taslima. Keep up the spirit – not only of womanhood, but humanity.
cheers,
Ouch! Harsh title. Your first home has treated you and other freethinkers horribly, so you have every right to be angry. Still, Bangladesh can’t suck completely, because it produced someone like you.
India also sucks, you narrated that in “Nirbasan”. Taking away freedom of expression from people is very common in India, people are being arrested even for a ‘like’ in Facebook.
Maybe a better title would be ‘Everywhere sucks. But some places suck more than others.’
এক হারামজাদা মুমিন, নোবেলজয়ী অর্থনীতিবিদ অমর্ত্য সেনের মৃত্যুর ফতোয়া লিখে রাখে ১২ এপ্রিল, ২০১১ তারিখে, অথচ ইউটিউব ব্লক করে রাখা “সেক্যুলার” হাসিনা (না, তিনি যথেষ্ট হাসেন) সরকারের তা চোখেই পড়েনি ২০১৩ সালের ১৭ জানুয়ারিতে দাঁড়িয়ে ! মৌলবাদী ফতোয়া সহ্য করাও একধরণের মৌলবাদীতা নয়কি?
উল্লেখ্য, তসলিমা নাসরিনের বই “লজ্জা” রাখার জন্য কেসি টেকনিক্যাল অ্যান্ড বিজনেস ম্যানেজমেন্ট কলেজের অধ্যক্ষ এস এম ইউনুস আলীকে পুলিশ গ্রেপ্তার করেছিল এই হাসিনা সরকার-ই গতবছরের জানুয়ারী মাসে।
আপনার দেখুন ওই মগবাজারী আবু আহমদ হুসাইন নামক “আহলে সুন্নত ওয়াল জামাত” পন্থী বর্বরের ফতোয়াঃ
“কাট্টা নাস্তিক অমর্ত্য সেন ইসলাম ও মুসলমানদের ধর্মীয় অনুভূতিতে চরমভাবে আঘাত হেনে এখনো বহাল তবিয়তে থাকাটা সরকার ও মুসলমানদের চরম ব্যর্থতা
আবু আহমদ হুসাইন, ঢাকা।
৯৭ ভাগ মুসলিম অধ্যুষিত বাংলাদেশে জারজ ধর্মের এক অবৈধ পশুতুল্য হিন্দু সন্তান, অস্পৃশ্য, ম্লেচ্ছ, যবন অমর্ত্য সেন সে মহান আল্লাহ পাক উনার পক্ষ থেকে মনোনীত দ্বীন ইসলাম আমাদের প্রিয় নবী সাইয়্যিদুল মুরসালীন, ইমামুল মুরসালীন হুযূর পাক ছল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়া সাল্লাম উনার রেখে যাওয়া দ্বীন ইসলাম এবং মুসলমানের প্রাণের চেয়ে অমূল্য সম্পদ দ্বীন ইসলাম কে বর্জন করে ‘দ্বীনে ইলাহী’কে গ্রহণ করার আহ্বান করার মতো জঘন্যতম দুঃসাহস প্রকাশ করে ইসলাম ও মুসলমানদের ধর্মীয় অনুভূতিতে চরমভাবে আঘাত হেনেছে।
সে জাতে বিধর্মী তার অপবিত্র মুখে ইসলাম ধর্মের ব্যঙ্গ করার দুঃসাহস পেলো কোথা থেকে?
অথচ এদেশের ৯৭ ভাগ মুসলমান। রাষ্ট্র ধর্ম ইসলাম। সরকার ইসলামের দোহাই দিয়ে গদিতে বসে আছে। প্রতিশ্রুতিও দিয়েছিলো সরকার হলে দেশে কুরআন শরীফ ও সুন্নাহ শরীফ বিরোধী কোনো আইন করা হবে না। অথচ এ সরকারের আমলে ইসলাম ধর্মের অবমাননা, মুসলমানের ধর্মীয় অনুভূতিতে চরমভাবে আঘাত হানা হচ্ছে। সরকার পুতুলের মতো বসে থাকাটা কি প্রমাণ করে? এক্ষেত্রে সরকারের দায়িত্ব কি ছিলো? ইসলাম ধর্মের অবমাননা করে, ধর্মীয় অনুভূতিতে চরমভাবে আঘাত করে এই পশু অমর্ত্য সেন এখনো বহাল তবিয়তে কিভাবে বাংলার যমীনে কিংবা পৃথিবীতে থাকতে পারে? এখনো সময় আছে অনতিবিলম্বে এই পশু অমর্ত্য সেন বাংলাদেশ অথবা পৃথিবীর যেকোনো দেশেই থাকুক তাকে মৃত্যুদ- প্রদান করে দৃষ্টান্তমূলক নজির স্থাপন করা সরকারের অপরিহার্য কর্তব্য।”
http://www.al-ihsan.net/fulltext.aspx?subid=2&textid=3371
Around 15 hundred years old book Quran how can make all writers not but madcaps up to this time,what is the mystery? Could you state any?
It is true that India is a worse place for women – there is mass spread gendercide here. And the Saffron Brigade is no better than Islamists. They want to force the women back to the dark ages. It was always scary and suffocating to be a woman in India – now it has only gotten scarier, due to the revivalism of Hinduism.
Madam Madhumati…….It is not revival of hinduism but adulteration of islamists plus christianity and winds of westerenisation and guidance of Mckaulay ‘s educational system that pushed india downwards………Hinduism if blossoms in its true colour then women will be respected more and will have more freedom than they have now………..in present india it is not saffron brigade but congress brigade that degraded our cultural values…………………………..to hell with your views.it is saffron brigade only that help taslima …and being staunch communist how many medha patkars …barkha dutt….romila thapars have been attacked by saffron brigade will u tell me ???????? mind yer language and think before saying anything.by writing this stupid brainless thing u r presenting wrong picture on international level …u may have differences with saffron brigade but this is not how u shud behave
and why do u have an affair with a person who hails from saffron brigade………….either u have lost your nerves or u don’t have political -practical-social information of india
I APOLOGISE FOR LAST SENTENCE IN MY POST………….THAT U HAVE AN AFFAIR…………….THIS WAS WRONG ENGLISH……….REALLY………..I WANTED TO SAY YOUR BEST FRIENDS ……………SO IN PUBLIC I ACCEPT MY MISTAKE AND TAKE BACK MY STATEMENT THAT U HAVE AN AFFAIR…………….EXCEPT THIS I STAND BY MY WORDS……………AND I REQUEST U TO BE TRANSPARENT AND NOT HYPOCRITE………..BECAUSE IT IS U ONLY WHO POSTED SO MANY POSTS PRAISING BALA SAHEB THAKREY.WHOM I NEVER PRAISED……..BEST OF LUCK FOR YOUR FUTURE…………….
Dear Rohit Gautam, pl z send me link where i have showered blanket praise on Thakre. Also i can disprove with proof all your statements. However i shall make only one – that had Taslima ji written against any of your scriptures, then teh saffroners wouldnt have supported her. They do so, not because she is a feminist, and progressive lady, they do so because her writings are anti-Islamists. i am a proof myself of how i was ostracized simply for wearing a white salwar kurta on 26th January although i was off-duty. i was court-martialled – literally.i had NOTHING but negative gender related experiences inside the saffron bastion.
we want to change this situation …………………
Extremists should give up now like the christian churches did. People have more knowledge than the 1400 yr back people. People are very smart now…No longer you can keep them in darkness. Stop killing intellectuals in the name of GOD. He is your countriy’s pride…You should respect him
Rohit Gautam, if you don’t know good polite English, please refrain from commenting. It only shows your churlishness that non-control of emotions that springs from senseless anger. The Saffron Brigade attacks Medha Patkar etc almost everyday on FB – using the foulest words. Here again, i say “the saffron brigade” and not YOU, since you don;t use foul or impolite language on anyone, other than the heart that loves you the most 🙂 As for physical attack, yes, intellectuals have undergone that treatment also. eg. Sri Bhushan, the Bhandarkar Library was vandalized and so many original manuscripts destroyed. The Ram Sena hoisted Pakistani Flag to create a communal riot and kill Muslims. When Thakre died, Shiv Sena went on a rampage. They held the commercial capital of India at ransom and brought normal life to a standstill. Due to the trouble faced by the common man, they and any party that ties up with them are now many votes short, trust me ! Even if anyone votes for the saffron face, it will be negative voting, and not happily. Even Modi’s report-card shows a slump as compared to the previous record. It is high time you do some soul searching. And once more, i am always ready to give free English coaching – that “lost the nerves” should be replaced by “lost your balance” – love n hugs 🙂
Rohit Gautam, your last sentence also indicates that how my Beloved managed to fool gyanis. Can’t you see the golden yellow robe winking at you from beneath his saffron ? 🙂 mmmmmmmmm…………………
I’m not a blogger nor am i a regular facebook user.. so allow me rant here.
These “god fearing” bastards (though they like using the tern “loving” ) has been blocking traffic from youtube ever since that video about muhammad came out. Sure it hasn’t stopped me from accessijng youtube or any other site for that matter. As a matter of fact, censorship never works. If i want to watch a video or read a book, no one can prevent me from doing so unless they physically restrain me. The only kind of censorship measure that seems to work is the kind which the religious idiots implement on themselves – the thought control kind.
I dont like having to come home and go through 20 different internet backdoors to watch a documentary on youtube which now can take 2-3 times longer to load. if these bearded, curly sideburned, or dog-collar wearing cunts don’t cut out the crap already, rational people are going to get angry, and some might even start contemplating violence. Let’s see who answers their prayer then.
Hi Taslima, i regret that I wasn’t able to introduce myself when cooler heads prevailed.
Regarding the prizes Taslima won from the west, it is interesting to note that the only prizes go to men/women who slander Islam and/or eastern culture. Even if the prize appears to be justified based on the merits of the work, it remains despicable for the underlying reason it is bestowed. As a great thinker once said, “the ultimate corruption is to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”
People have a right to choose what ever mode of religion, culture and politics they want. No one is under any obligation to follow the western model as it is not Gods word. If Bangla or pakistani people in a majority choose Islam in what ever shape they see fit it is their own choice and neither me nor you nor any body else has the right to force them in another direction. So your profession of horror at the state of affairs in Bangladesh or other muslim states appears more to be a case of a slavish mentality than a sign of free thought.
So Miss Taslima, allow me the liberty to tell you that as a liberal atheist I am no at all impressed by your rantings against Islam or any other religion, which sad to say does not seem to include christianity, The religion of your bosses.
(Little late to the party here, but this one was just too much)
As soon as Mullahs get decapitated in the West for professing Islam, you have a point.
Oh, and by the way:
You say
“No one is under any obligation to follow the western model as it is not Gods word.”
and then
“as a liberal atheist I am no at all impressed by your rantings against Islam or any other religion, which sad to say does not seem to include christianity, The religion of your bosses.”
You’re a liar, and an obvious and stupid one. If you are a liberal atheist, I am an ayatollah. And if you think the “bosses” of FTB are Christians, you are an abject moron.
Nothing to be surprised …. In this country it is very possible….. Humayun Azad is murdered, Taslima Nasreen is banished, Shamsur Rahman is attacked …. Now we, freethinkers are their targets….
easy way to get popular : critisize ISLAM without knowing anything and next day are on the headline!!!!
Enough of that,,,now search a new way!!
Certainly God knows better than us,so His Deen is better than ours
Do tell us what we don’t know. So far, we know that Islamic fundamentalists are killing people for not being Islamic, or the wrong kind of Islamic, or not Islamic enough. Not God, fundamentalists. Do tell us all about your new way.
You dont know anything about Islam.KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE IS A CRIME IN ISLAM.Those who are killing are WRONG.Just an example…if anyone prepare a dish for you and its not well prepared then will you blame the dish? I dont think so.KNOW ISLAM FROM ITS HOLY BOOK .Islam says to show respect to other religion and believes and never force anyone to convert
I never knew that there were many atheists in bangladesh. As an american-bengali atheist myself I feel sickened by the ignorance indoctrinated among my background country. It’s a shame that they lack tolerance over there. We need more rational thinkers in bangladesh!!
WRONG WRONG WRONG. Taslima, You are lying.Bloggers were arrested because they insulted the fellings and believes of muslims.Freethinking is everyones right .But you can not hurt anyones fellings and believes directly or indirectly by insulting.Specially for religion. Islam says to show respect to other religion and believes and never force anyone to convert .But that does not mean that atheist have any right to insult anyones believes. So its a duty for every religious person (for every religion) to give proper punishment to the CRIMINALS. SO YOU ARE A LIER.
The thing is “why you will hurt, make fun of others Believe?”.
I thought people were talking about hating bangladesh but it seems that they r talking about hating islam…weird