An FIR was registered against me last night. They do not like my tweets that I posted on November 6.
LUCKNOW/KOLKATA: An FIR has been lodged against controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen for allegedly hurting religious sentiments following a complaint by a prominent Muslim cleric of Uttar Pradesh, a charge which the author said shocked her.
The case was lodged at Kotwali police station by Hasan Raza Khan Noori Miyan, son of the “sajjadanasheen” of Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat Maulana Subhan Raza Khan Subhani Miyan, who objected to certain tweets by Nasreen against clerics on November 6, police sources said here on Thursday.
In the complaint, it was alleged that with her remarks against clerics on Twitter the writer had hurt the feelings of the Muslim community.
Noori Miyan said a fatwa has been issued in the light of Hadees and Quran. It was demanded that the passport of the writer should be seized and she should be arrested.
Taslima said she was shocked to hear about the FIR as she had only spoken the truth.
“I do not know what wrong have I done with those tweets. I only spoke the truth and once again they are after me,” Taslima told PTI from New Delhi.
“I am shocked to hear this. How can this happen in a democratic country like India where the Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression,” wondered the 51-year-old author who was forced to flee from Bangladesh after threats from fundamentalists for hurting religious sentiments.
After Arvind Kejriwal sought support for his Aam Aadmi Party from controversial UP cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, Taslima had criticised the meeting on Twitter.
In 2007, the Maulana had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on the author’s head if New Delhi did not restrict her entry to the country.
Following violent protests over renewal of her visa later on, she was bundled out of Kolkata by the authorities to Delhi.
Noting that her freedom of speech and expression has always been in danger, the author said, “Fundamentalists do not believe in human rights and so I am never allowed to speak even the truth.”
Mr. Hasan Raza Khan Noori Miyan did not at least say that a fatwa was not issued or a price was not set on my head. He said that the fatwa was issued ‘in the light of the Hadith and the Quran’.
Here are some old fatwa-news:
Nobody is allowed to set price on anyone’s head in India. The fatwas are illegal here. It is against the Indian constitution to ask people to kill anyone in the light any damn thing.
But Noori Miyan is angry at me for me being unhappy with their fatwa. He wants me to accept the fatwa gracefully as the fatwas are based on the Hadith and the Quran.
The cleric is wrong if he claims that I am wrong, because I say he is anti-freespeech. Didn’t he already prove that he was anti-freespeech by issuing a fatwa against me in 2007? Am I a criminal because I have told the truth?
They claim I hurt religious feelings of the entire Muslim community. Did I commit a crime or hurt Muslim community by telling the truth about Tauqeer Raza Khan that he was against my free speech, and he issued a fatwa? The cleric set price on my head. I tweeted that the cleric set price on my head. They now claim that my tweet hurts their religious sentiments. Religious sentiments are very dangerous things. These sentiments go against individual freedom and plurality of thoughts — the essential parts of democracy.
The truth only hurts liars and hypocrites. All Muslims in India are not afraid of truth, nor are all of them liars, hypocrites or fundamentalists. Some are. And they always use the name of whole community for their own political interests. Should this trend be continued? Should fatwas continue to be issued, Court cases continue to be filed and FIRs continue to be registered against writers, artists, and women, specially courageous women?
No man has ever been arrested for issuing fatwas against me. Now the UP cops filed the FIR against me for criticizing the fatwa. Tauqeer raza khan, the man who set price on my head is the hero, and me the victim is booked. The world we live in is definitely the world of insane and fanatics.
FN actually said it right: “FIR against Taslima for being alive”.
Come what may, my struggle will carry on, through my writings. I shall keep on dreaming of a society free from religious fundamentalism.
Update: TOI
The case was registered against her under IPC and IT Act provisions, which relate to “deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings” on the basis of Bareilly cleric Hasan Raza Khan Noori Miyan’s complaint. A conviction under these provisions can lead to up to eight-year imprisonment. Hasan Raza Khan Noori Miyan cited one of her tweets last month in his complaint on Wednesday in which Nasreen described clerics, who go unpunished for issuing antiwomen fatwas, as criminals.
Now my question is which Government has sanctioned to make an allegation of an offence under Section 295A as it can not be made without the previous sanction of the Central Government or of the State Government?
If I may ask: what is a FIR? I’m not familiar with that acronym.
Police case
FIR – first information report. Police has to investigate.
Me either – but I certainly hope you beat it quickly and its just a temporary nuisance to you nothing more Taslima Nasreen.
Keep up the good fight and best wishes, you have my full support for whatever it may be worth.
FIR refers to First Information Report or First Incidence Report, which is basically the first report that an individual lodges at a police station, based on which the police can take action. Generally, in India, the police are not allowed to take suo motu cognizance of any civil complaint (only the Courts can do that) until and unless a citizen brings it to their official attention. This is, of course, a general description since IANAL.
Ah. Okay. Thanks for that info & comment Kausik Datta.
This is what boggles my mind:
How can Taslima’s expressions of genuine grievances against certain idiot clerics who placed a price on her head Be construed to hurt the feelings of an entire community? I mean, how does that work? Unless, of course, the complainant is merely trying to drum up communal feelings and a sense of alienation in that entire community in order to take advantage of them?
True.
And the hypocrisy becomes even more starkly apparent when one considers this case from 2007, where the Hindu member of a political party called for beheading and cutting off the tongue of another Hindu politician belonging to another political party. There was entirely warranted public outrage generated against the former – on the grounds that the former had “incited violence and terrorism by issuing such a threat to a statesman of the country”.
There was, however, a distinct lack of such righteous anger when the idiot, ignorant Islamic cleric issued a virtually similar call for bringing violent physical harm to Taslima.
And yet, when Taslima – as the victim – dared to speak out, suddenly she became the one to “disturb communal harmony”? Fuck that noise.
Mr. Dutta this political case you pointed out is purely political nonsense done by two rival political parties….though it is wrong…..You gave it a religious colour……dont just write anything just to make a loud point…..
The religious and political parties milk each other to survive is the blatent truth in India. The muslims and hindus are equal opportunist. Not one cleric dared to spell fatwa or lodge any FIR against any hindu whodamaged the babri masjid. The hindus will attack mercilessly they know.
The hindus dare not attack any masjid in Kashmir, the muslims will cut the hindus to pieces.
Its cowerdice to attck an unarmed Taslma hiding behind religious books and its intolerence. There are vested supporters no wonder.
Perfectly right assessment Kaushik Dutta.
Have you never heard of “Islamophobia” ? Hard to imagine. It comes from the same propagandist corner.
Very SAD & IRRITATING NEWS indeed !
Fatwa on someone’s tweets !!!
Now can i ask Mr.Hasan Raza Khan Noori Miyan & Co. that, is this the present status of Islam which is too fragile to tolerate someone’s tweets?
If its yes, then really the power of so called Allah and Co. has come to its dead end. that’s why his foolish fellows loses temper and speech control.
ধর্ম এখন কাঁচের ঘরে সুরক্ষিত আর ভগবান নিদ্রা গেছেন হুর পরীর পরকীয়তায়…।
Well said. The humor is the slap, hope they are qualified to understand. 🙂
The FIR for hate speech in India is just abused in cases like this. It’s meant to stop communal violence. How on Earth is speaking up about genuine problems a cause for this.
It’s clear as hell that many religious groups have problems. Hindutva, Sadhu sex abuse and con-men abound in Hinduism. Saying so doesn’t insult Hindus.
Do Muslims really think those barely literate Imams who barely speak the Arabic they quote from their Korans as they issue Fatwas on random nonsense are helping Muslims or are the voices of ignorance and stupidity.
It’s like listening to the Village Idiot when you have Kabir in front of you.
@Kausik Datta #3 – Thanks.
Um, If someone says the world is flat (which is implicit in the Old Testament) and I say he is talking like an idiot, then I am the bad guy… if I have understood the way they interpret the law.
Hypothetical question: If a mafia Don converts, and pays an imam to issue a fatwah including a death threat against someone, it would all be legal (or the laws at least not enforced)? And if someone carries out the death threat, the worst that can happen is a slap on the wrist for the imam for not bothering to check the ulterior motives of the Don?
(BTW thanks for the photos of the Swedish prison)
“I am shocked to hear this. How can this happen in a democratic country like India where the Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression,”?
Err, the country that continues to ban Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses…
That’s infuriating, Taslima. You tell the truth about something that was done to you, and someone accuses you of a crime! Absolutely infuriating.
Me and the atheist community are also very hurt at this maulana’s fatwa and FIR. This maulana needs to be arrested for directly attemptng to destroy communal harmony and disrespecting the fundamental right of speech in the Indian constitution. Maulana first have to obey the Indian law and constitution and understand India is NOT guided by any koran or hadith.
I am ready to lodge an FIR against this maulana.
Fatwas were the fundamental right of all religions. Socrates was poisoned with Fatwa. Mr nathuram vinayak Godse shot Mr. M.K.Gandhi under a fatwaa. There is temple in Kancheevaram where the hindu manager named sankararaman was murdered on a Hindu fatwaa. Supreme courts powers is limited to passing decrees on paper. We hanged Nathuram Godse and put a portrait of his co accused in Parliament. We shall also sentence any person who executes the fatwaa. I am an atheist. I am likely to be hanged if I visit Pakistan for Blasphemy. Hindu fatwa can be against God fearing Hindus. In 1952 we broke Hindu Idols in the street of madras with a pure intention of hurting the feelings of god fearing hindus. The Apex court let us go. Now we are accostomed to paid assassins. charuhasan (ex lawyer)