Desicritics Comments on Theatre of the Absurd: The Attack on Taslima Nasreen

Comment by Soham

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 11:13:40 EDT

Wanted to ad some more.. Anyway those in the blogosphere who are not aware of this, the current controvery about Tasleema is not about religion but about the politics of votes. So what is new? The "fundamentalist" party MIM which attacked her is a strong ally of "secular" Congress party. The MIM is afraid that the Left Parties are making indorads into old Hyderabad, a ghetto over which the MIM has dominance today. Minority voters tired of MIM's antics and fundamentalism are voting for the Left. This has become worrisome for the tyrannical MIM and its ally the Congress. So they picked Tasleema as a poster child of the Left and attacked her. In fact they are preaching that if Tasleema is allowed to stay in India by the Left, then the Left is against their religion. So the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh has been pretty mum about the attacks and even made the police register a case against Tasleema. This has made Hyderabad and India a laughing stock in the world. It has also exposed the double standards of the Congress. Now as for the "Natioanlist" BJP party, it has come out in strong defense of Taslima. Now wait, where was this party when MF Hussain was repeatedly attacked and forced into exile? Did it protest against the torture of MF Hussain at the hand of Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, VHP and the other fundamentalist parties? It's protestations were as feeble as the Congress in Andhra Pradesh. After all they didn't want to upset their Bajrangi allies. So this incident also exposes the double standards of the BJP. Now the Left is also accused of double standards. That is also very true. Haven't seen any Left leader condemning the Fatwa issued in Kolkata today. They will probably condemn after deciding the vote bank impact! But the same people were quick to criticize the Congress in Andhra Pradesh. The Left is still smarting in West Bengal at the grand alliance of Congress-Naxalites-BJP-Jamaat-Trinamool (now what is the BJP doing with Jamaat and Naxalites?) under Mamata's leadership - another double standards and hypocritical leader! Thankfully most intellectuals and right thinking common people in Kolkata (as in Hyderabad) have condemned both the Hussain and the Tasleema incidents. So there is still hope for India because a majority of common people are intelligent enough to differentiate between right and wrong. Jai Hind!

Comment by Soham

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 10:53:45 EDT

So is this article defending the free speech of Taslima? Is it condemning the acts of violence by Muslim fundoos against her? If the answers are yes, then it is a great thing and India has hope. It would be great to know the stance of the author when it comes to the free speech and expression of MF Hussain who is now living in exile. I have noticed that one of India's leading political parties which supported the harrassment of MF Hussain on religious grounds and forced him to go in exile, is today demanding justice for Tasleema. Also the voice of the rightwing - the Pioneer, was silent on the MF Hussain issue but is weeping over Tasleema. So it is not that leftist media or intellectuals or parties alone have double standards or are hypocritical. The same applies for the right wing media and intellectuals and parties.

Comment by (a+b)^2=a^2+b^2+2ab

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:42:47 EDT

#Kumar 21,22 The incident in hyderabad is politically motivated which is a pretty common thing in India. BJP and RSS have successfully used this formula for many days, now MIM is trying the same thing. An apt comparison would be political parties using religion to gain publicity and attract vote bank rather than a muslim criticizing Islam or Hindu criticizing Hinduism

Comment by hist

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:52:50 EDT

This is clear and actionable threat. Police should arrest this lunatic for this crime.

Comment by Raji

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:34:28 EDT

Latest update on this episode:- ### Imam in Kolkata puts 'unlimited reward' on Taslima's head http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/17taslima.htm

Comment by Kumar

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 08:22:52 EDT

Irfan (#23) >> I am for banning these Mentalities,similar to the NAZI supportive authors who are banned,isolated and in some cases jailed in Western countries. Criticism of religion is not the same as supporting Nazism. Actually it may be the exact opposite in these cases. If the fascist aspects of religion are condemned, it is more similar to condemning Nazism rather than supporting Nazism. Your analogy is a faulty analogy (in fact exact opposite). If some writers support freedom of speech, humane treatment of women, human rights, abolishing religious persecution, support democracy based on secular humanism etc and criticize Islam on that basis, that is more like condemning Nazism/Fascism rather than supporting Nazism. Even in case of Nazi supporting writers, there is a due sane legal procedure to follow.

Comment by Hyderabadi

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:30:31 EDT

Hi Radhakrishnan, #25 Forget that, such high time is never ever going to come. One thing is but sure while writing your response you were in hightimes.

Comment by J.Radhakrishnan

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:57:52 EDT

It is high time that such legislators who have been elected purely on the basis of a religious majority in their constituencies (though claiming to be a minority in the State) are disqualified and if they feel that Islam is in danger on account of freedom of speech, be deported to Pakistan to have the taste of democracy there.

Comment by temporal

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:42:36 EDT

atlantean: perhaps i did not express it well or you misunderstood:) To say that all those Rushdie types became outcasts by choice sounds very rude. i wrote by choice because prior to writing they knew the hue/cry/support/fatwa etc. it would cause after publication so when they decide to go ahead (let us say for genuine and or ulterior personal motives) and publish, they have made a choice

Comment by Irfan

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:44:13 EDT

Hello Kumar,#22 Yes many Mullahs and Qazis argue that they should be beheaded, their are lot of arguments over that. If you ask my stand, I am not for their beheading, and I think so is the majority of Muslims. I am for banning these Mentalities,similar to the NAZI supportive authors who are banned,isolated and in some cases jailed in Western countries. The writers who support the NAZIS, are indirectly supporting the Holocaust that happened and the writers who are writing against Islam are directly or indirectly supporting the Islamophobia, which GOD forbid, may take shape of pogrom or Holocaust against Muslim.

Comment by Kumar

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:56:15 EDT

Irfan >> But these Rushdie and company (Nasreen, hirsi ali) are themselves no good, they are fame seekers ... If they are fame seekers (which I do not agree), do they deserve to be beheaded? We have been told by several Islamic leaders that Rushdie (and several others like that including the names you mentioned) must be beheaded based on Islamic theology/history. What is your take on this? What does it tell about the faith? >> Majority of Indian Muslim Women are happy and supportive of Shariath ... Both men and women are usually supportive of the religion they are born into. But the question is, how much of it is due to brain-washing from childhood? Many of the things like sati, untouchability, caste system, dowry system etc were/are supported by women too (even though women are the worst sufferers of these). If a 12 year boy in Afghanistan could behead a captive without an apparent prick of conscience, one can imagine the power of brain-washing.

Comment by Kumar

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:35:12 EDT

Historian, >> First difference is Tasleema, Salman are criticizing abnormality in their OWN religion; in contrast MF Hussain is doing denigration of deities of OTHER religion. How does it matter if one criticizes "own" religion or "other". I am not a muslim but I criticize Islam. Am I not allowed? You cannot have it both ways - if you support driving out of MF Hussain into exile, you cannot oppose a similar thing done to Rushdie or Taslima.

Comment by MIM_supporter

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:27:48 EDT

MIM was right, MIM Zindabad, Musalmanaon ka Nara hai MIM ka Sahara hai.

Comment by Irfan

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:24:33 EDT

(a+b)^2=a^2+b # 18: Your statement is right, I know that MIM is all not serious about this issue, it is a political party trying to gain political benefits , it is not uncommon anywhere. But these Rushdie and company (Nasreen, hirsi ali) are themselves no good, they are fame seekers, look nasreen, if she was abused as a child and molested by her family members(as she claims) what has Islam to do with it. Hirsi Ali is another lie, she needed Asylum in European country,and made stories. Historian #17 If their is any abnormality in Islam let the Islamic scholars sought it, who has given authority to Tasleema or Rushdie,Hirsi Ali(All are no more Muslims, they are self-proclaimed Atheist). I have seen hundreds of Women in my family or relatives , not even one is unhappy with shariath type of marriage or Inheritance etc, no body is abused. Majority of Indian Muslim Women are happy and supportive of Shariath( the way it is in India) I have drawn parallel to M.F.Hussain and Tasleema : M.F.Hussain painted hindu Goddess in the way he looked at them, similarly Taslima wrote the way she saw Islam to be, neither of them were right, so the protest against them was right. In fact I support the Hindus who protested against the screening of 'Water', I support those who protested against M.F.Hussain. The only thing is the violent protests should be avoided as much as possible.

Comment by (a+b)^2=a^2+b^2+2ab

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:05:53 EDT

@Historian @Irfan The incident in hyderabad is politically motivated which is a pretty common thing in India. BJP and RSS have successfully used this formula for many days, now MIM is trying the same thing. An apt comparison would be political parties using religion to gain publicity and attract vote bank rather than a muslim criticizing Islam or Hindu criticizing Hinduism

Comment by Historian

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:41:42 EDT

@Irfan - How could you draw parallel between Hindu deities denigration by MF Hussain and Tasleema Nasreen, Salman Rushdie episode? First difference is Tasleema, Salman are criticizing abnormality in their OWN religion; in contrast MF Hussain is doing denigration of deities of OTHER religion. Secondly denigration of deities is huge crime as opposed to pointing out shortfalls in the religion. Probably one parallel to mf hussain episode could be Danish Cartoon Episode and every one is aware how violent was the reaction after that.

Comment by Atlantean

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:13:14 EDT

My feeling is that it is the people - that is common Muslims - who should revive the tradition of ijtihad. The ulema is unlikely to encourage ijtihad as it takes away their position in Muslim society. Once ijtihad is encouraged, some people might realize that the institution of ulema is rather unnecessary as people may find ways to interpret the Quran on their own. These days, there are a lot of "courses" out there which can drill the Bible into a man's head in a month. To say that all those Rushdie types became outcasts by choice sounds very rude. It's factually incorrect too. Taslima Nasreen didnt come to India to have fun and taste Hyderabadi biryani.

Comment by temporal

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:10:02 EDT

atlantean: will make two points: Except that the tradition of ijtihad had been thrown in the dustbin long ago and shows no signs of coming back. not true... it is being used 'selectively' by the ulema... selectively butnot substantively...their is a need to highlight its importance and the role it can play in long overdue 'reformation' and re: outcasts they became one by choice... as for the (wannabees') scholarship...the doting media lovers refrain from pointing it out... instead they play up their half baked assertions because it suits them ;)

Comment by Atlantean

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:36:04 EDT

Temporal, Except that the tradition of ijtihad had been thrown in the dustbin long ago and shows no signs of coming back. Regarding "rushdi wannabes" playing to the gallery and being "attention-whore or attention-gigolo for islamophobes" and their scholarship being shallow and limited: These people are not scholars. They are not wannabe PhDs trying to write research papers on Islam. They are just outcasts from Islamic society - hated, disowned and despised by Muslims - who are speaking out against the rather peaceful treatment they are getting from the followers of the religion of peace. They're lucky they are still alive :) And we kafirs are lucky we get a different perspective to evaluate Islamic society than the usual high-on-political-correctness-but-low-on-intellectual-value perspective we get from the MSM, Muslims, the Left and the "intellectuals."

Comment by MIM_supporter

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:01:59 EDT

I am with MIM, they did 100% right. Owaisi saab aage badho Hum tumhare sath hai.

Comment by Albert Pinto

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:41:25 EDT

The same old idiotic numbers argument -- x billion Muslims are such and such. Well, I am impressed. Not just x billion, but x billion mostly poor, ignorant, powerless muslims. Y billion non-muslims seem to be doing better than the x billion muslims, don't they. India has a billion people. US is 0.3 billion. Yet the US beats India. Numbers mean shit when they are used illogically.

Comment by temporal

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 13:04:36 EDT

sujai and irfan: (i posted this on another board for you guys yesterday) re: exchange between irfan and sujai: sharia is a way of devising laws for muslims...it is based on qur'an, sunnah (the actions of the prophet), hadith (the oral traditions and sayings of the prophet...later codified) and ijma (consensus - tracing its origin in the prophet's saying 'My community will never agree upon an error')...and qiyas (analogical reasoning) all together one can use ijtihad (same root as jihad!...meaning arriving at an independent interpretaion taking into consideration all above sources of law to proffer a legal decision affecting muslims) to emphatically insist that sharia cannot be touched is an alien assumption and irfan is out of his league here:) **** some more thoughts on rushdi wannabees...(taslima, wafa, aayan hirsa, manji, mr. rajkotwala etc.) their scholarship is shallow and limited...they play the gallery...and love being attention-whore or attention-gigolo for islamophobes apolgise for this harsh asessment **** one final thought: there are over one billion muslims and over five billion non-muslims who are experts on islam :)

Comment by Sujai

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:24:37 EDT

#8, Irfan: For heavens sake live Shariath Are you serious?

Comment by Aaman

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 09:26:03 EDT

Comments are fine again, as you can see.

Comment by Irfan

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 09:01:39 EDT

#7 Ledzius Look Ledzius there are scores of people in Hyderabad, who had criticized the actions of MIM , nobody were lynched. why are people so much after criticizing Islam. Well shariath is a part and parcel of Islam, and almost all Muslim Girls(atleast in India) are satisfied with it. Well criticize the mob who burnt the Godhra train, Criticize each and every bomb blast and the riots done by Muslims since Independence committed by Muslims,no body is going to Lynch you. For heavens sake live Shariath, there may be some incidents were Indian women have problems with Shariath, that can also be civil laws ,overall they are very much in support of it. And please stop to be sarcastic, even Hindus are not going to be behave when their religious figures are denigrated, do not forgot the vandalism done at the sets of Water( it was never completed India), do not forgot M.F.Hussain episode, did not Shiv Sena stopped Fire, did not they attacked Shabana Azmis House. And which Hindu actor or actress protested against it? And what can Javed Akhtar do, tomorrow you will ask what Sharukh Khan has done. As far as what MIM has done, there are scores of Muslim who protested, there was a rally by reporters and no body was Lynched.