Taslima threatened with decapitation by Muslim fanatics

The National Secular Society has written to the Indian High Commissioner in London to protest at death threats made to its honorary associate Taslima Nasreen by a Muslim group in the country.

The threats against the Bangladeshi writer, feminist and human rights activist were made by the president of the All-India Ibtehad Council, Taqi Raza Khan. He offered the bounty of about £8,000 for the head of Taslima, whom he described as “that notorious woman”.

He claimed the decision had the full backing of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, but this is thought to be incorrect. He also claimed that 150 scholars, lawyers, retired public servants and professors had passed a resolution to oust Nasreen from India. “This woman has a vicious tongue and has been attacking the Shariat,” Taqi Raza Khan was quoted as saying. “We have been hearing that the Indian Government is thinking of granting her citizenship. The decision is repugnant to all God-fearing Muslims. If the Government does not drive her out within 10 days, all hell will break lose.”

A noted Lucknow cleric, Maulana Khalis Rasheed Firangimahali, said he, too, would like to see Taslima thrown out of India. “She has been consistently vicious in her attack on the Prophet and must be restrained,” he said. But he baulked at the idea of getting someone to kill her. “Beheading someone is not something that falls under the purview of personal law and therefore (scholars) must steer clear of such announcements,” he said.

Taslima has been the target of Islamic fundamentalist anger since speaking in favour of equal rights for women and expressing opposition to the oppression of non-Islamic minorities in Islamic societies. She has also called for a revision of the Koran. Two years ago, another Indian Muslim fanatic offered a reward to anyone who “blackened” her face. The call for her beheading comes from a small but influential Islamic group in Lucknow, and is a further indication of the difficulty the Government has in dealing with her request to be allowed to stay in the country.

In his letter to Kamalesh Sharma, the High Commissioner for India in London, NSS President Terry Sanderson wrote:

“We understand that communal relations are a sensitive issue in India, but we ask that you do all in your power to (a) protect Ms Nasreen from these threats and (b) to bring the full force of the law to bear on those who threaten and incite murder and terror.

“We were honoured to host a conference in London only last week at which Taslima Nasreen spoke so eloquently about her life as a woman trying to accommodate her religious background with her desire to live fully in the 21st century free from threats to her human rights, especially her right to life and freedom of expression. India is modernising very quickly and we are thrilled to see its progress. Please encourage your government to put an end to these terrible threats and menaces, and allow Taslima to live unmolested and in peace. Taslima is a woman of great courage, fortitude and integrity. If India were to grant her citizenship, as she desires, she would be a credit to your great nation.”

See Taslima in action at the NSS-sponsored Women, Islam and the Veil Conference.
More about her here.