Taslima Nasreen pitches for UCC in India, stresses its need in Bangladesh, Pakistan too

Voicing concern over Bangladesh’s political situation, Nasrin alleged that religious fundamentalist forces were gaining ground in the country.

“Now we have Jamaat-e-Islami as an Opposition party. It is against women’s equality, and they want Sharia rule. If that happens, no minority will survive. Bangladesh is moving towards darkness. No one is trying to civilise the country. The government is only trying to remain in power,” she said.

Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin in Kolkata, Sunday. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Advocating for freedom of speech, Nasrin said, “Religion should be separate from the State. Religion and State have no relation.”

Drawing a parallel between the recent demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Delhi to the July 2024 student uprisings that ousted former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nasrin cautioned that public sentiment is easily manipulated.

“I felt what is happening in India is similar to what happened in Bangladesh during the July 2024 student movement. The student movement in Bangladesh fooled us. Because we thought the students wanted to abolish the quota system. Sheikh Hasina had also agreed to their demands, but ultimately the government fell. Later, we found that jihadis (Islamic fundamentalists) were behind that movement. The fallout has not been good for Bangladesh. Jihadis have taken over power there,” Nasrin said.

The author also strongly opposed the ban imposed on the Awami League, characterising it as an “anti-democratic” measure.

“No political party should be banned. The way Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country is questionable. It was not right to ban the Awami League. It was a move against democracy. I want the ban to be lifted as soon as possible. Many Awami League workers were tortured and murdered. Sheikh Hasina wants to go back, but I don’t know whether that would be possible. But no one wants me to go back,” she said.

Nasrin also called for replacing religious schools with secular institutions, alleging that parts of the system foster radicalisation and abuse.

“I feel madrasas shouldn’t exist in Bangladesh. Because we see, though not always, jihadis are being produced in madrasas. Child abuse goes on there, rapes are happening, imams and madrasa teachers are sent to jail. But just punishment won’t help. The education system needs a transformation. I don’t think there is a need for madrasas. No one does anything after passing out of madrasas. They beg and survive on charity. Madrasas should be abolished and secular schools should come up instead,” she said.

Nasrin also addressed an incident from Saturday evening at Kolkata’s Rabindra Sadan, where a felicitation ceremony for her was temporarily disrupted.

The controversy erupted when she invited poet Joy Goswami onto the stage and requested him to address the gathering. However, loud objections from a section of the audience forced the poet to step down without speaking.

“Of course I felt bad. It wasn’t just an insult to Joy, I was insulted as well. It was I who called Joy. In my speech, I spoke about freedom of speech. We may have differing opinions, but everyone should be allowed to speak,” she said.

“Were those who prevented Joy from taking the stage among the people who liked my speech? That would be double-standard. You support someone when they speak in favor of freedom of expression, but when that same person calls a poet to express his views, you don’t want to hear him, she said.

“Kolkata is a city of progressives. People believe in freedom of speech and the right to express one’s views. Political ideologies may differ, but everyone must be given the space to express one’s opinions,” Nasrin added.

Meanwhile, when asked, Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh declined to offer any statement on Nasrin’s presence in the state.

“We don’t want to comment on Taslima Nasrin. We didn’t have our government when she was asked to leave Bengal and now, when she is here, TMC is still not at the helm of power. Hence, we don’t want to comment on the matter,” Ghosh said.