Debate over Taslima

The sheer outrage on display over Taslima Nasreen8217;s writings evident in the Urdu press...

The sheer outrage on display over Taslima Nasreen8217;s writings evident in the Urdu press has now been more or less replaced by a debate on the matter. On December 1 Delhi-based daily Hindustan Express reported how the general secretary of the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind and MP, Mahmood Madani, has 8216;forgiven8217; the author, saying, 8220;The chapter of opposing Taslima Nasreen must now be closed.8221; On December 2, Delhi8217;s Shahi Imam was quoted in the same paper as saying, 8220;The pardon to the universally defamed author is rebellion against the Shariat.8221; He added: 8220;Without a written public apology, her presence in the country is intolerable to 25 crore Indian Muslims.8221; Akhbar-e-Mashriq, the Kolkata and Delhi-based daily, wrote in an editorial on December 2: 8220;Eventually, Taslima Nasreen has come to her senses. Prophet Mohammed always forgave his enemies and now that the author has agreed to remove the controversial portions from the book, we should follow the Prophet8217;s path and forgive Taslima. Muslims should not get distracted by unnecessary controversies, and they should focus on their own development and well being, even though severe opposition to how Taslima has attacked Islam should have been mounted.8221; National Herald8217;s Qaumi Awaz in an editorial on November 29 wrote: 8220;Belief in God and the Prophet should not be so weak that criticism by a Taslima or Salman Rushdie would demolish the faith. Human history is witness to this.8221; Aziz Burney, editor, Rashtriya Sahara, in a signed front-page editorial November 28 has criticised her prose as 8220;risque8221; and something 8220;not in sync with the culture in South Asia and pure pornography.8221; The paper maintains that her 8220;writing style, subject and content matters, her religion is not an issue.8221;

US hand?

Jamaat-e-Islami8217;s biweekly mouthpiece, Daawat, on November 25 wrote that 8220;emergency and democracy are poles apart. They cannot be brought together.8221; The paper holds that 8220;the manner in which the US is talking with regard to the declaration of emergency in Pakistan gives rise to the suspicion that the US is behind the emergency being called.8221; This view is echoed in the Hyderabad-based Rahnuma-e-Deccan, expressed in an editorial November 22 entitled, 8220;Pakistan ke haalaat ke liye, America zimmedaar8221;. The paper says, 8220;Both Bush and Musharraf have failed in Pakistan, and a failed and unpopular dictator can hardly lead his country, and is unlikely to succeed in future too.8221; Lucknow-daily Qaumi Khabrein, on November 17, in an editorial entitled 8216;Teen Pervez8217;, wrote of Pervez Musharraf donning three roles, and General Kiyani also being cast in an image of Musharraf!

Behind the blasts

The three serial blasts in courts in UP were covered extensively, with all papers hinting at a communal bias of government agencies when it comes to booking those responsible. Hindustan Express, on November 24, in an editorial entitled 8216;UP ke dhamaakon ka raaz8217; the mystery of the UP blasts wrote: 8220;The features of the blasts in UP are very common to some past blasts, and if a proper inquiry is made, it will not be difficult to reach the real culprits, but only if all aspects are inquired into and no community or organisation is simply blamed for it.8221; Delhi8217;s Jadeed Khabar wrote in an editorial on November 27 that 8220;the spirit is that even if 100 culprits go free, in no case must a single innocent be punished. But what has been happening recently is the reverse. Only one community is being targeted and those responsible are the police, intelligence and the lawyers themselves.8221; Akhbar-e-Mashriq on November 25 wrote: 8220;It8217;s not illogical to say that in crimes like these there is always the involvement of a local hand, and for the sake of national security, the rotten eggs should be located and hunted down with a sense of urgency.8221; It disagreed with the BJP that POTA is required; it said the 8220;present laws are adequate.8221;

Malaysian-Indian Blues

Rashtriya Sahara wrote in an editorial on November 27: 8220;The seeds of discrimination against Indian-origin citizens there were sown by the British. They took them from here as slaves, and while departing, handed the reins of power to the Muslim regime and did not ensure equal participation for those of Indian-origin. The process continues.8221; Akhbar-e-Mashriq on December 1 wrote that 8220;if the claim of the Malaysian government that there is no discrimination between people on the basis of colour or race or religion is correct, they should ensure that no injustice should be done to the vast number of people of Indian origin settled8230; Even those protesting the repression must protest peacefully and avoid inflammatory campaigns.8221;