ALLIANCE BULLETIN-1

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISM
 Indian Rationalist Association
 P.O.Box 9110, New Delhi 110091, India.
 Telephone: 91-11-91539526 
            91-11-8539526
       Fax: 91-11-2256042
    E-mail: sakth-@giasdla.vsnl.net.in

ALLIANCE BULLETIN-1

10 November 1998

In September 1998, the International Alliance against Fundamentalism launched a campaign in support of Taslima Nasreen. Back in Bangladesh Taslima was forced into hiding again, after fundamentalist groups reiterated their death threats against her. The Dhaka magistrate court issued a new arrest warrent in the old blasphemy case.The Alliance against Fundamentalism together with Indian Rationalist Association wrote a letter to Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, calling upon her to personally ensure the safety of Taslima's life, to guarantee that her government would restrain from persecuting her and arrest those who offer rewards for killing her. The Indian and the international press reported about our demands. Many like-minded organisations and concerned individuals reacted immediately and followed our request to write letters in the same spirit.

Facing international attention, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reacted on
6 October with the first official statement after Taslima's return. Trying to find a "balanced position", she criticised Taslima as well as the Islamic extremists for "crossing the line". She said that the Islamic groups were overreacting, on the other hand freedom of speech did not mean the right to hurt one's religious sentiments. But she stated clearly, the government would not allow anyone to violate the law in response. Foreign minister Abdus Samad Azad confirmed that Taslima would be provided security which she is entitled to as a citizen of Bangladesh. But he insisted that she has to face the court.

During demonstrations by fundamentalists asking for public execution of Taslima Nasreen, police used water canons and arrested twelve persons. But no case was filed against them.

Last week one of the leaders of the fundamentalist party Jama-at-e-Islami has offered another reward of $ 2,500 for informing Taslima's whereabouts (earlier a reward of $ 5,000 was offered by fundamentalists for killing Taslima. The same day Taslima's petition that she may be granted bail in absentia because of the threat to her life, has been rejected by the magistrate court.

Taslima is in very difficult situations. She wished to care for her ailing mother who is terminally ill with colon cancer. But she had to leave her parents alone in the new flat which she bought for them and keeps strictly in hiding. "These are my mother's last days, but I cannot see her", she said in a telephonic conversation from her hideaway. "I cannot go anywhere or meet anyone. I love this country. But my life here is something nobody would want".

But Taslima does not lose her courage. Some days before she reacted powerfully on false news agency report that she has succumbed to the demand of the fundamentalists and agreed to apologise: "I will never bow to Islamic extremists", she said, "I will never be silenced. Nor shall I compromise my ideas and thoughts".

Taslima Nasreen, meantime, has launched a $ 10,000 trust for girls' education in the name of her mother Eid ul-Ara. In a ceremony in her home town Mymensingh, ten selected school girls who are too poor to afford for the schooling have been awarded stipends of $ 105 each per year. The payments will continue till the girls finish their tenth standard. The funds for the trust have come from royalties which Taslima is receiving for her books. As a writer Taslima has shown all throughout that she has at her heart liberation of the oppressed women of her country from the shackles of religion and ignorance. Her decision to initiate concrete projects in support her cause has met with great public appreciation. For security reasons, Taslima was not able to participate herself in the function.

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