Fatwah can't silence 'warrior woman' poet

[_DigitaLVampirE_]

''She writes that Muslim women should burn their burqas, that women should be treated as equals, and that religion should have no place in law or government...''

What can you buy for $11,319 these days? You can rent the 14-bedroom Christian Dior Chateau on the French Riviera for a week in December. Or, you can grab a 2001 Ford F-250 Super Duty two-door pickup truck that's still in pretty good shape. Or ... if your taste runs toward the grisly, you and your Muslim extremist cronies might offer $11,319 on the open fatwa market to buy a head; specifically, the head of ''notorious woman'' and dissident writer Taslima Nasreen.

Separated from her body, of course.

The president of northern India's All India Ibtehad Council recently announced a 500,000 rupee (U.S. $11,319) bounty on Nasreen's head. ''She should be killed and beheaded and anyone who does this will get a reward from the council,'' declared cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, because Nasreen made ''derogatory references against Prophet Mohammed in her writings.''

Granted, Nasreen's writings which demand equality and dignity for Muslim (and all) women are, to many Islamic fundamentalists, a bit radical. She writes that Muslim women should burn their burqas, that women should be treated as equals, and that religion should have no place in law or government … heretical stuff to Islamic fundamentalists. Nasreen fled Bangladesh in 1994 due to widespread violence about her writing and spent many years in exile in Europe. She recently sought permanent residency in an area of India that is culturally similar to her native country.

Khan denies that his bounty is gender related: ''Anyone who opposes the Prophet does not deserve to live,'' he proclaims. ''There have been a number of e-mails and telephone calls congratulating me for the bold stance I have taken.'' Khan is getting e-mails that support chopping off a woman's head? What is this? Seventh century violence meets 21st century technology?

Having Muslim extremists call for her death is nothing new to Nasreen. In 1993, the Soldiers of Islam offered about $5,000 for her execution. Scores of writers, editors, playwrights and filmmakers have been executed since the 1960s in places like Algeria, Iran, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and even Amsterdam, where filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was killed in 2004 for making a film called ''Submission.''

Beheading is legal in Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, where many crimes are punishable by public beheading with a large, curved sword. Just last month, in Riyadh, a Sudanese man convicted of sorcery was beheaded in a public ceremony. While beheading may be a tool for justice in some parts of the Islamic world, it is a tool for terror in others (think Daniel Pearl and Nick Berg) and the $11,319 price on Ms. Nasreen's head is intended to keep her from writing more things like this:

''Nature says women are human beings, men have made religions to deny it.

Nature says women are human beings, men cry out NO!

Women are oppressed in the east, in the west, in the south, in the north.

Women are oppressed inside, outside home.

Whether a woman is a believer or a non-believer, she is oppressed.

Beautiful or ugly, oppressed.

Crippled or not, rich or poor, literate or illiterate, oppressed.

Covered or naked, she is oppressed.

Dumb or not, cowardly or courageous, she is always oppressed.

Even a mangy cur of the house barks now and then,

but over the mouths of women cheaply had

there's a lock, a golden lock.''

Clearly, Nasreen has found a way to remove the lock from her mouth. (More of her writing can be found at her website: Taslima Nasin.) So, extremists want her mouth, and the rest of her head, removed from her body. Newspapers in the region have demanded that the Indian government condemn the death sentence, and back it up by offering Nasreen permanent residence. For our part, women all around the world should protest this treatment of a genuine ''warrior woman'' and the world's leaders should demand that Nasreen be protected.

Donna Baver Rovito of South Whitehall Township is a freelance writer.

[Ruks]

well if the woman put the burqa on freely in the first place - whats the point in burning it?

some muslims are just ill-mannered - there are millions of people in the world that do not like or care for islaam and say derogatory and false statements- this is nothing new. why pay attention to those seeking it? i say just get on with one's one life and better one's own immediate community. All this bounty on someone's head is just silly

[_DigitaLVampirE_]

well if the woman put the burqa on freely in the first place - whats the point in burning it?

Some women are forced into wearing the burqa though. This is undeniable.

Examples: Iraqi Women Forced to Wear Headscarves to Avoid Attacks by Fundamentalists || Kashmir: Women forced to wear burqa

some muslims are just ill-mannered - there are millions of people in the world that do not like or care for islaam and say derogatory and false statements- this is nothing new. why pay attention to those seeking it? i say just get on with one's one life and better one's own immediate community. All this bounty on someone's head is just silly

There are also ill-mannered Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus. But i agree with you there. Putting a bounty on anyone's head is ridiculous. In fact, it only encourages more rebellion and violence. On a personal level though, do you think Ms Nasreen's viewpoints are ill-mannered?

[Ruks]

no doubt we are all forced into doing certain things we loathe and cannot avoid - thats just life. sometimes you protest to get rid of it, other times you need to have it in society in order for things to function well - this could be anything from the hijaab to forcing adults to wear seat belts in thier own cars.

there is always an agenda behind everything - its not just about wearing a cloth or not. anyone who thinks otherwise is really naive.

well in iraq - the womens' gruops are saying that life there is worse since the invasion for them - you take your circumstances and work with it.

yes your right there are ill- mannered people everywhere not just amongst any particular groups - but putting a bounty on one's head is rather mis-calculated for me.

that female writer has issues about bangladesh, its men and its government - like all so-called 'feminist' writers from muslim populated nations, its about corruption, transparency, poverty and equal playing field for the under-privillaged ( in her case, women). hindu bengalis face the extact same problems as their muslim and christian neighbours. very rarely is it about islam or religion.

and i find it sad that these writers think that by blaming a certain faith will remove society's problem. on many occasions the problems start because the people are un-educated about their own faiths.

[voltaire]

this could be anything from the hijaab to forcing adults to wear seat belts in thier own cars

Loath though I am to get into this discussion, that is hardly comparing like with like, now is it?

Furthermore, I don't think the implication that the woman (who has been threatened, that is undeniable) knows nothing/is ill educated about her faith, will fly either. She should be able to write what she likes without fear of retaliation, whether it offends certain people or not.



V

[_DigitaLVampirE_]

Actually, Ms Nasreen isn't the only one who faced censorship or death threats for her writing/play. There was a similar case in Singapore (although no fatwah's were issued) that caused controversy as well. I think bottomline, be prepared for shocks and ugly surprises if you are planning to diss about a religion in any form of media. You reap what you sow.

[Bent_Bladi]

This woman totally has things mixed up. While it's true that women "covered or naked" are oppressed, it's NOT because of religion. It's because of ignorance! No open-minded, well rounded Muslim would ever see a woman lower than him or oppress her or hurt her in any way - even if she's "covered or naked". I feel like people like Nasreen just want attention. I mean, if they'd done their research, they wouldn't be accusing Islam of such things. They know, just like what DV said, that if they "diss" a religion they'll get an uproar and if it's a diss against Islam - they're sure to get all the spotlight on them.

As for the bounty - that's ridiculous! How can $11,319 replace a human life? These a**holes that give out these "fatwas" that allow people to kill are crazy psychos that'll burn in hell. How can they brainwash people to think that what they say can reform the MAJOR foundations of Islam? It's HARAAAAAAAAAAAM to kill! Period, why can't these idiots just understand that?!

Here's a story: There was an atheist man who was cold, thirsty, hungry and lost. He came across a house, and that house happened to belong to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) - peace be upon him. He asked him if he'd feed him and provide him a place to stay. Prophet Ibrahim said he would, if he believed in God. The man became angry and walked off. Then Allah, (swt) told Prophet Ibrahim, "How can you turn away my creations when for ALL these years I've been feeding him, clothing him, keeping him alive and giving him the chance to repent?". Prophet Ibrahim quickly realized his mistake and went after the man. He told him what Allah (swt) told him and the man was so touched that he became a believer right then and there.

That's what Muslims believe - these insane fatwas are the COMPLETE opposite.