Politics
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Taslima Nasrin calls for UCC, ban on madrasas
The Hindu··3 Aug
Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin, who arrived in Kolkata on July 31 after 19 years, called for a Uniform Civil Code across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan to protect women from religious law, saying she has fought for it for 40 years. She also said some madrasas produce jihadis and alleged child abuse occurs within them, calling for their closure.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Anyone following India's Uniform Civil Code debate gets a fresh voice from outside India connecting the demand to women's rights across the subcontinent.
- Residents of West Bengal tracking the state's own UCC committee can see how Nasrin's remarks intersect with plans already announced by the state government.
- People following India-Bangladesh cultural ties get context on how an exiled writer's return has become entangled with West Bengal's political rivalries.
What's Happening
- Taslima Nasrin, who arrived in Kolkata on July 31 after 19 years in exile, called for a Uniform Civil Code across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
- She alleged that some madrasas produce jihadis and that child abuse occurs within them, calling for their closure in favour of secular schools.
- A crowd at her August 1 event prevented Bengali poet Joy Goswami from speaking, an incident Nasrin said insulted both him and her.
A Return Shaped By Shifting West Bengal Politics
- Nasrin was earlier exiled from Bangladesh in 1994 and was forced to leave Kolkata nearly 19 years ago amid violent protests over her writings.
- West Bengal's government has separately set up a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code bill for the state.
- Nasrin's return was publicly celebrated by West Bengal's first BJP government, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari appearing alongside her at the event.
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