NEW DELHI: Writer-activist Taslima Nasreen said on Thursday that “Islamic radicals” are trying to make Bangladesh another Afghanistan with their “anti-India, anit-Hindu and pro-Pakistan” propaganda in the country that witnessed violent protests recently.
“When you brainwash youths like this, they would become a generation who are against Hindus, against India, against women and are pro-Pakistan, pro-jihad, pro fanatics,” she said.
The writer who had to flee Bangladesh in 1994 after receiving death threats for her banned book said that she had initially supported the student protests against the preferential quota system.
“When students protested against the quota system in July, we supported them… people who believe in women’s rights, human rights and freedom of expression,” in an interview to PTI.
“But afterwards we realised that it was not a students’ movement. It was planned and funded by Islamist jihadis and banned terrorist organisation,” she added.
Voicing concerns that Bangladesh might follow a similar path as Afghanistan or Iran, Nasreen said, “Yunus says that they are celebrating their victory. People are burning houses of Hindus. What kind of celebration is this? They are destroying everything. All the statues of freedom fighters have been demolished including that of the father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”
“But the Pakistan Army’s statues are intact – (the army) which killed 30 million people during the war and raped millions of women,” she added.
The ‘Lajja’ author who has been living in India said that called Sheikh Hasina an autocrat. “Sheikh Hasina was an autocrat who always encouraged fundamentalists and curbed freedom of expression. People were angry with her,” she said.
Talking about returning to the south Asian country, Nasreen said, “I cannot go back to my country. Khalida and Hasina never allowed me and now it is impossible to imagine in this jihadi rule.”
“I feel India is like home and I have been living here since 2005. Very surprisingly my resident permit has not been renewed and there is no information. It expired on July 27. I don’t know anyone in the government and feel clueless. Normally it gets renewed before the expiry date,” she said.
“When you brainwash youths like this, they would become a generation who are against Hindus, against India, against women and are pro-Pakistan, pro-jihad, pro fanatics,” she said.
The writer who had to flee Bangladesh in 1994 after receiving death threats for her banned book said that she had initially supported the student protests against the preferential quota system.
“When students protested against the quota system in July, we supported them… people who believe in women’s rights, human rights and freedom of expression,” in an interview to PTI.
“But afterwards we realised that it was not a students’ movement. It was planned and funded by Islamist jihadis and banned terrorist organisation,” she added.
Voicing concerns that Bangladesh might follow a similar path as Afghanistan or Iran, Nasreen said, “Yunus says that they are celebrating their victory. People are burning houses of Hindus. What kind of celebration is this? They are destroying everything. All the statues of freedom fighters have been demolished including that of the father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”
“But the Pakistan Army’s statues are intact – (the army) which killed 30 million people during the war and raped millions of women,” she added.
The ‘Lajja’ author who has been living in India said that called Sheikh Hasina an autocrat. “Sheikh Hasina was an autocrat who always encouraged fundamentalists and curbed freedom of expression. People were angry with her,” she said.
Talking about returning to the south Asian country, Nasreen said, “I cannot go back to my country. Khalida and Hasina never allowed me and now it is impossible to imagine in this jihadi rule.”
“I feel India is like home and I have been living here since 2005. Very surprisingly my resident permit has not been renewed and there is no information. It expired on July 27. I don’t know anyone in the government and feel clueless. Normally it gets renewed before the expiry date,” she said.