Leading figures from Indian academia announced a campaign last night to stop exiled Bangladeshi author, Taslima Nasrin, who has been accused of insulting Islam, from being expelled from India.
In an open letter drafted by the Booker prize-winner Arundhati Roy, dozens of public figures called for Nasrin to be given a resident's permit or citizenship. They said they had become alarmed at "India projecting itself as a democracy while there is being mounted a concerted assault on the right to free speech".
"We want to protect freedom of speech as a cornerstone of democracy," said Roy. "We don't all necessarily agree with everything [Nasrin] has written. But in a democracy we should defend her right to say it. At the moment Delhi is hosting the World Book Fair, but we are imprisoning writers. It is bizarre."
The foreign ministry has said that the constitution guarantees freedom of expression only to citizens. Nasrin, say officials, is a "guest" in the country.
Intellectuals say the real problem is the "sexual nature" of her work. "It is reprehensible," said Zafarul-Islam Khan, editor of the Milli Gazette, an influential newspaper. "Really this woman has the ability to live in London or New York and she should go. Why is the Indian government paying to keep her here?"
Extract From Nasrin's autobiography
Muhammad's friends used to look at this beautiful [wife] Ayesha and that made Muhammad jealous. So he made his wives stay behind curtains and then made a law for the women to cover their bodies with extra clothes. It is said women are much respected in Islam. This is an example of such respect towards women!
Via Bangladesh-Blogger
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