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Published on March 08, 2008
India--a nation that claims to be a sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic republic--seems to have shamefully submitted herself to the will and demands of the Islamic fundamentalists and some opportunist politicians including communists & liberal democrats, who are now holding state powers in WB state government and the Union Government. The Indian government�s treatment of the secular humanist writer Dr Taslima Nasrin is strong evidence in this direction. After allowing extreme fundamentalist criminals, who happen to be among the legion of Indian legislators with criminal cases filed against them to attack Ms Nasrin physically, the Indian government has consistently denied her permission to live in India as a law-abiding citizen and it is really frightening to see, Indian government, fundamentalists and communists have become �strange bedfellows� on Taslima issue. What's even worse, in order to appease the radical Isalmists and the their communist allies, the Indian government has recently put Dr. Nasrin into a solitary confinement in an unknown location in New Delhi, without any access to the outside world. It should be mentioned that Dr. Nasrin has been expressing her wish to live in the West Bengal for quite some time. Earlier, the combined Congress party- Communist coalition forced Dr Nasrin to edit one of her books and remove whole sections that they found unacceptable. Some of Dr Nasrin's books remain banned by the Indian Communists and in this, they have the support of their Congress allies. It must be noted that it was a former Congress Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, who became the first head of a nation to ban Salman Rushdie's �Satanic Verses� long before any Muslim country even knew that the work existed. It is learnt from her close associates that she is almost interned in an isolated house some where in Delhi and no one, including her relatives, writer friends and well-wishers, is allowed to visit her. She wondered why she is being denied the right to live peacefully and quietly in Kolkata. She has already done all that the Communists and the Congress socialists have asked her to, and has assured both these parties that she would ensure that nothing that embarrasses them ever takes place. That, however, has not been enough. India does seem to be ill-treating her because the Indian government and the government of the state of West Bengal want her to leave the country under the strain of the duress that they are deliberately subjecting her to. The treatment of individuals is always a pointer to how nations treat whole groups. We, therefore, strongly think that turning down a dedicated and world renowned secular writer's plea to grant permission to live in India and instead, rewarding it with such a crude ostracization and harassment should be roundly condemned by all right thinking individuals. Earlier, we have seen instances (ref. actress Khushboo and tennis player Sania Mirza) that indicate India 's retrogression from secular values and ideals. Perhaps, anticipating that these moves would create ill-will for India across the world, the country's President even removed a contact form from her official website. The Indian prime Minister does not have one either. We would request our members, however, to please write and send strong messages to the Prime Minister of India, Indian houses of Parliament as well as to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC and to the Secretary General of the United Nations. Members are also encouraged to send email to Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Mukto-Mona Moderation Team
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