Postscript
Regressing to the Dark Ages
Fariha Zeba, Changing Times, acrylic on paper.
The news of hundreds of thousands of angry men from Chittagong rushing to Dhaka filled me with an unfamiliar fear. I had never before felt so insecure. Outsiders were coming to town, to seek revenge on those who had apparently hurt their religious sentiments. They said they would come and stay until those 'atheist bloggers' would be hanged. They were called Hefajat-e-Islam or guardians of Islam. My fear came from a hidden place, a place one does not want to visit, a place where one's worst nightmare lies waiting.
Much to my disbelief it did happen, on a Saturday. The news channels treated it like breaking news. And certainly it was, breaking, shattering, crushing. The lakhs of men in punjabi and tupi, were apparently protesting the alleged anti-Islam comments and derogatory remarks about our Prophet (Pbuh). But soon the real intentions of these people became obvious. Suddenly they put forward their thirteen point demand which included: prohibition of 'cultural intrusions' including the 'free mingling of men and women' and candlelight vigils plus other acts of 'shamelessness' in the name of freedom of expression and conscience, the scrapping of 'women policy' and education policy and the introduction of compulsory Islamic education from primary and higher secondary levels. The 'guardians of religion' said they would destroy all idols in the city, sculptures with human faces. 'Aparajeo Bangla' - the symbol of our Independence - would no doubt be one of the first targets. They wanted Qadianis to be declared non Muslim and an end to misrepresentation of Islamic culture in the media. Who were these men whose intention was to push back Bangladesh into the Dark Ages?
They did not want a ban on pornography, punishment of rapists and paedophiles. They did not consider such things anti-Islamic.
BNP leaders showed their support by attending the congregation and embracing the guardians of self-righteousness. Former president Ershad, the king of amour, provided water for them, reminding us once again his chameleon skin and unsavoury past.
They went as far as calling the prime minister an atheist as well as her entire government. Strangely the home minister thanked these saviours for carrying out a 'peaceful rally'. The attacks on members of the Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, on women TV reporters who were subjected to physical and verbal abuse, on other media persons - these malicious assaults were not considered acts of violence for our suddenly tolerant home minister. Perhaps he felt smug that many of these Hefajate-e-Islam members could not come to Dhaka because of the hartal called by the Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and 25 other pro-liberation organisations. Perhaps everything had indeed gone according to plan.
Our prime minister, a woman, had nothing to say about this at the time. Thankfully she has dismissed the idea of a blasphemy law, a law that has been abused in a neighbouring country to victimise women. Leader of the Opposition party, also a woman, was disappointed that these guardians of Islam, had not made a stronger stance and had gone back to their lairs without a proper fight.
Neither of these women felt the need to defend their sisters' and their own rights. The Talibanesque country these people intend to turn this country into would never tolerate women leaders working along men nor would they allow women to be heads of government and opposition. So why such amity towards those who challenge their very existence? Obviously winning over vote banks takes precedence over moral conscience.
It is inconceivable how a group that has members directly linked with fanaticism, Taliban ideology and who want to destroy the principles of our Liberation struggle, has been allowed to grow and prosper and become so brazen that they can defame the head of state and the government, threaten the citizens of the capital and get away with it.
This is my city. This is where I was born, where I grew up and most likely where I will die. When a few lakh men come into my city and threaten me, my sisters, my daughters and my fellow city dwellers, tell me what I can or cannot wear, declare that I cannot work or be educated because I am a woman - in a nutshell, deride all that I believe in and strip me of all the rights I had taken for granted as a citizen of a democratic, independent nation, I feel violated. These people have snatched something very precious from us: the absolute confidence in knowing that we will always belong to this country because this country is ours.
It is our pride, our identity. No one has the right to take this away from us, in the name of protecting religion.
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