Two bangladeshi women


2003- Bangladesh
Taslima Nasrin's book "Amar meyebela" was released. I came across that book in 2017. Till then Taslima for me was only a writer who gave controversial statements about religion to gain attention. But when I read that book I realised how courageous she was to go against her own people to point out to the world what wrong was happening in Bangladesh. My respect for her increased as I came to know she was also a physician who held an MBBS degree and how she faced struggles as a lady doctor. Her thoughts written in 2003 still felt valid in 2017 some of them even relevant to Indian conditions. As a result of her courageous writings she faced several threats. Her own family abandoned her. She was attacked by religious extremists. As a result she fled her own country and lived in exile in several European countries. She is currently living in India

April 2018 -Bangladesh

I was just scrolling through the internet when I came across a news
"19 yr old Nusrat Jahan Rafi burned to death for reporting sexual harassment"

My blood boiled as I clicked on the link to read the full article. A ninteen year old bangladeshi high school girl had dared to report sexual harassment occuring in the madarsa she used to attend. She went to the police but her case was dismissed as"not a big deal". She was further harassed by 5 people which included 3 of her batchmates. She was lured on to the top of the same madarsa and forced to retreat, to take her case back. She refused, they tied her up with a scarf and poured kerosene on her and burnt her.

Its been more than a decade since Taslima spoke. Nothing has changed much. Women who speak up are either told to shut up or killed. Women are dismissed , they are ridiculed when they have the courage to speak. When they come up with #metoo, men start complaining how it is a strategy , how all of them are seeking attention.It is not just a situation in a country like Bangladesh, in religion of Islam, but also in several developed countries and other religions.

Cataract is the third commonest cause of blindness, religion and politics remain the first two.


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