I was amused to see that India has asked/requested the French president- Nicolas Sarkozy who is visiting India shortly- not to confer a prestigious award on controversial exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen during his India visit. France’s Simone de Beauvoir award for Taslima was announced on January 9, 2008 for defending the ”rights of women”.
Several Muslim groups have protested against Taslima’s presence in India, as they claim her writings are offensive to Islam.
Apprehensive of yet another bout of angry Muslim protests, the government of India has said a polite ‘no’ to Nicolas Sarkozy’s proposal to confer the prestigious award on Taslima during his India visit.
This is the state of affairs in a secular democratic country as we decided to proclaim ourselves after Independence in 1947! Bend backwards because fundamental religious groups will get upset, particularly so-called minority groups! Will this kind of mollification ever end? Meanwhile it is heartening to hear that a Muslim organization has flayed restrictions on Tasleema. “ It bodes ill for a secular democratic country,” President of Dharmamukta Manabbadi Manch Giasuddin has reportedly claimed. He has further said:”If Taslima is forced to leave India, fundamentalists will target all secular and democratic people even more”.
there is nothing amusing in refusal of conferring award by Indian authorities. as such giving awards is not so much to recognise the work but a part of political agendas. why a french award be given to a bangladeshi muslim protester? what is the relevance of her writings for Frence? we all know that conferring awards are motivated by different consideration. why to do something, which may bring unrest in India. why should India or Indian waste time and energy on such issues as India is on its way to become a developed country, which is seen as a threat to already developed countries.