The Hindu : Front Page : Attack on Taslima condemned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 10, 2007
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Attack on Taslima condemned

Anita Joshua

New Delhi: Academics and activists on Thursday condemned the attack on Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen in Hyderabad by workers of the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Musalmmen (MIM) and demanded strict legal action against them.

They also demanded foolproof security to the author. Condemning the attack, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust urged democratic-minded people to join the condemnation of such attacks.

In a statement released from the platform of Act Now for Harmony and Democracy, the signatories said: “It is the immunity that bigots such as MIM and other fundamentalist organizations enjoy that they feel emboldened enough to attack a writer of Ms. Tasleema’s stature who is in fact an honoured guest of this country.”

Demanding action against those involved, the statement said: “Organisations like the MIM, which claim to speak for Muslims and Islam are doing great disservice to the community; and are a threat to the liberal and democratic ethos of India.”

The signatories to the statement include Ali Asghar, Ashok Vajpeyi, Urvashi Butalia, Krishna Sobti, Aditya Nigam, Gauhar Raza, Nivedita Menon, Shabnam Hashmi and Apoorvanand.

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