India News | Terrorism Will Stay So Long as Islam is There: Taslima Nasrin
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin drew parallels on Sunday between the Pahalgam terror attack and the 2016 terrorist strike in Dhaka, and said "terrorism will stay so long as Islam is there".
New Delhi, May 4 (PTI) Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin drew parallels on Sunday between the Pahalgam terror attack and the 2016 terrorist strike in Dhaka, and said "terrorism will stay so long as Islam is there".
Speaking at a session at the Delhi Literature Festival here, the "Lajja" writer also said "Islam has not evolved in 1,400 years".
"Until it does, it will continue to breed terrorists. In the 2016 Dhaka attack, Muslims were slaughtered because they could not recite the Kalma. This is what happens when faith is allowed to overrule reason and humanity," Nasrin said.
Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists near south Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. On July 1, 2016, a group of terrorists opened fire at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, killing 29 people.
Some survivors of the Pahalgam attack as well eyewitnesses have claimed that the assailants asked people to recite the Islamic verse, "Kalma", and shot down those who failed to do so.
"Terrorism will stay as long as Islam is there," Nasrin said.
"In Europe, churches have turned into museums, but Muslims are busy building mosques everywhere. There are thousands and they still want more. What they produce are jihadists. There should be no madrasas. Children must read all books, not just one," the 62-year-old writer added.
Nasrin has lived in exile since 1994 in Sweden, the US and India following allegations of blasphemy.
"I am a permanent resident of the United States and lived there for 10 years, but I always felt like an outsider. It was only when I came to Kolkata that I felt at home. Even after being thrown out of West Bengal, I found another home in Delhi. This country has given me a sense of belonging that my own country could not," she said.
"I love India. It feels like home," Nasrin added.
Turning her focus towards Bangladesh, she lamented that the women in her country are "devoid of all basic rights" and batted for a uniform civil code.
"Every civilised country must have a UCC. India too. I support it. Islamic patriarchs want Quranic rights. Rights must never be religious. If women's security is compromised in the name of culture, religion or tradition, then we must question that culture. A society that cannot protect half of its population is a failed society," she said.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)