Panihati (West Bengal) [India], August 4 (ANI): Exiled Bangladeshi writer and activist Taslima Nasreen on Tuesday reiterated her stance on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), arguing that laws should be based on equal rights rather than religion, while also calling for the lifting of the ban on Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party in Bangladesh.
Speaking to reporters as part of her visit to the grave of prominent Bengali feminist thinker, writer and political activist Begum Rokeya here, Nasreen said that the existence of religion-based personal laws often prevents women from achieving equal rights and called for a common legal framework based on equality.
“If religious laws exist, women would not get equal rights. That’s why a Uniform Civil Code based on equal rights should be established,” Nasreen said.
She said that a UCC would help address discrimination faced by women across the subcontinent, including issues related to family laws and inheritance.
“Even Hindu women in Bangladesh are under religious laws where they do not get equal rights or inheritance; they face various forms of discrimination. All such discrimination will disappear if a Uniform Civil Code is implemented,” she said.
Nasreen added that many developed countries have civil laws that are not based on religion but instead focus on equal rights and human rights.
“Every civilised country in the world has a Uniform Civil Code. Laws should not be based on religion. In those countries, family or personal laws are not religious; they are based on equal rights,” she said.
On Bangladesh’s political situation, Nasreen said she supports democracy and called for the ban on the Bangladesh Awami League to be removed, allowing the party and its leader, and former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, to participate in active politics in the country.
“I believe in democracy. Let the ban on Sheikh Hasina’s party be lifted, and let her participate in politics. This ban should be removed, and every political party should have the right to practice politics. I want Sheikh Hasina to return,” she said.
However, Nasreen criticised religious-based politics, saying such movements often undermine women’s rights.
“I am against religious politics. Politics based on religion is not truly good politics because it is always misogynistic,” she said.
Referring to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which is also the largest far-right political party in the country, Nasreen said she would not object if its politics were restricted, stating that the party supports Sharia law and policies that would affect women’s and minority rights.
“If Jamaat-e-Islami’s politics are banned, I will not object because they want Sharia law and anti-women laws. If they come to power or gain political rights, minorities will have no right to live. Women will have no rights at all; forget equal rights, they won’t even get the most basic rights,” the writer said.
Responding to a question about returning to Bangladesh, Nasreen said she continues to wish to return but is currently not permitted to do so.
“I always have plans to return home, but I am just not allowed to return,” she said.
Nasreen also spoke about Begum Rokeya, saying she visited Panihati to pay tribute to her and protest against religious fundamentalism.
“When Begum Rokeya died in 1932, the Muslim fundamentalists of Kolkata did not give her a place; they did not allow her to be buried. Because she was a feminist writer, she struggled against fundamentalism, campaigned for women’s education, and established schools,” Nasreen said.
She described Rokeya as a symbol of the struggle for women’s education and equality, saying her visit was a tribute to the writer’s legacy.
Nasreen returned to Kolkata nearly two decades after she was forced to leave the city in 2007 amid intense protests over her writings and memoir Dwikhondito (Split into Two), which was published in 2003. Her return marks her first public visit to the city since then.
The writer and activist, who has been living in exile since 1994, had previously said she had been invited to the city by an organisation called Secular Mission, headed by Osman Gani Mallik.
Earlier in July, the West Bengal government had constituted a nine-member expert committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine and finalise the draft UCC, with the state government planning to introduce the legislation during the upcoming August Assembly session.
The proposed legislation will exempt indigenous communities, according to the state government. The committee comprises legal experts, former judges, bureaucrats and representatives from the social sector, who will examine various aspects of the draft law before submitting their recommendations. (ANI)
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