Who is Shireen Dalvi?
A professional journalist with over 20 years of experience, and the only woman editor of an Urdu daily 'Avadhnama' in India, and possibly in world. A brave and gutsy woman, and a Muslim by faith. She has immense respect for her religion and its prophet, which she has been professing loudly to the world, to her fellow countrymen, colleagues and other moderate Muslims.
Alas! All she has got till now is a deafening silence, and threats - real and credible, to her and her children! All because she dared to publish this cartoon at the cover page of her newspaper, which allegedly disrespects the prophet.
(This is the cartoon, which actually depicts the prophet ruing the lack of Islam among the fundamentalists)
Her ordeal began of the fateful evening of Jan 17, 2015, when she decided to print an old cartoon of prophet Mohammed, published by Charlie Hebdo in 2006, showing a wailing prophet, ruing the rise of fanatics in the religion he so meticulously established. On the same day, multiple FIRs (police complaints for mandatory arrests) were filed against her on the charges of "outraging religious feelings" with "malicious intent". She was arrested by Mumbai police and released on bail on the same night. She might have thought that this nightmare was going to end, but she soon realized to her despair that this was just the beginning.
Next, she was fired from her job. But she was not the only one to be fired, her entire team was disbanded. The Mumbai edition of the newspaper was closed. Now Shireen is being hunted by Muslim fundamentalists, who are threatening her with murder and other dire consequences. He is in hiding, and is forced to wear burkha when she want to go out, and she is staying away from Muslim neighborhoods. Her children are in hiding as well, and she is unable to meet them. Not to say that there is this added pressure of resolving the police cases.
So much for publishing a cartoon! I do not understand few things::
(1) What is wrong with the cartoon? It does not show a caricature of the prophet? It does not insult or disparage him? It shows the regret that some people do not understand Islam. Isn't it something that the leaders of Islam will have us believe every time Jihadists strike terror? Every time we stereotype Islam, won't of our friends say that Islam is not bad, Muslims are not bad, it is just few corrupted individuals. Then what is wrong with this cartoon?
(2) Why was she fired? Wasn't she doing her job? Why is media not fighting this by making it a huge issue? Why are we not questioning the owners of the newspaper? Of course, the owners are Muslims, and gutless scums, but does it stop us from raising the issue of press freedom! Or, was it only because the mullah and Maulanas could not digest the sight of a woman holding top position in a firm!
(3) Where are the champions of secularism, and the intellectuals, and the communists? These people who talk in lofty words about the sanctity of freedom of expression and secularism, have suddenly vanished! We do not see blogs, tweets, posts or bites from them. reacted to this? Or, these fundamental right of ours, as well as the basic human right cease to exist when Muslims show intolerance?
The fact is that our country does not know how to raise voice against Muslim tolerance. Had this been done by Hindu fundamentalists, the media and politicians would have left no stone unturned to condemn the incident and to book the guilty organizations. But not against Muslims! Not even if the victim herself is a Muslim. But why do we forget, we set a trend long ago in mid 80s, that we will not raise voice in support of Muslim open being exploited, or being hounded by other Muslims, no matter what! All to hail our great tradition of secularism!
A professional journalist with over 20 years of experience, and the only woman editor of an Urdu daily 'Avadhnama' in India, and possibly in world. A brave and gutsy woman, and a Muslim by faith. She has immense respect for her religion and its prophet, which she has been professing loudly to the world, to her fellow countrymen, colleagues and other moderate Muslims.
Alas! All she has got till now is a deafening silence, and threats - real and credible, to her and her children! All because she dared to publish this cartoon at the cover page of her newspaper, which allegedly disrespects the prophet.
(This is the cartoon, which actually depicts the prophet ruing the lack of Islam among the fundamentalists)
Her ordeal began of the fateful evening of Jan 17, 2015, when she decided to print an old cartoon of prophet Mohammed, published by Charlie Hebdo in 2006, showing a wailing prophet, ruing the rise of fanatics in the religion he so meticulously established. On the same day, multiple FIRs (police complaints for mandatory arrests) were filed against her on the charges of "outraging religious feelings" with "malicious intent". She was arrested by Mumbai police and released on bail on the same night. She might have thought that this nightmare was going to end, but she soon realized to her despair that this was just the beginning.
Next, she was fired from her job. But she was not the only one to be fired, her entire team was disbanded. The Mumbai edition of the newspaper was closed. Now Shireen is being hunted by Muslim fundamentalists, who are threatening her with murder and other dire consequences. He is in hiding, and is forced to wear burkha when she want to go out, and she is staying away from Muslim neighborhoods. Her children are in hiding as well, and she is unable to meet them. Not to say that there is this added pressure of resolving the police cases.
So much for publishing a cartoon! I do not understand few things::
(1) What is wrong with the cartoon? It does not show a caricature of the prophet? It does not insult or disparage him? It shows the regret that some people do not understand Islam. Isn't it something that the leaders of Islam will have us believe every time Jihadists strike terror? Every time we stereotype Islam, won't of our friends say that Islam is not bad, Muslims are not bad, it is just few corrupted individuals. Then what is wrong with this cartoon?
(2) Why was she fired? Wasn't she doing her job? Why is media not fighting this by making it a huge issue? Why are we not questioning the owners of the newspaper? Of course, the owners are Muslims, and gutless scums, but does it stop us from raising the issue of press freedom! Or, was it only because the mullah and Maulanas could not digest the sight of a woman holding top position in a firm!
(3) Where are the champions of secularism, and the intellectuals, and the communists? These people who talk in lofty words about the sanctity of freedom of expression and secularism, have suddenly vanished! We do not see blogs, tweets, posts or bites from them. reacted to this? Or, these fundamental right of ours, as well as the basic human right cease to exist when Muslims show intolerance?
The fact is that our country does not know how to raise voice against Muslim tolerance. Had this been done by Hindu fundamentalists, the media and politicians would have left no stone unturned to condemn the incident and to book the guilty organizations. But not against Muslims! Not even if the victim herself is a Muslim. But why do we forget, we set a trend long ago in mid 80s, that we will not raise voice in support of Muslim open being exploited, or being hounded by other Muslims, no matter what! All to hail our great tradition of secularism!
