Author: CNN-IBN
Publication: IBNLive.com
Date: August 9, 2007
URL: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/andhra-mlas-lead-mob-attack-on-taslima/46513-3.html
Local political activists in Hyderabad on
Thursday attacked the car of noted Bangaladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen when
she was attending the book release of the Telugu translation of her latest
novel Shodh.
A group of 20 All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul
Muslimeen (MIM) workers, led by MLAs Afsar Khan, Ahmed Pasha and Mozum Khan,
stormed the Press Club premises and raised slogans against the author.
They attacked her with bouquets, flower pots
and virtually anything they could lay their hands on at the concluding session
of the book release.
The police later took the legislators and
their supporters into custody.
Another guest, journalist Innaih Narisetti,
was injured in the attack.
Later on, she was safely escorted to the airport
with the help of journalists and the organisers of the function.
Since the 1990s, Taslima has faced numerous
threats from Islamic groups for her writings.
Taslima is a controversial figure in the world
of Literature. Her books Lajja and Dwikhondito are banned in Bangladesh.
Taslima talks about the torture of Hindu minorities
in Bangladesh. She has been living in exile for more than 10 years now.
Earlier, speaking to CNN-IBN in April 2007,
Taslima had said that she loved living in India despite being aware of the
threat fundamentalists posed to her life.
Taslima said that fundamentalists are everywhere
and I am not scared.
