| by Swadesh Roy
( April 25, 2013, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) “I was attacked because I am a woman. They said it was not woman’s job…..they also passed lewd comments and asked me why I was not wearing a headscarf.” Said Nadia Sharmin, reporter of a Bangladeshi television named Ekushey Television.
Nadia was attacked at a rally in the capital of Bangladesh on 6 April. The rally was organized by a newly formed fundamentalist Islamic group, which called themselves Hefajat –e Islam. They are saying that, they are not a political party, a non-political organization. Some of their leaders are member of different Islamic fundamental political party and some are the teacher of so-called Islamic educational institute. They organized a mammoth rally in the capital of Bangladesh to allege that some bloggers of Bangladesh have insulted the prophet of Islam. But from their rally they have declared thirteen point demand to the government. In their thirteen points, the ghastly demand, government has to ensure that, in Bangladesh women cannot go forward with the men, and they cannot go out and work together with men. By their demand, they want to send back home all the women. In addition, how they treat women is an example of attacking on Nadia. On that day, they also compelled some women journalists to go back and stop the covering their rally. Even then, when their processions were going through the different road of the capital, they blocked many women who were going in their work places. They used vulgar to them and threatened why they did not wear headscarf.
The rise of this Islamic fundamentalist group and the attack of the women is now serious issue in the politics and the society of Bangladesh. The journalist community of Bangladesh have had vow to raise their voice vigorously and they have told, it is a new phenomenon. I asked one of the top journalist leaders and the vice president of International Press Institute, Manzurul Ahasn Bul Bul , how he has taken it. He told me that, attacking on a Journalist is not a new incident in the world but it is significant because they attacked as a woman journalist. It is dangerous for the society. It cannot be allowed in a civilized society.
One of the female journalist, deputy chief reporter of a television Kishor Layla said that, what was happened on Nadia Sharmin, was worse than Pakistan. Because she went to Pakistan to cover news after the death of Osama Bin Laden, then some people of Pakistan said to her that, it was a tough job for a women journalist so it was better for her to go back but nobody attacked her. Another senior woman Journalist Shanaz Munni, news editor of a television said, she has to think now about the society of Bangladesh after the attack of Nadia, she also added that, now society is not very safe for the working- women.
In Bangladesh, hundreds of women are working in journalism besides that thousands of women are working in police force and the defenses. There are many judges in lower court even one in the Supreme Court also. In the executive department, more than ten top secretaries are doing their jobs. In the GDP of Bangladesh, more than 1 percent is added by the garment sector, it totally depends on women-workers, more than three and half million women workers work in this sector. Besides all these, the Prime Minister and the opposition leaders of the country are women. So, in this situation the rise of this fundamental forces and their mammoth rally in the capital is very much significant and that rally was supported by the opposition. So, the women of Bangladesh are thinking now if they fail to resist this force they will fall in a great danger. At the very momont, the women journalists are in more danger because they have to cover the news.
Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor, the Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangaldesh. He can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com
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