'Hefazat does not want any equality; they hate the very word'
Since the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission submitted its recommendations to the interim government on 19 April, a wave of backlash erupted, particularly from the right-wing pressure group Hefazat-e-Islam. The proposals, which included equal inheritance rights, legal recognition for sex and domestic workers, and tougher laws against sexual harassment, triggered outrage from Hefazat, culminating in a mass rally on 3 May where members of the group hurled abuses at the members of the commission and demanded that it be disbanded. A writ petition was filed the next day, despite the fact that no law had been enacted — only proposals submitted. Though Hefazat has since issued a partial apology for the offensive language used, they remain firm in their rejection of the report and continue to brand women’s rights as a Western plot propagated by “NGO-fuelled feminists”. The Business Standard spoke to women’s rights experts and activists to unpack the deeper implications of this reaction and what it reveals about the state of women’s rights discourse in Bangladesh
Shaheen Anam
Executive Director, Manusher Jonno Foundation
I have seen that Hefazat-e-Islam provided an apology, but I think it is because of the backlash they are now facing and the pressure from the legal notice by the six women. Did they actually recant any of their claims? No.
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They do not want any equality; they hate the very word. We say we want equal rights for women and they say they want fair rights. But who defines what is fair and what is unfair? Who will take that responsibility? That is the issue.
We have been very clear on what we think about their words and actions. They do not believe in equal rights, and furthermore, they have taken a direct and active stance against it. They point out concepts of gender diversity, inclusivity etc to say that we promote homosexuality behind the scenes. What is their basis for that claim?
We want equal rights for everyone under the constitution regardless of where they work, their gender, their class etc. We are not saying anything unlawful.
One of their main problems is with the inheritance law. They say that as a Muslim country we cannot have an equal inheritance law, but we invite them to look at Tunisia. They have achieved this. Are they not Muslim? We ask them to look at these examples.
If you look at history, we have been asking for these rights for many years. You have to understand that these laws were created with men as the reference points. We have worked on issues like these for years. We can see clearly what kind of problems polygamy laws, for example, lead to for women in our country. They know this too, and yet they want to keep it.
They say this is a Western concept. We repeat that it is not a Western concept. We want freedom according to international standards and law. If you look at the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), you will see that Bangladesh is a member of this international human rights treaty. It is our duty and responsibility to abide by them. We must take action to combat discrimination against women as a country.
TBS' Alhan Arsal spoke to Shaheen Anam over the phone.
