India not intolerant. All religions are anti-women: Taslima Nasreen

QUICK PILL

• Nasreen said all religions are anti-woman as they are misused by fundamentalists.
• Nasreen also asked that why secularists were questioning Hindu fundamentalists and not Islamist fundamentalists.

Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has said on Saturday that she does not think India is an intolerant nation, as reported by The Hindu. Nasreen was speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode.

The writer who is living in exile in India said, "I think most people are quite tolerant of each others' faith. The laws in India do not support intolerance. But there are so many intolerant people in this country."

She also asked that why secularists were only questioning Hindu fundamentalists and not Islamist fundamentalists.

"Democracy which is based on pseudo-secularism is not a true democracy at all," she added while condemning the Dadri incident. She further praised the intellectuals for leading the Award Wapsi movement.

She spoke about the issue of religion being used to oppress women across all faiths. She said all religions were anti-woman as they are misused by fundamentalists.

"You have to keep religion separated from government. There is no need to practise 7th Century laws in the 21st Century."

H/T: The Hindu