Taslima Nasreen Receives The Simone de Beauvoir Award
May 22nd, 2008 by SocProf and tagged Gender, Human Rights, Patriarchy, Religious Fundamentalism, Sexism, Structural Violence, Symbolic Violence
Via Le Nouvel Observateur, Taslima Nasreen, the Bangladeshi doctor and author whose life is threatened by a Fatwa, was in Paris yesterday to receive the Simone de Beauvoir Award for Women’s Freedom.
The Award was given by Rama Yade, Secretary of State and Foreign Affairs and Human Rights. Secretary Yade stated that “the France that welcomes you is that of Voltaire, Hugo, Zola, de Gaulle [Editor's note: oh please, gimme a break], of Simone de Beauvoir, of Cesaire, this France of engaged authors in the struggle for dignity and freedom.” She also stated that freedom of expression can only have limits as those stated by democratic law and that the call to murder is a crime. Taslima Nasreen was also in France to promote her new book, De Ma Prison (From My Jail, only available in France, as far as I can tell).
The ex-Dutch Member of Parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali was also a recipient of this award.
It’s not easy being a woman fighting religious fundamentalism. See the case of the Afghan MP Malalai Joya (great PBS interview as well as the documentary Enemies of Happiness).
Posted in Gender, Human Rights, Patriarchy, Religious Fundamentalism, Sexism, Social Stigma, Structural Violence, Symbolic Violence | No Comments »
