Taslima Nasreen Courts Controversy, Says Was Being Sarcastic
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-04-07 10:33:23
About the Author
Trust Taslima Nasreen to nourish eccentric thoughts and make them public to court controversy. But this time, she seems to have crossed the line. In a tweet, Nasreen said that if English cricketer Moeen Ali was "not stuck with cricket, he would have gone to Syria to join the ISIS".
Miss Nasreen later deleted the tweet after it was widely condemned and took refuge behind literary licence by claiming that she was being sarcastic. She also alleged that people were targeting her because of her past where she claimed she had tried to secularize Muslim society and was against fundamentalism.
The dictionary defines "sarcasm" as "the use of irony to mock or convey contempt". It is difficult to comprehend what irony Nasreen was using to mock or convey what contempt. Moreover, what made her pick on Moeen Ali, of all people?
Has Ali ever indicated his fascination for Islamic fundamentalism in general or the ISIS in particular to invite such sarcasm? Recorded public behavior does not prove this.
Rather than being sarcastic, such tweets have the opposite effect. They malign the person who is named and additionally glorify the ISIS by suggesting that it is an option for Muslim youngsters.
The world over, Muslim society is having to fight radicalism and is having a tough time in preventing youngsters from being brainwashed by the ISIS and other such groups. The need of the hour is to highlight the success of Muslims in multi-racial societies where they have reached the top in their chosen profession without facing discrimination. If they want to truly 'secularize' Muslim society, people like Nasreen need to stop making such statements and celebrate the success of Muslims the world over. Moeen Ali is the prime example of how a player entered the England dressing room through talent and hard work. In the process he proved that stories of discrimination against Muslims in non-Muslim countries, the fodder on which ISIS-types survive and grow, are lies. Nasreen must be careful in using what she thinks is sarcasm in the future.
