‘The country is overrun with jihadists’: Taslima Nasreen on Tarique Rahman’s return to Bangladesh

Dhaka: Bangladeshi author and activist Taslima Nasreen has launched a sharp critique of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman, questioning his political vision and remarks following his return to Bangladesh after 17 years in exile.

In a lengthy post on X, Nasreen criticised Rahman for invoking religious ideals in governance after spending nearly two decades in the United Kingdom, a country she described as rooted in democracy, secularism and liberal values.

“Tarique Zia lived in a civilized country for 17 years. In that country he enjoyed democracy, secularism, and freedom of speech. He enjoyed that country’s civilization, tolerance, and liberal values. Then, upon returning home, he expressed his desire to run the country according to the ideals of justice of the Prophet Muhammad. He believes that if Allah shows mercy, everything will be possible. So what did he learn from the United Kingdom? Does any politician in that country entrust the responsibility of governing the nation to an imaginary creator?”

Nasreen also took exception to Rahman’s use of the phrase “I have a dream”, drawing a contrast with the historic 1963 speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

“Tarique Zia has repeated a momentous phrase: ‘I have a dream.’ In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., in his historic speech before a crowd of 250,000 at the Lincoln Memorial, said ‘I have a dream.’ That dream was one of equality—of a world where there would be no discrimination between human beings. How much of a discrimination-free society will Tarique Zia be able to build, or will he even try to do so at all? I don’t think so.”

She argued that true equality in Bangladesh would require the separation of religion and state, equal rights irrespective of faith or gender, and the removal of any state religion.

“But none of this is possible while enforcing the laws of Allah, Bhagaban, God, or Ishwar. Those imaginary creators always obstruct human rights. It is not possible to build a discrimination-free society while preserving a state religion; equal rights for women and men and true communal equality can never be achieved that way.”

Nasreen further questioned Rahman’s reference to having a “plan”, warning against religiously driven politics.

“Tarique has said, ‘I have a plan.’ That is fine. We have already seen meticulous plans. I hope Tarique’s plan will not be anything more dangerous than those! Using the word plan is better. The word dream—especially the phrase ‘I have a dream’—carries far greater weight.”

Contrasting revolutionary leaders with Rahman’s approach, she wrote, “This kind of dream belongs to revolutionaries. Fidel Castro had it. Che Guevara had it. Nelson Mandela had it. Martin Luther King had it. This dream does not align with laws dictated by Allah.”

“If he has a plan and intends to stand with both religion and science, only he knows how he will manage these two mutually contradictory systems. It must be remembered that the country is overrun with jihadists. To save the country, there is no alternative but to declare war against religious profiteers, violent religious fanatics, misogynistic jihadists,” she added.

Her remarks come days after Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka for the first time in 17 years, addressing thousands of supporters shortly after landing. Speaking at the July 36 Expressway, Rahman urged calm and presented a vision of national unity.

He said Bangladesh belongs to people of all faiths, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, and pledged to build a safe and inclusive country where every citizen could live without fear.

Rahman’s return has taken place against the backdrop of heightened concern over attacks on minority communities, particularly Hindus, since the interim government assumed power in August last year following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Recent incidents include the lynching of a 25-year-old Hindu worker in Mymensingh, drawing concern from India and the international community.