Manushyaputhran. Photo: N.Sridharan
Tamil poet and writer Manushyaputhiran faces the wrath
of a Muslim organisation for expressing his views against the beheading
of Sri Lankan maid Rizana Nafeek in Saudi Arabia after being found
guilty of smothering a child to death.
Besides
denigrating Manushyaputhiran alias Sahul Hameed in strong language,
Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath, a Muslim organisation, has challenged him
for a debate on capital punishment. P. Jainulabdeen, president of the
organisation, has also asked DMK president M. Karunanidhi to participate
in the debate as the latter supported Manushyaputhiran’s arguments
against the death penalty.
A public meeting has been
organised on Sunday against Manushyaputhiran, Nakkheeran editor R.R.
Gopal (in whose magazine the writer’s article had appeared) and Mr.
Karunanidhi.
“They allege that I have spoken against
the Shariat Law. When many countries, including Muslim countries, have
banned the death penalty, the barbaric act is still in practice in Saudi
Arabia. I wrote against it in Nakkheeran magazine, arguing that
it is against civilisation. Fundamentalist elements keen on mobilising
Muslim youth for political motives have launched a campaign against me,”
said Manushyaputhiran.
He said there were a lot of
messages on his Facebook wall and one person even went to the extent of
saying that he would physically assault him and would not mind facing
the legal consequences. “They are threatening me and calling me for a
debate. All I said was that Rizana was only 17 years old when she was
executed and no international guidelines were followed in her case. I
want to point out that two Europeans sentenced to death penalty could
escape punishment in Saudi Arabia because of international pressure. On
the other hand, a poor Muslim girl from an Asian country has been
brutally killed,” said Manushyaputhiran.
According to
him, organisations like the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath are advocating a
pure form of Islam, closing the doors on local Tamil culture and
seeking to convert it into a religion that cannot accommodate democratic
norms. “I have also expressed my views against the ban on Vishwaroopam because freedom of expression is as important as the rights of minorities,” he said.
In
his letter to Manushyaputhiran, Mr. Jainulabdeen said the writer had
distorted facts while criticising the execution, including the fact that
the maid was not a minor at the time of offence. He had accused the
writer of advancing irrelevant arguments against the death penalty.
Efforts to contact Mr. Jainulabdeen were in vain.
