New Bangladesh Women Development Policy 2011

The Bangladesh Government has approved the "Women Development Policy 2011" with a provision of equal rights for women and men to inherited property. If it put into action, a drastic change will take place in the existing practice of inheritance in the light of the stance of the holy Quran.

It is known from the published reports of newspapers that for the interest of economic empowerment of women this policy has included almost all issues of the policy of 1997, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) charter of the United Nations. This policy has utterly included the issue of "inherited" instead of the previous "immovable-movable property."

Salient Features

The draft policy approved by the cabinet includes the declaration to ensure the "equal rights of men and women" in family, society, and work places. The policy has also ensured women's full control on their earned property, credit, land, inheritance, and market management. Moreover, it has also said about ensuring 33 percent representation of women in various political organizations in phases and about initiatives of direct election upgrading the reserved quota of women in parliament to 33 percent. According to the policy, all discrimination against women and contradictory provisions against the CEDAW charter would be abolished. Moreover, there has fresh pledge for enacting new laws to ensure equality between men and women.

It is true that the women in our society are being a prey of discrimination and being deprived form their rights in many ways. For this condition influential groups of our society blame religions specially Islam instead of finding the main reasons and remedies behind these. But the formulators of the women development policy have tactfully avoided implementing the main part of the Islamic system where women are being awarded a glorious place.

Protest Against Decision

Just after the declaration of this draft policy, top Islamic scholars vehemently protested it. They have started their protest with statement, speech, and demonstration. But the Grand Alliance government led by the Awami League ignoring their opinions campaigned relentlessly that there is nothing against The Quran in this policy. To protest the government's stance on this issue a dawn to dusk hartal (closure strike) was observed on 4 April across the country called by Mufti Fazlul Haq Amini, leader of the Islami Oikko Jote. In favor of the hartal demonstrations were taken place across the country on the day before the hartal. Without any kind of instigation police attacked a rally in Jessore.

The police shot and killed a hafiz (one who memorizes the entire Quran by heart) when he fell down in sewerage after a chase by them. On the day of hartal police and government-supported armed cadres attacked the ulema during the picketing and about hundred ulema were injured. About two hundred protesters were apprehended by the police. Hartal is a universally accepted democratic right for movement.

Ignoring Opinions of Oppositions

Opposition parties call for a closure strike to show their public support when an autocratic ruler runs a country by ignoring the opinions of oppositions. Through the reflection of public opinion government and opposition can realize about their positions. But the autocratic force always ignores the democratic movement by dint of their power, although that cannot be possible at the end of the day. The history teaches us that every dictator always falls down to people's power.

We believe that a democratic government should not behave like a dictator. Democratic values cannot evolve through this behavior. The people have achieved the independence and democracy through supreme sacrifice. They will protect their achievements by all possible means, if needed they will sacrifice more. But they will not move away. Therefore, we think that the government should rule the country showing respect to democratic norms and values.