Few days ago I had posted a request for donations for starting an online publication to give voice to the jobless and hounded Urdu journalist Shirin Dalvi. There was very good response, especially through Twitter with many sharing the link to my article. I am happy to announce that we have now reached the targeted amount.
A big thank you for all who helped out a woman journalist silenced by religious censorship of free speech.
Shirin Dalvi, the sacked and hounded Urdu journalist needs your help.
Last year, in January, she was sacked from her post of editor of Mumbai edition of Urdu daily Avadhnama. Her crime was re-publishing of a Charlie Hebdo cartoon on the front page, ten days after the horrific killing of Charlie Hebdo journalists by Islamic fundamentalists. This was a drawing by the assassinated French cartoonist Cabu published in 2006 cover of the magazine titled “Mohammed Overwhelmed by Fundamentalists,” in which a bearded man is shown covering his face and saying that “it’s hard to be loved by idiots.” It is still not clear whether the publishing of cartoon was a mistake or an honest attempt to criticise fundamentalists who killed cartoonists. Looking at her past record I tend to believe the latter, though faced with death threats she said it was a mistake.
Image credit – Indiatimes