Mumbai, Nov 13 (IANS) Writer and activist Taslima Nasrin came in support of Kareena Kapoor after Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesperson, Abbas Hafeez, sent a legal notice to the actress over her social media photographs wearing a huge vintage emerald pendant.
The pendant is a 200-year-old diamond-encrusted kalgi that once belonged to the Nawab of Bhopal. The jewel is connected to the Pataudi family, as Saif’s grandmother, Sajida Sultan, was the daughter of Hamidullah Khan, the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal.
In an elongated Tweet, Taslima pointed out that the pendant from the royal family of Bhopal came to Bebo through her husband Saif’s family.
“What ridiculous antics the self-appointed guardians of religion get up to sometimes! Kareena Kapoor has worn an emerald pendant engraved with Ayat al-Kursi from the Quran. This piece of jewellery from the royal family of Bhopal came to her through Saif Ali Khan’s family. Some Muslim leader has sent her a legal notice over photographs of her wearing it. The photographs must be deleted, and Kareena must apologise publicly—or face further legal action. (sic),” he wrote.
She added that a pendant is meant to be worn around the neck.
“Why? What catastrophe occurs if someone wears a pendant engraved with a Quranic verse? A pendant is meant to be worn around the neck. Naturally, it will hang near the chest. Or is the objection that Kareena’s cleavage is visible? Do they think Allah did not create cleavage? That Satan did? The entire body is Allah’s creation, but when it came to a woman’s breasts, Satan slipped in to do a little handiwork? How amusing!
What a bizarre notion of sanctity! Letters engraved on an emerald deserve respect, but a woman of flesh and blood does not. To defend the honour of those letters, a woman can be harassed and pressured into apologising. If sanctity is destroyed merely by coming close to a woman’s body, then hatred of women has been built into that very notion of sanctity,” the tweet further read.
“If you consider a verse sacred, by all means do. But why impose the burden of your belief on someone else? Another woman must dress, wear jewellery and pose for photographs according to your beliefs—what an absurd demand! Surely your hurt feelings do not give you a licence to take away someone else’s freedom,” Taslima went on to share.
The writer added that the policing of women’s bodies in the name of religion must stop.
She shared, “People are fed up with these merchants of wounded feelings. Century after century passes, yet they never stop showing the world that they do not know the first thing about tolerance! They keep watch over everything, from the pendant around a woman’s neck to her cleavage. This policing of women’s bodies in the name of religion, this intimidation, this bullying to extract apologies must stop.”
Taslima concluded by saying that she sees no reason for Kareena to apologise. She added that instead the apologies should come from those who are going out of their way to turn a woman’s harmless choice of clothes and jewellery into a crime.
For the unversed, the controversy erupted after Kareena uploaded some photos of herself wearing the jewellery as part of her Diwali look.
Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesperson, Abbas Hafeez, sent a legal notice to Kareena, seeking the removal of the photographs, along with an apology.
Meanwhile, Hindu Utsav Samiti president Chandra Shekhar Tiwari extended support to Kareena, saying that she did not need to apologise to anyone.
–IANS
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