Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi on Saturday urged the government not to remove the story about hijra community titled ‘Sharifa’ from a textbook of Class VII.
They said that if the government removed this story from the textbook then it would be equivalent to favour fundamentalism and communal forces.
The people from a third-gender community also have the rights to live as the men and women, they also said at a protest rally held in front of the National Press Club in the capital.
Udichi had organised the rally following a recent recommendation made by an expert committee on the story ‘Sharifa’.
The education ministry on January 24 this year formed a five-member expert committee to review the story ‘Sharifa’ in the History and Social Science book of Class VII under the new curriculum amid huge criticism and controversy from different quarters, claiming that the story ‘Sharifa’ is promoting ‘LGBTQ’ in the country.
In the story, the central character, Sharif, though born male at birth, later in life identifies himself as a woman and adopts the name Sharifa. Subsequently, Sharifa chooses to live as a member of the ‘Hijra’ community.
The committee headed by Islamic Arabic University vice-chancellor professor Mohammad Abdur Rashid told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that they had submitted their recommendations to the ministry in the first week of May.
He declined to say anything about the recommendations.
Quoting some media reports, leaders and activists of Udichi said that the expert committee found that 19 words in the story were not relevant to Bangladesh’s social structure.
As the story without these words would remain incomplete, they suggested excluding the story from the book.
Shanta, a representative from the ‘hijra’ community, said at the rally that like men and women they also had the rights to live a healthy and normal life.
Udichi president professor Badiur Rahman said that the expert committee was dominated by professors of different Islamic subjects instead of keeping professors of social science subjects.
The other members of the committee are Mufti Maulana Kafil Uddin Sarker, governor of the Islamic Foundation, professor Moshiuzzaman, member of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, Abdul Halim, director of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University, and professor Mohammad Abdur Rashid, principal of Dhaka Alia Madrassah.
Badiur also said that people with a third-gender identity got recognition from the government and they had every right as citizens.
Inclusion of the story in the textbook was a right decision, he added.
Udichi general secretary Amit Ranjan Dey said that the story upheld discriminatory attitudes towards the community and the claims of homosexuality and sexuality elements in the story were intentional.
If the government removes the story, it will favour fundamentalism and communal forces, he added.Â
Udichi activists sang different songs at the rally and representatives from different organisations, including Ganajagaran Mancha, also spoke at the event.
