To Taslima Nasrin After Reading Her Poem Freedom Poem by Ravi Kopra

Taslima, your soul is free
No body can keep it captive
No body can send it to exile
No body can put it in jail

And those who try should
Look into their own conscience to see
If they themselves are human, really free
Or cowards under secularism and democracy.

Relenting to the ways of the evil
The medieval or the dark ages' people
Playing politics, telling lies
Not prosecuting those who persecute you.

You ask what wrongs you have done.
Mullahs say you are a muslima first and a woman later
They have the power to dictate for they are
The true followers of the messenger

Whom farishtas brought holy stuff from heaven.
You do not follow Shariah, they say shame on you
You do not hide your body under your black burqa
You show your face to the world in the open

You do not accept lashes from your husband
You do not accept his other granted wives
You don't lie in bed with him when he wants to
You do not polish his hookah, nor give him a bath in hamam

You do not marry your first cousin against your will
You revolt bowing before Allah five times daily
You must have no voice, no freedom, no choice
You were born a muslima, must live like a muslima, die like a muslima

Only then will Allah accept you, so will the mullahs
And so will the dotards whose minds are full of farishtas
Follow them. Come home. All fatwas shall be uplifted
Your face shall not be darkened if you hide under black burqa.