Tanveer Anoy
It’s time to rage, protest, and voice our anger because what’s happening right now is absolutely outrageous.
The backlash against the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission is not a debate. It’s not merely “disagreement.” It represents a coordinated attack on the very idea that women and gender-diverse people deserve dignity, safety, and equality in Bangladesh.
The commission didn’t ask for anything radical. It identified the structural inequalities that are plain to see: unequal inheritance, discriminatory family laws, the criminalization of sex work, and the invisibility of marginalized women. It called for reforms rooted in reality. In return, we received symbolic violence. Posters of feminist leaders were defaced. A shoe placed in front of Shireen Haq’s photo wasn’t just an insult; it was meant to humiliate every single one of us who dares to speak. Leading that hate campaign was Hefazat-e-Islam, the same group that has always positioned itself against any progress for women. They’re calling the report “anti-Quran,” “anti-Islam,” and demanding the entire commission be shut down. They’re not here to protect religion; they are here to protect power.
What’s worse is the silence. Where are the so-called progressive voices? Where are the student groups who once rallied for justice? And then came the statements, carefully worded, empty gestures of “condemnation” from political actors more concerned with appeasing conservatives than defending women.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), which many of us had high hopes for, released a statement attempting to balance both sides, condemning misogyny while accusing the commission of placing religion “at odds” with women. That’s not a defense of rights; that’s playing both sides. You don’t get to say you support women while calling feminist reform “divisive.” I’m disappointed, and I’ve withdrawn any remaining support I had for them.
Let’s be honest about what this moment represents: it’s not about disagreement over policy. It’s about a country that cannot tolerate women, particularly feminist women, having power, voice, or demands. It’s about a country where any attempt at reform is framed as a threat.
We have seen this before: every time women organize, the backlash is swift and brutal.
So yes, I’m angry. Exhausted. Disgusted.
But I will not be silent.
To every feminist, every person who’s being told to quiet down for the sake of “harmony,” this is your reminder: our rights were never given to us. They were fought for. And we will keep fighting.
This is not a policy disagreement. This is a political purge.
And we will not let it slide.
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