A Feminist View of Conversion and Assault:
According to Mackinnon in a society where sexuality is learned via taboos and rules, via rape and pornography, and where the construction of identities, is cultural that is forcibly imposed, for example, “good girl” “bad girl”, the distinction between coercion and consent is arbitrary.
Similarly, when there is so much power involved and the State is inactive, the changing of one faith identities is a matter of coercion and threat, there is no consent and hence is rape and assault on one’s identity.
From the testimony of Umashankar Pal:
My name is Sri Umasankhar Pal, son of SriPrasanna Pal, Village Narayanpur, Police Station, Ramgung, Union number 14, Zilla Noakhali. On October 10, 1946 (English calendar) at 2:30 PM, we were attacked by roughly 2000 thousand Muslims hoodlums. The landlord of our Court house Srijukta Surendranatha Bose and his four employees were killed by the above said Muslims. The gang took the money from them and looted their stuff from their house and set it on fire.
The next day, Friday, gangs of hoodlums forced themselves inside every Hindu house an demanded donation for Muslim League Party. From that day till Friday there was constant and repeated demand for donation and looting. Then every Hindu was forced to give thumb impression and unfairly spoilt our faith and converted us into Islam. Then without our consent, took us to the local mosque. If we resisted, punishment was pronounced. At present they are telling that the cops and military who are coming to our rescue that we adopted Islam by consent. They are saying that the cops and the military won’t be sitting in our house. If we named anyone about the arson or looting, they would kill us, the cops and military would not come to our rescue.
At present in Gosaibag Borojbari every night Ulla Patari, Lutfar Rahman Patari, Abdul Kasim Ping Wachek Munshi and many Muslims hoodlums forced their way into Hindu houses and satisfied their animal desires on the women of the house. If anyone resisted, they threatened to kill all those who resisted them. They are taking the women inside closed doors. In the aforesaid Borojbari all the men folks have been killed.
Our faith, honor, and property have spoilt. We appeal to the authorities to save our lives and rescue us.
The leaders of these criminal gang are Cheru Patari, Bhabdulla, Habibulla, Tunimiya Munshi, Sekandir Master. They descended upon us daily and also guarded us, so that we could not get out. All the criminals are people from our neighborhood and we are familiar with them. Their leader is Kashem Miya.
Sri Umneshchandra Pal
Gram Narayangung
P.O. Zilla Noakhali
October 24, 1946
