Several incidents of violence were reported from different parts of the country over the controversial remarks of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
Wading into the ongoing controversy, renowned Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen tweeted if "Prophet Muhammad was alive today, he would have been shocked to see the madness of the 'Muslim fanatics' around the world."
— (@)
Two days ago, she had written:
— (@)
Nasreen left Bangladesh in 1994 in the wake of death threats by fundamentalist outfits for her alleged anti-Islamic views. Since then she has been living in exile.
Born in Mymensingh in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on August 25, 1962, Nasreen was forced to leave her country in 1994 due to repeated threats from radical Muslim groups after her novel 'Lajja' (shame) which depicts the persecution of a Hindu family by Muslims, ran into a controversy.
She suffered a number of physical and other attacks following the publication of Lajja.
After fleeing Bangladesh, Nasreen adopted Swedish citizenship.
Despite repeated threats to her life, the 56-year-old author has continued to write against Islamic philosophy, angering many Muslims in Bangladesh and worldwide.
The exiled author has also lived in the US and Europe for many years.
Nasreen lived in Kolkata between 2004 and 2007 but was forced to leave the city after radical Muslim groups demanded she leaves the country. She currently lives in New Delhi since 2011.
THE north east economy is at risk of losing tens of millions of pounds if a new tax on international student fees is imposed, university and business leaders have warned.
Labour ministers have proposed charging a six per cent levy on tuition fees paid by overseas students in England, which education secretary Bridget Phillipson announced will be used to pay for the return of means-tested maintenance grants for some learners from lower-income households.
But the organisation representing some of England’s top universities, including Newcastle and Durham, claims the move is the “wrong way” to reintroduce the grants abolished under the Conservatives in 2016 and risks doing “more harm than good”.
There are concerns that universities would pass the impact of the levy onto international students through tuition fee hikes, rather than absorbing the costs at a time when the higher education sector has been experiencing major budget cuts, resulting in a fall in the number of people coming from overseas to study in the UK.
international students make up almost a third of the student population in the north east
The Russell Group said international students currently make up almost a third of the student population at its universities in the north east – and account for over a quarter of their collective income.
A study from the Higher Education Policy Institute found the levy would cost Durham University £10 million and Newcastle University £9m, putting them in the top twenty worst affected institutions in the country.
Research by Public First has also warned the north east stands to lose £87m in the first year of a levy due to projected falls in international student numbers, which it estimates at 77,000 nationally over five years.
It names Newcastle Central and West as the constituency potentially suffering the eighth biggest hit in the country, just under £30m in Gross Value Added (GVA), with the City of Durham predicted to lose £14.5m and Sunderland Central £12.5m.
Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said bringing back maintenance grants would help more young people in the north access higher education – but that funding them through this levy “risks undermining the financial sustainability of universities”.
Murison added: “This will mean losing a significant amount of the subsidy for domestic students that their international counterparts currently provide. If there are over 135,000 fewer places across our leading world-class institutions, that means fewer opportunities – especially for the most disadvantaged.
“We know that in cities like Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle there are constituencies with over £30 million in GVA to lose along with similar places in London, West Midlands and Scotland.”
Newcastle University said last year it was facing a £35m financial black hole due to a decline in international students and has since slashed £20m from its wage bill, with cuts having sparked prolonged strike action from academics.
Durham University also announced in January it had to cut costs by £20m over two years.
Dr Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group, said: “Universities like Newcastle and Durham, and many others across the north east contribute a huge amount to their local areas – from providing skills and training to the local workforce, to ground-breaking research and infrastructure projects.
“If the proposed levy goes ahead, it will add greater pressure on an already financially precarious sector to the detriment of the very students and communities that government is looking to support.
“Reinstating maintenance grants has been a long-standing campaign for us, because we know financial pressures are a huge challenge for students – especially those from under-privileged backgrounds. In fact, universities already spend millions of pounds each year on widening access, including bursaries and hardship funds. This spending would also be at risk if the levy goes ahead.”
The Department for Education was contacted for a response.
It said last month the levy would “maintain a competitive offer for international students while ensuring the benefits are shared more visibly at home, directly benefiting disadvantaged domestic students”.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.