Zeba Amin subjected to sexual harassment disguised as criticism over parliament speech
In this text, some slurs and derogatory words targeted at women on social media have been kept unchanged. This has been done to accurately present the language and nature of online violence, so that the context and meaning are not distorted.
Zeba Amin Khan, a member of parliament from a reserved seat for women, delivered a speech during a National Parliament session on June 16, where she blamed corruption for the dilapidated state of the roads. The mixture of Bangla and English in her speech sparked discussions on social media, and she was ridiculed as well.
However, alongside trolling over language, there arose a campaign of derogatory and sexually harassing statements centred around Zeba Amin on social media. Research shows that in political contexts, this type of propaganda creates a hostile environment, making women’s participation in politics difficult.
After MP Zeba Amin’s speech went viral, a negative post surfaced on Dismislab, where she was taunted for her clothing. Subsequently, a search of relevant keywords brought numerous Facebook photos and posts before Dismislab. The first 20 posts from the search were analyzed for this report.
On June 16, a photo of Zeba Amin was posted from a Facebook page named MX with the caption, “Even at the age of 55, Member of Parliament Zeba Amin, the du|dhu (breasts/boobs – derogatory) are standing up.” However, the post was later removed. Another personal profile with the name Faysal Mahmud posted a photo of her with the caption, “Even at the age of 55, BNP Member of Parliament Zeba Amin’s du|dhu are standing up. How did she go to parliament without a bra? This is why Jamat’s women are told to remove the hijab.” Multiple (1, 2, 3, 4) posts were found with the same caption, using Zeba Amin’s photo.
An examination of the posts reveals that most did not focus on the mixture of Bangla and English in Zeba Amin’s speech, but rather targeted her attire. On June 17, one part of a post’s caption read, “Zeba Amin, you may speak incorrect Bangla and English if you want, but what did you show us?” On June 16, a post from a personal profile carried the caption, “Did I enter someone’s bedroom by mistake?”
A 1-minute 32-second video was posted from a page named “Sotter Sondhane21” (In Search of Truth 21) with the caption, “In revealing clothes. Blundering English in the session. Uproar on social media.” Additionally, multiple posts (1, 2, 3, 4) highlighted derogatory statements centring Zeba Amin’s clothing.
Comparison between Momtaz and Zeba Amin
Another trend observed on social media involved comparing Zeba Amin with the former Member of Parliament and folk singer Momtaz Begum. There, too, the subject of discussion was the current MP’s clothing.
On June 17, photos of Momtaz Begum and Zeba Amin were posted with the caption: “Both are Members of Parliament, 1 former, 1 current. Even though Momtaz is a vocal artist, she understands the modesty of going out and how to go out while maintaining the modesty of her clothing. On the other hand, was it right for Zeba Amin to go to parliament wearing such an outfit? The current parliament has become a place of laughter and mockery.”
Another personal profile posted, “BNP supporters used to say Momtaz is a nautch girl, then what is Zeba Amin? If Momtaz is a nautch girl, then Zeba Amin is the etiquette of nautch girls. Even though Momtaz is uneducated, her clothes and movement were modest.” Multiple (1, 2, 3) similar posts were found where Zeba Amin was targeted by involving Momtaz.
Mardia Momtaz also targeted
Multiple posts involving Mardia Momtaz, a Member of Parliament from Jamaat’s reserved seats for women, were also seen on Facebook. A post from a Facebook group featuring photos of Mardia Momtaz and Zeba Amin carried the caption, “One is Trophy Momtaz, a Member of Parliament nominated by the Islamic party Jamaat! The other is Zeba Amin, a Member of Parliament nominated by the BNP!! Although BNP people criticize Zeba Amin’s clothing, people from the heavenly party Jamaat are very happy to see Trophy Appa’s pompoms (slang for breasts)!!.” Multiple (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) posts were seen with the same caption, utilizing photos of Momtaz and Zeba Amin.
Another personal profile posted, “Roads are very, very pishla (slippery). The public is suffering. In the rainy season, public’s leg kandar moddhe handi jay (sinks into the mud), honorable speaker.”
Regarding the extent of criticism female politicians face on social media, a joint study by Professor Anne Rasmussen of King’s College London and Dr Gregory Eady of the University of Copenhagen, titled “Gendered Perceptions and the Costs of Political Toxicity, Experimental Evidence from Politicians and Citizens in Four Democracies,” stated, “Women politicians may be faced with a double burden regarding toxic behaviours. For one, they may be more likely to be exposed to higher rates of toxic behaviors.”
“They may also, however, bear a second burden that exacerbates the severity of these behaviours: political toxicity for women can indicate efforts by perpetrators that are motivated by gendered prejudices and by a desire to use toxicity to increase the cost for women to run for or remain in politics,” adds the study.
