A Bangladeshi cricketer found himself at the center of controversy on Monday due to his misogynistic social media posts criticizing women who work, just days after an impressive international debut.
Bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib had made a remarkable start to his international career by dismissing India captain Rohit Sharma with only his fourth delivery during the Asia Cup match, ultimately securing a victory for Bangladesh in the final over. This earned the 20-year-old much acclaim, but it was short-lived as his misogynistic social media posts surfaced, drawing criticism from women's rights activists and feminists.
One of his Facebook posts from last year stated, "If the wife works, the husband’s rights are not ensured. If the wife works, the child’s rights are not ensured. If the wife works, her elegance is damaged. If the wife works, the family is ruined. If the wife works, the veil is ruined. If the wife works, society is ruined."
It's worth noting that the majority of workers in Bangladesh's garment factories, a key driver of the country's economic growth, are women. In another post, Tanzim warned men that if they married a woman accustomed to interacting freely with male friends in a university setting, their sons would not have a "modest" mother.
These comments sparked outrage, with feminist writer Jannatun Nayeem Prity highlighting that the Bangladesh team jerseys are made in factories primarily staffed by women. She added, "I feel sorry for you that you don’t consider your mother a normal human being."
Writer Swakrito Noman also condemned the comments as "deeply offensive" in a widely shared Facebook post, calling on the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to question Tanzim and seek an apology from the player. Journalist Mejbaul Haque emphasized that such a distorted form of misogyny should not be tolerated, regardless of the player's stardom. The BCB announced that it was conducting an investigation into the matter.