An open letter denouncing the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) for inviting Germany-based novelist Ronya Othmann, a well-known supporter of the state of Israel, as a guest speaker for its 15th edition was written by the leftist feminist group Feminist Collective. Since then, the festival’s website no longer lists her name among the speakers.
Due to her contentious, anti-Islamic, and anti-Palestinian remarks in the past, Othmann was asked to speak twice: once on February 17th for her book The Summers and again on February 18th for a poetry reading titled “Beyond the Seas.”
The Feminist Collective noted in their open letter, which was signed by 199 people as of the time of publication and included actors Sarwat Gillani and Rasti Farooq, that during a panel discussion hosted by the German newspaper TAZ, Othmann, along with another panelist and the interviewer, asserted that Muslim immigrants, including Palestinians, are “jihadists” and “terrorists” for showing support for the Palestinian resistance to a 75-year-long occupation.
Other examples, as stated in the letter, include an essay authored by Othmann when she targeted German-Palestinian journalist Alena Jabarine “as well as other writers of colour for pointing out that what Israel is doing to Palestinians in Gaza is a genocide”.
According to the Collective, Othmann also disparaged the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to put pressure on Israel to follow international law and “end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.” Othmann alleged that the BDS was “a form of violence against the state of Israel, and was lacking political legitimacy,” according to the Feminist Collective, adding that it also provided “global support for terror.”
Othmann has reposted multiple tweets on her X (formerly Twitter) account, in which she advocates for the criminalization of anti-Semitism and compares support for the Palestinian struggle to it. She asserts that there is a “Islamism problem” in her tweets criticizing pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Furthermore, the writer has supported Israeli propaganda claiming that Hamas utilizes Gazans as human shields. “In essence a right-wing dog-whistle targeting vulnerable Muslim and Arab immigrant populations in Europe, especially Palestinians,” is how The Feminist Collective characterizes her language and emotions.
Additionally, Othmann has a history of disseminating anti-Muslim propaganda, such as this tweet that threatens Muslims with death if they do not adopt Islamist ideology.
“The Israeli genocide against the Palestinians is in its sixth month, with over 28,000 Palestinians dead, more than 10,000 of them children. As Pakistanis, we find KLF’s choice of Othmann as a speaker unacceptable — indeed, obscene — and especially so given that,” the Collective wrote in their letter. “The International Court of Justice has declared that the South African case charging Israel with genocide has validity,” they insisted in their order for provisional remedies.
“KLF immediately cancel this event and issue a public apology to the Palestinian people and to all Pakistanis of conscience,” was the demand made by the Feminist Collective. They further demanded that the festival “avoid inviting Zionists and giving legitimacy to Zionist discourse under the false premise of ‘neutrality’ and cease engaging in ‘two-siderism’ when it comes to the current genocide and the 75+ year occupation of Palestine by Israel.”
The statement went on, “We [the Collective] will mobilize a boycott of its festival this year and in the years to come if KLF does not cancel this event and issue a public apology.”
A representative for the Feminist Collective expressed their horror that the KLF invited someone of this caliber, particularly given the current historical context, in an exclusive statement to Images.
They ought to exercise caution and ensure that they are not inviting individuals whose opinions they find repugnant. There is a regrettable inclination to believe that remaining neutral is the more progressive and advanced stance. The representative continued, “I’m not suggesting that this is the case; I’m just saying it’s something we frequently see in Pakistan.
In addition to putting KLF on notice and making sure the speaker is not invited, they stated, “We felt it was so necessary to write this letter to educate our own audience about why we are taking this step and why it is important to take a stand against persons who have zionist ideas. To make sure that everyone is aware that Zionism refers to a specific ideology rather than Jews.
While Othmann’s name has been taken from the official speaker list on the festival website and the online itinerary for the event, an official comment from KLF is still pending.
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