Taslima Nasreen is a woman writer who I admire. She hails from Bangladesh, but presently she has fled Bangladesh and is in exile in Delhi. Earlier for some she was given asylum in Norway. The reason Taslima had to run away from Bangladesh was primary to escape death at the hands of Islamic fanatics who had issued a Fatwa for her death. Taslima though a Muslim, in an interview broadcast over BBC had opined that the holy books of Islam like the Koran need to be revised as they were anti-women. This interview brought the ire of hardline Muslims on her and a fatwa was issued that she be killed.
Taslima is also a writer of some standing. She writes in Bengali, but a few of her books have been translated into English. Her most famous novel is “Lajja” (Shame) which delineates a story about the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh at the hands of Muslims. Her latest novel ‘French Lover’ is published She is now catapulted in the big league of writers and her books sell like hot cakes.
Taslima was born in 1962 and her early life was non-descript. She came into limelight after a publication of ‘Lajja‘ and her anti-Islamic views. It’s a pity that Bangladesh does not recognize the greatness of Taslima. Her views on Islam should not come in the way of appreciation of her books.
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