Face of Nation : Renowned Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has completed 25 years of living in exile abroad.
“25 years. Yes, 25 years. Today. Completed 25 years of my exile life,” Nasreen tweeted on Tuesday. 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 her to leave the country. She currently lives in New Delhi since 2011.On many occasions, Nasreen has expressed her desire for permanent Indian citizenship. She has been living in the country on an Indian visa granted to her since 2004. The exiled Bangladeshi author is a strong advocate of women’s rights, freedom of thought and human rights. Apart from being a writer, Nasreen is also a physician, having studied medicine in her early years in Bangladesh.
