Rafida Bonya Ahmed facts for kids
Rafida Bonya Ahmed, born in 1969, is an author, activist, and blogger from Bangladesh who now lives in America. She is known for her work promoting free thinking and human rights.
In 2015, while visiting Bangladesh, Bonya and her husband, Avijit Roy, were attacked by a group of people with extreme views. This happened at a busy book fair. Avijit sadly passed away, and Bonya was seriously hurt.
Early Life and Education
Bonya was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She studied Computer Information Science at Minnesota State University-Mankato in the United States.
Work and Activism
Bonya met her husband, Avijit Roy, through an online group called Mukto-Mona. This was the first online place for Bengali-speaking people who liked to think freely and discuss ideas. Avijit started this group. Mukto-Mona also began the first celebration of Darwin Day in Bangladesh. In 2015, Mukto-Mona received an international award called The BOBS jury award.
Bonya wrote one of the first popular science books in Bangladesh about how living things change over time. The book is called Bibortoner Path Dhore, which means "Along the Evolutionary Path" (2007). She also helps manage the Mukto-Mona group online.
Bonya has a daughter named Trisha Ahmed from her first marriage. Trisha wrote an article with her stepfather, Avijit, for a magazine about bloggers who were in prison for sharing their ideas. Bonya has also been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
After the attack on her and Avijit, Bonya took a break from her job. She started working with groups in Europe and the USA that support human rights and free speech. She wanted to make people aware of the attacks on thinkers in Bangladesh by groups who do not like free expression.
Currently, Bonya is doing research on groups with extreme views at the University of Texas, Austin. In 2016, she received an award called the "Forward" award from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. She is also a judge for Deutsche Welle's The BOBS Best of Online Activism Award.
Books
- Bibortoner Path Dhore ("Along the Evolutionary Path"), 2007, Abosor Prakashani, Dhaka.
