Taslima Nasrin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taslima Nasrin
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| তসলিমা নাসরিন | |
| Born | 25 August 1962 |
| Education | Mymensingh Medical College |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
| Movement | Women's Equality, Human Rights, Freedom of Speech, Atheist, Scientism, Tolerance |
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Taslima Nasrin (born 25 August 1962) is a writer, doctor, and activist from Bangladesh who later became a Swedish citizen. She is well-known for her writings that discuss the challenges women face and for sharing her thoughts on certain religious ideas. Some of her books are not allowed in Bangladesh. She has also been asked to leave the Bengal region, which includes Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
She became famous around the world in the early 1990s because of her essays and novels. These writings often shared her views on women's rights and her opinions on what she called "misogynistic" (meaning unfair to women) religions. Since 1994, Nasrin has lived away from her home country, often facing serious threats because of her writings. After living in Europe and the United States for over ten years, she moved to India in 2004. She has been living there with a special permit ever since.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Taslima Nasrin was born in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Her father, Dr. Rajab Ali, was a doctor and a professor. She finished high school in 1976 and college in 1978. She then studied medicine at Mymensingh Medical College and became a doctor in 1984.
While in college, she wrote and edited a poetry magazine called Shenjuti. After becoming a doctor, she worked in family planning and at hospitals. During her medical work, she saw many girls and women who were suffering. She also heard women crying when they had baby girls, which showed her how some people felt about girls. She grew up in a Muslim family but later became an atheist, meaning she did not believe in a god. As she started writing, she focused on women's rights.
Her Writing Journey
When Taslima Nasrin first started writing, she mostly wrote poetry. Between 1982 and 1993, she published several poetry books. These poems often talked about the challenges women faced. In the late 1980s, she began writing prose, which includes essays and novels. Before her famous novel Lajja was published, she had already written three collections of essays and four novels.
Lajja (which means "Shame") is a story about a Hindu family that was attacked by religious extremists and decided to leave their country. Because of her writings, which questioned certain religious ideas and demanded equal rights for women, Nasrin faced many difficulties. She was sometimes physically attacked, and many people protested, calling for her to be punished. In October 1993, a religious group even offered a reward for harming her.
In May 1994, a newspaper quoted her as suggesting changes to religious texts. She later said she only called for changes to certain religious laws. In August 1994, she was accused of making statements that caused anger. Many people protested, calling her someone who had left her religion and was trying to make Islam look bad. One group even threatened to release thousands of poisonous snakes if she was not punished. After hiding for two months, she moved to Sweden at the end of 1994. She stopped working as a doctor and became a full-time writer and activist.
Life Away From Home
After leaving Bangladesh in late 1994, Taslima Nasrin lived in Europe and North America for ten years. Her Bangladeshi passport was taken away, but the Swedish government gave her citizenship, and she found safety in Germany. She later moved to India in 2004.
Living in Kolkata (2004–2007)
In 2004, India gave her a temporary permit to live there, and she moved to Kolkata. Kolkata is in West Bengal, a state in India that shares a similar culture and language with Bangladesh. She called Kolkata her home. The Indian government kept extending her visa, but they did not give her Indian citizenship. While in Kolkata, Nasrin wrote regularly for Indian newspapers and magazines.
Her writings, which continued to discuss religious ideas, again faced strong opposition from some religious groups. In June 2006, a religious leader in Kolkata offered money to anyone who would publicly shame her. Even when she traveled abroad, controversy followed her. In 2005, she tried to read a poem at a large event in New York City but was booed off the stage. Back in India, in March 2007, another group offered a large sum of money for her to be seriously harmed. They said the offer would only be removed if she apologized, burned her books, and left the country.
In 2007, some political leaders in India made threats against Taslima Nasrin. When she was in Hyderabad to release a translated version of her novel Shodh, she was reportedly attacked by a group led by these political leaders.
Leaving Kolkata
On 9 August 2007, Taslima Nasrin was attacked in Hyderabad. A week later, on 17 August, Muslim leaders in Kolkata brought back an old threat against her, urging her to leave the country and offering a large amount of money to anyone who would harm her. On 21 November, a protest against Nasrin in Kolkata caused a lot of trouble, and the army had to be called in to restore order. After these events, Nasrin was forced to move from Kolkata to Jaipur and then to New Delhi the next day.
The Indian government kept Nasrin in a secret location in New Delhi, where she was effectively under house arrest for over seven months. In January 2008, she was chosen for the Simone de Beauvoir award for her writings on women's rights. However, she chose not to go to Paris to receive it, saying she wanted to stay in India and fight for her freedom. She later had to be hospitalized for a few days due to stress.
From New Delhi, Nasrin said she was writing a lot, but not about religion. She felt a lot of stress from the loneliness and uncertainty. She stopped the publication of one part of her autobiography and, under pressure, removed some parts from Dwikhandito, a book that had caused protests in Kolkata. She was forced to leave India on 19 March 2008.
Nasrin moved to Sweden in 2008 and later worked as a researcher at New York University. She eventually returned to India but had to stay in New Delhi because the West Bengal government would not let her enter. Her visa was extended in 2016, and she is still seeking permanent residency in India.
In 2015, Nasrin received threats from extremist groups. The Center for Inquiry (CFI) helped her travel to the United States, where she lives now. The CFI stated that her safety was temporary if she could not stay in the U.S., and they set up a fund to help her with living costs.
Her Books and Writings
Taslima Nasrin started writing poetry when she was thirteen. While in college, she published and edited a literary magazine called SeNjuti from 1978 to 1983. Her first collection of poems came out in 1986. She became more widely known when she started writing newspaper columns in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, she began writing novels, which brought her much praise. Overall, she has written more than thirty books, including poetry, essays, novels, short stories, and memoirs. Her books have been translated into 20 different languages.
Her experiences and her work as a doctor greatly influenced her writing about how women are treated and her general views on religion. Her writing has two main themes: her thoughts on her native culture's religion and her ideas about women's rights. She looks up to writers like Virginia Woolf and Simone de Beauvoir. Her later poetry also shows a strong connection to Bangladesh and India.
Columns and Essays
In 1989, Nasrin began writing for a weekly political magazine. Her views on women's rights and her comments about religion gained a lot of attention. She surprised many people in Bangladesh with her strong opinions. Later, she collected these writings in a book called Nirbachita Column, which won her the Ananda Purashkar award in 1992. This is a respected award for Bengali writers. She has always supported the idea of a common set of laws for everyone in India, regardless of their religion. She believes that discussing religious ideas is important for a country to be secular (meaning separating religion from government). She has also written articles for online news sites in India.
Novels
In 1992, Nasrin wrote two short novels that did not get much attention.
Her most famous novel, Lajja (Shame), was published in 1993. It became very well-known because of its sensitive topic. The book tells the story of a patriotic Hindu family in Bangladesh facing challenges in a Muslim community. Lajja sold 50,000 copies in Bangladesh in six months before the government banned it that same year.
Her other well-known novel is French Lover, published in 2002.
Autobiography
Amar Meyebela (My Girlhood, 2002), the first part of her life story, was banned by the Bangladeshi government in 1999. This was because of what they called "reckless comments" about Islam. Utal Hawa (Wild Wind), the second part, was banned by the Bangladesh government in 2002. Ka (Speak up), the third part, was banned by the Bangladeshi High Court in 2003. Under pressure from Muslim activists in India, the book, which was published in West Bengal as Dwikhandita, was also banned there. About 3,000 copies were taken away immediately. Many writers in West Bengal criticized this ban, but it was not lifted until 2005. Sei Sob Ondhokar (Those Dark Days), the fourth part of her memoir, was banned by the Bangladesh government in 2004.
So far, seven parts of her autobiography have been published. She received her second Ananda Purashkar award in 2000 for Amar Meyebela.
Her Life and Works in Art
Taslima Nasrin's life has inspired many plays and songs in both the East and the West. A Swedish singer named Magoria sang "Goddess in you, Taslima," and a French band called Zebda created "Don't worry, Taslima" to honor her.
Her work has also been adapted for TV and even turned into music. Jhumur was a 2006 TV show based on a story she wrote. Bengali singers have sung her poems. Steve Lacy, a jazz musician, met Nasrin in 1996 and worked with her to turn her poetry into music. The result was a powerful work called The Cry, which was performed in Europe and North America.
Support and Criticism
Taslima Nasrin has faced criticism from writers and thinkers in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. Some people felt that her comments in Ka were unfair and harmful to their reputation. For example, a Bangladeshi poet filed a lawsuit against her in 2003. A poet from West Bengal did the same, which led to the High Court banning the book in India. Some people suggested she wrote these things just to become famous. She defended herself, saying she was writing her own life story.
However, she also received support from many Bengali writers and thinkers. More recently, she has been supported by famous authors and artists like Mahasweta Devi and Arundhati Roy. In India, when she was under house arrest in Delhi in 2007, many well-known writers defended her. They asked the Indian government to let her live permanently in India or give her citizenship if she wanted it. In Bangladesh, writer and philosopher Kabir Chowdhury also strongly supported her.
Awards and Honors
Taslima Nasrin has received many international awards for her work in promoting freedom of speech. Some of her awards include:
- Ananda Award from West Bengal, India in 1992 and 2000
- Sakharov Prize for freedom of thoughts from the European Parliament, in 1994
- Human Rights Award from the Government of France, 1994
- Edict of Nantes Prize from France, 1994
- Kurt Tucholsky Prize from Swedish PEN, Sweden, 1994
- Feminist of the Year from Feminist Majority Foundation, US, 1994
- Honorary Doctorate from Ghent University, Belgium, 1995
- Distinguished Humanist Award from International Humanist and Ethical Union, Great Britain, 1996
- Erwin Fischer Award from International League of non-religious and atheists, Germany, 2002
- Freethought Heroine Award from Freedom From Religion Foundation, US, 2002
- Fellowship at Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University, US, 2003
- UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for promoting tolerance and non-violence, 2004
- Honorary doctorate from American University of Paris, 2005
- Grand Prix International Condorcet-Aron, 2005
- Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, US, 2009
- Feminist Press award, US, 2009
- Honorary doctorate from Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, 2011
- Honorary citizenship from Esch, Luxembourg, 2011
- Honorary citizenship from Metz, France, 2011
- Honorary citizenship from Thionville, France, 2011
- Honorary doctorate from Paris Diderot University, Paris, France, 2011
- Universal Citizenship Passport from Paris, France, 2013
- Academy Award from the Royal Academy of Arts, Science and Literature, Belgium, 2013
- Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society
More About Her Work
Books in English
See also
In Spanish: Taslima Nasrin para niños
