Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin receives the Lifetime Achievement Award launched by Litmus 2025 from TJ Joseph, whose hand was chopped off by extremists, in Kochi on Sunday.
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin said she will continue to fight fundamentalism, extremism and intolerance and stand for freedom, equality and human dignity.
After receiving a lifetime achievement award here on Sunday from Litmus 2025, a collective of freethinkers and atheists, Ms Nasrin said she had criticized all kinds of religions, patriarchal traditions, cultures and customs while supporting women’s rights.
“My criticism is proportional to the harm that religion causes. The more religion violates human rights, oppresses women, promotes intolerance and spreads cruelty and barbarism, the more I will oppose it. I have always stood by the oppressed, whoever they are. I have defended Muslims whenever they have been persecuted, just as I defended the oppressed Christians in Bangladesh in Pakistan. For me, religious identity irrelevant. Human beings can believe or not believe – but no one should be oppressed for their belief or non-belief,” she said.
According to her, no country has ever become civilized without criticizing the dogmatic practices of its religions. “Without the separation of state and religion, no state or society has ever become modern. Freedom of speech and expression must include the right to differ, to offend and to praise – a truth that most people in many countries neither know nor accept. Without the right to offend, there can be no freedom of expression. And without freedom of expression, democracy will not work,” she said.
“I fight every day against injustice and inequality – against religious terrorism and superstition, bigotry and obscurantism. I fight for human rights, women’s rights, freedom of speech and humanism. I’m not afraid to tell the truth,” she said.
Ms Nasrin, who has lived in exile for more than three decades, said she was kicked out of her country for the crime of claiming religious texts were out of time and place.
“I have no home. I am a Bengali writer but I have no place in Bengal. Bangladesh kicked me out, even West Bengal kicked me out for no fault of mine,” she lamented.
However, Ms Nasrin said that she has a home in the heart of every rationalist, free thinker, secularist and humanist and their solidarity is her refuge and their love, her country.
She accepted the award from TJ Joseph, whose hand was cut off by extremists.
Published – 19 Oct 2025 20:24 IST
