Taslima Nasrin

Taslima Nasrin is a Bangladeshi writer, medical doctor, and international spokesperson for human rights. Before she came to the Consortium, she had become internationally known when her novel, Shame, which depicts Muslim persecution of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, brought forth a death threat from Islamic militants. Her continued writing on issues such as the oppression of women, atrocities against the Hindu minority community by Islamic fundamentalists, as well as her support for equal rights and freedom of expression resulted in her being forced to flee her native country. Ms. Nasrin sought asylum in Europe where writing and human rights advocacy became the focal point of her life’s work. Ms. Nasrin is the recipient of numerous human rights, humanitarian and literary awards. She has authored twenty-four books of poetry, essays and novels, many of which have been translated into over twenty languages. While a fellow at the Consortium, Ms. Nasrin was based at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Her work focused on prospects for secularization in Islamic countries and the linkages between secularization and women’s emancipation.