Taslima Nasrin

Nasrin was born in 1962 in a small town in what is now Bangladesh. A physician herself, she is the daughter of a physician father and a devoutly religious mother. Nasrin's writings express her thoughts on religion, feminism, and sexuality, issues that are seldom expressed openly in the traditional Muslim society of Bangladesh--especially by a woman. She has been living in exile since 1994, ever since Muslim clerics issued a fatwa against her for her criticism of Islam's repression of women. She now resides in Stockholm, Sweden. She was awarded The Ananda Prize (Calcutta, 1992) and The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (Prague, 1994).

"She is either the bravest or most foolish person I've ever met." - a friend of Nasrin.