When Bangladesh Refused To Renew

Among All The 'awards' That I Have Hitherto Collected, I Consider The Title Of 'patita' Or 'fallen Woman' To Be The Highest. This Is An Achievement Of My Long-struggling Life As A Writer And As A Woman.

I Believe That If The Silent Majority Were To Protest Against Those Who Believe In Irrational Blind Faith - Who Want To Go Backwards Instead Of Forward, Who Are For Tradition Not Innovation, Who Oppose Individualism And Plurality Of Thought - Then The World Would Become A Truly Civilized World In Which To Live.

There Is No Such Thing As A 'superior' Or 'inferior' Culture, There Are Only Various Cultural Patterns Which Make Up This Beautiful, Multicolored Mosaic.

I Have Lectured At The U.n. And Travelled Widely, Giving Lectures On Human Rights And Gender Inequalities In Universities. But This Is A Life I Do Not Wish To Live. I Don't Want To Be A Showcase, I Want To Be In A Battlefield Where I Can Stand Beside The Oppressed And The Poor.

I Don't Find Any Difference Between Islam And Islamic Fundamentalists. I Believe Religion Is The Root, And From The Root Fundamentalism Grows As A Poisonous Stem. If We Remove Fundamentalism And Keep Religion, Then One Day Or Another Fundamentalism Will Grow Again. I Need To Say That Because Some Liberals Always Defend Islam And Blame Fundamentalists For Creating Problems. But Islam Itself Oppresses Women. Islam Itself Doesn't Permit Democracy And It Violates Human Rights.