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| Saturday, 19 February 2005 |
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Exiled Bangladeshi writer seeks Indian citizenship NEW DELHI, Friday (AFP) - Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen urged India to grant her citizenship, saying the country of her birth had "slammed the doors" on her possible return. "My own country has slammed the doors for me. I cannot return there despite several attempts in the past," the writer told reporters in New Delhi. Nasreen, whose book "Ka" described her alleged affairs with a number of prominent Bangladeshi figures, said she would like to settle down in the Indian state of West Bengal which adjoins Bangladesh and shares the same Bengali language. "My love for the language and the people of West Bengal is all what prompted me to apply for Indian citizenship," said Nasreen, whose book "Lajjya" or "Shame" in 1994 earned her the wrath of Islamic fundamentalists in Bangladesh. "Living in West Bengal would help me in my writings," the 43-year-old said. Nasreen said she had failed to return to her Muslim-majority Bangladesh despite several attempts. The doctor-turned-writer fled her country and settled in Sweden but currently travels across Europe and Asia to espouse the cause of women, illiteracy and poverty in impoverished Bangladesh. Besides Lajjya, her other autobiographical works, "Amar Meyebela" (My Childhood) and "Utala Hawa" (Torrid Wind) were also banned. In 2002, she was given a one-year prison term in absentia on charges of making derogatory comments about Islam in several of her books. |
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