The novel 'Lajja' (Shame) was first published in Bengali in Bangladesh in 1993. The English translation appeared a year later. The novel created a lot of controversy - on the one hand, Taslima Nasrin was awarded a prestigious award; on the other hand, Muslim fundamentalists not only banned the novel and burned hundreds of copies, but called for Taslima's death as well -with rewards of up to $1250 for her head. The anger of the mullahs was directed at Taslima for her iconoclastic views on sex, marriage; and religion. What made them furious was her statement, made in Calcutta, that the shariat laws must be revised. What is unpardonable is that a person - a woman too - should speak her mind! Even a liberal minded politician was quoted as saying: 'Championing freedom of speech at the expense of faith can only provide a fillip to extremist trends.'
The University of Sydney acknowledges that its campuses and facilities sit on the ancestral lands of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have for thousands of generations exchanged knowledge for the benefit of all.
Learn more