All I ever want is to return to either Bangladesh, my motherland, or India, my adopted home.

I support the rights of all people to practice their religious beliefs privately, but I oppose the idea of respecting religions. In truth, I have no respect for any religion. I believe religion is not compatible with human rights, women's rights, or freedom of expression.

I studied in a medical college and qualified myself as a medical graduate.

Religion is now the first obstacle to women's advancement. Religion pulls human beings backwards, it goes against science and progressiveness. Religion engulfs people with a fear of the supernatural. It bars people from laughing and never allows people to exercise their choice.

Koranic teaching still insists that the sun moves around the earth. How can we advance when they teach things like that?

The fundamentalists are increasing. People, afraid to oppose those fundamentalists, shut their mouths. It is really very difficult to make people move against a sensitive issue like religion, which is the source of fundamentalism.

I write against the religion because if women want to live like human beings, they will have to live outside the religion and Islamic law.