It is unfair to label me anti-Islam. I am an atheist and a secular humanist.

I am an atheist. I do not believe in prayers, I believe in work. And my work is that of an author. My pen is my weapon.

When Bangladesh refused to renew my passport, I used U.N. travel documents. You can't disown your country.

Religious fundamentalists in Bangladesh have always argued for a ban on my books.

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.

Every religion oppresses women. I talk about the Koran because I know this book best. It allows for torture and other mistreatment, especially for women. And I despise the Sharia laws. They cannot be changed. They must be thrown out, abolished.

In traditional societies, we have a long legacy of men controlling the body and mind of women. Such societies have valorised motherhood and fabricated concepts like chastity. Women have been the victims of these notions for thousands of years.