Taslima Nasreen relocated to US amid death threats from Islamists

Countering immediate threats to outspoken writer and human rights activist Taslima Nasrin, a New York-based non-profit educational, advocacy and research organisation has relocated her to the United States.

The step to relocated Nasrin has been taken in the wake of the murder of three secular bloggers, Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman, and Ananta Bijoy Das in Bangladesh.

The Center for Inquiry (CIF) was prompted to act after Nasrin was recently named as one of the next targets for murder by the extremists who killed the three bloggers. However, the group said that her safety was only temporary if she cannot remain in the U.S., adding that they had set up an emergency fund to help her with food, housing and means for her to be safely settled.

An appeal will be sent out today to CFI supporters, asking them to donate to this cause, the organisation said.

"Taslima is a truly international role model, as her work and her courage inspire people of all ages to question tradition, challenge dogma, and fight for human rights," said Ronald A. Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry.

"We could not stand by while her life was in danger, nor will we turn our backs on the other brave freethinkers in fear for their lives. I know our community will make a strong show of solidarity and give generously to this emergency fund," he added.

The CFI has established an emergency fund to assist freethought activists whose lives are under threat by Islamic radicals linked to Al Qaeda in countries such as Bangladesh, where three secular bloggers have been murdered since February.