I am being used as a pawn by fundamentalists : Taslima

KOLKATA: Her outdoor movement severely restricted, Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen said on Friday she was being used as a political pawn by fundamentalists who wanted her to leave the country.
    
Speaking about the demand by fundamentalists that her books should not be displayed at the Kolkata Book Fair, she said "are the protests by fundementalists at all for religious reasons? I think they are trying to use me for political purposes.
    
"I have already said that I did not have any intention to hurt anybody's religious sentiment. I have even said if someone's sentiment is hurt then I am sorry. And I have deleted the controversial portion from my book 'Dwikhondito'. Then what is their problem?" Taslima said from Delhi over phone.
    
Taslima said "even though I am being confined, I still have a hope that I will be able to go to Kolkata and lead a normal life."
    
"I hope so because I still have faith in Indian democracy and secular ideals," said the writer who was forced to leave Kolkata on November 22, a day after widespread violence in the city by a little known minority organisation demanding cancellation of her visa.     

Taslima, who had announced deleting controversial portions of 'Dwikhandito' (Split into Two) on November 30, had penned the book in 2002 with the memory of Bangladesh in the 1980s when the military threw out secularism from the country.
    
Facing death threats over her writings considered "anti-Islamic", she left Bangladesh in 1994 in a cloack of secrecy and has been visiting India intermittently. She is on a six month visa now which is to expire on February 17.