Secular Bangladeshi publisher Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury, better known by his pen name, “Tutul,” believes that literature plays an essential role in promoting democratic values and tolerance. With the proliferation of internet access, Bangladesh’s secular thinkers have more easily found each other and expressed their opinions. However, it has also emboldened extremist forces throughout the country. In 2015, Tutul fell victim to one of many coordinated machete attacks from Islamic extremists and is still recovering from his injuries. Tutul now lives in exile in Norway, but refuses to be silenced. He continues to fight for free speech and asks us to do the same.
