<h1>Exiled author urges legal separation of religion and state to protect women's equality, free expression, and human rights</h1> An exiled author and feminist activist urged secularism and legal separation of state and religion as necessary for women's equality, arguing that laws grounded in religious doctrine perpetuate discrimination and that rigid religious interpretations are anti-woman. She criticized religious influence on governance, advocated that statutes be based on equality and human rights, and encouraged resistance to religiously justified oppression. The speaker recounted living in exile following allegations of blasphemy and asserted the state failed to protect her, framing her experience as illustrating risks to freedom of expression and the need for legal safeguards for women.