Academics at the frontlines of freedom.

The prolific Bangladeshi scholar and poet Dr. Humayun Azad has been fighting for his life since he was attacked with butchers' knives by Islamic fanatics in February. Dr. Azad, professor of Bengali at Dhaka University, has long been a critic of the lack of democracy in Muslim societies and is a strong supporter of the separation of mosque and state. And in Iran, the reformist academic Dr. Hashem Aghajari has been rear-rested and the death penalty reimposed following the election "victory" of the religious conservatives in a contest hobbled by the banning of opposition politicians and which was boycotted in protest. The unrest in Iran in 2003 was sparked by the detention of Dr. Aghajari.

Bill Cooke is international director of the Center for Inquiry-International.