A fine example of Muslim tolerance in a secular democracy.
Muslim groups: Revoke Taslima visa
Asian Age, By PARUL CHANDRA
New Delhi, Nov. 23: The demand for the revocation of controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen’s visa by several Muslim organisation has become strident once again. The organisations have stepped up their campaign seeking revocation of the Bangladeshi author’s visa following her flight from Kolkata on Thursday after violent protests there by the All India Minority Forum against her and on the issue of Nandigram a day earlier.
Speaking for their respective organisations, those who voiced the demand for revocation of Taslima’s visa said that while they were all for freedom of expression and speech, this should not be at the cost of hurting a community’s religious sentiments. On Friday, the general secretary of the All India Milli Council, Manzoor Alam told this paper, “Nobody can hurt a community’s religious sentiments on the pretext of freedom of expression.”
Attacking Taslima for her writings, he said “In a recent article in a Bengali magazine, she has written malicious things about the prophet.” He added, “She had to leave her country. She is a guest in our country. But she is violating the decency shown by the people here. A guest should keep in mind the sentiments of the host.” Mr Alam said that the Bangladeshi author has “not behaved as a gentle lady in an international dimension.” Therefore, he said the Indian government should revoke her visa and ask her to leave the country. Mr Alam accused the government of not being bothered about the views of the Muslim community.
“Both the government and the state government (West Bengal) only understand the voice of agitation. While we do not advocate that people should take law into their own hands, the government should understand what the community what the community has been demanding,” he stated.
“She is a headache for our country,” said S.Q.R. Ilyas, a member of the Central Advisory Council of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. Dr Ilyas said that though Taslima has been given shelter in India, “She repeatedly writes provocative articles. Her statements on different aspects of Islam are repeatedly hurting the community.”
He said the violence in Kolkata was not a sudden outpouring of anger. Rather, he said that several Muslim organisations have been seeking revocation of Taslima’s visa for many months now. “But the government has paid no heed to this demand,” he remarked. “We are opposed to the freedom of speech. But there are certain limitations to it,” Dr Ilyas added. Abdul Hameed Noumani, the secretary and spokesman of the Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, yet another organisation seeking Taslima’s exit from India. “Let her not stay in any part of the country. Send her out. You cannot put the entire country at stake for her sake.”
Stating that he has read 14 of the author’s works, he said that her writings on Islam are provocative and painful for Muslims. He said while the Jamiat is critical of the violence that occurred in Kolkata, “Till such incidents happen, governments do not wake up.”
