Muslim leaders call for Salman Rushdie to be denied entry to India
Salman Rushdie's plans to attend literary festival in India have prompted protests from members of the Muslim community.
Rushdie, a writer born in India, went into hiding for a decade after his book 鈥�The Satanic Verses,鈥� first published in 1988, triggered a fatwa ordered against him by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then the religious leader of Iran. The fatwa urged Muslims to kill Rushdie and those who published his books.
The fatwa was lifted in 1998, but many still object to the author because of what some Muslims view as a blasphemous portrayal of the prophet Mohammed in his works. Some Islamic leaders are now demanding that the Indian government deny Rushdie entry to the country for the Jaipur literary festival, which takes place from Jan. 20 to 24.
鈥淔or the record, I don鈥檛 need a visa,鈥� Rushdie said on Twitter.
Rushdie was still planning on coming to the festival, according to .
Abul Qasim Nomani, the vice chancellor of Deoband and an influential Islamic seminary in the country, that he believed Rushdie should be barred from the country.
鈥淚f he visits India, it would be adding salt to the injuries of Muslims,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e has hurt our religious sentiments.鈥�
Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, a Muslim cleric, agreed.
鈥淚ndia is a country where the sentiments of each community and caste are respected,鈥� he . 鈥淎nd therefore such a man should not be permitted to come to the country.鈥�
Molly Driscoll is a Monitor contributor.
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