HVK Archives: Muslim intellectuals welcome visa for Rushdie, but say timing is improper
Muslim intellectuals welcome visa for Rushdie, but say timing is improper - The Times of India
Posted By Ashok Chowgule (ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in)
February 10, 1999
Title: Muslim intellectuals welcome visa for Rushdie, but say timing is
improper
Author:
Publication: The Times of India
Date: February 10, 1999
Opinion is divided among Muslim intellectuals over a visa being granted
to Salman Rushdie.
"The government's decision is absolutely proper," said high court lawyer
Iqbal Chagla, pointing out that India was a free and democratic country.
Islamic scholar Asghar Ali Engineer and criminal lawyer Majeed Memon
were of the opinion that Mr Rushdie had the right to travel to any
place. But Mr Engineer felt that the Union government had not taken
into account Muslim sensibilities before granting him the visa.
Mr Memon felt that granting a visa to Rushdie at this juncture "when the
minorities were feeling insecure" was an unwise step.
Mumbai Aman committee president Wahid Ali Khan maintained that the
decision showed the "anti-Muslim bias" of the government. He pointed
out that Mr Rushdie's controversial novel, The Satanic Verses, is banned
in India.
Criticising Mr Rushdie for the references to Prophet Mohammed in his
novel, Mr Engineer said, "No decent person would write what he has
written about the founder of any religion." According to Mr Engineer,
freedom of speech did not mean that one could use vulgar abuses against
anyone.
However, Mr Chagla was of the view that the works of poets, painters and
writers were individual matters. "Art should be divorced from religion
and sentiments," he said, adding that the novel had not been written
with the intention of offending any religious sensibilities.
Mr Engineer said that though he did not question Mr Rushdie's right to
freedom of movement, he said the novelist should not have been issued a
visa since a democratically-elected government in a secular government
ought to respect minority sensibilities.
However, Mr Chagla said the government was right in not giving in to
fundamentalists over the issue. "I don't see any reason why anyone
should oppose Mr Rushdie in India when Iran itself had lifted Ayatollah
Khomeini's fatwa against him," he said. Differing with Mr Engineer over
the issue of minority sensibilities, the lawyer felt that a minority
must not dictate to the majority over all issues.
Mr Engineer, however, dissociated himself from the direct and indirect
threats issued to Mr Rushdie by certain Muslim leaders in India. "The
Koran does not say that a person blaspheming the prophet should be
executed," he said.
The Islamic scholar said the Muslim masses had become wiser after the
Babri Masjid episode and would not be incited to violence by the
utterances of religious bigots. Meanwhile, president of the city unit
of the Congress Murli Deora said the government should not do anything
which will create a law and order problem in the country.
Noted activist Pushpa Bhave supported the grant of visa to Mr Rushdie.
She said the freedom of speech and movement should not be tampered with
in any way.
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