Muslim cleric backs Islamic seminary's appeal to cancel Salman Rushdie's visa

New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): Muslim cleric, Maulana Arshad Madani, on Tuesday backed Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband's appeal to the Central Government to cancel the visa of acclaimed author Salman Rushdie, stating that he has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims in the past.

"He (Salman Rushdie) has crossed his boundary in a country like India, which has a rich culture of 5,000 years. So people like him promote negative feelings and we must ban their entry, in order to stop them from doing this. They must not be permitted to do this," Madani told the media here.

"Like, earlier, M F Hussain had made a few paintings, which were considered objectionable by us and we replied that time saying he had also crossed his boundary," he added, while drawing parallels with legendary artist M F Hussain.

Madani emphasized on the need to protect the country's integrity, and added that the anti-religious elements must be kept at bay.

"But here, the question is about the sentiments of the people. The question is about the country's social fabric. Our country had even imposed a ban on his book; India was the first country to impose a ban. So, we must follow the line and we must abide by our values and we must protect our integrity," he said.

Madani further said that people spark controversies in the name of freedom of expression, but often misuse their right and hurt the sentiments of the people.

"Freedom of expression is the main issue, it is a hot topic. But, what we want to say is that we consider freedom of expression a fundamental right, but we feel that every right has a certain boundary. The people who misuse their rights and cross their boundaries, they must be dealt with in a strict manner," he said.

The Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband had earlier on Monday raised objections to Salman Rushdie's proposed visit to Jaipur for the Literary Festival, and said that the Booker-Prize winning author should not be allowed on Indian soil because he has 'hurt the sentiments of Muslims the world over'.

65-year-old Rushdie is scheduled to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival from January 20 to 24.

It may be recalled that Rushdie's fourth novel, The Satanic Verses (1988), was the centre of a major controversy, drawing protests from Muslims in several countries. (ANI)