Muslim leader threatens street protests if Taslima returns

KOLKATA: An influential Muslim leader on Friday threatened violent street protests if Bangladesh writer Taslima Nasreen returns to this metropolis and demanded an apology from her for her allegedly derogatory comments against Islam.
    
"My conviction is Taslima's return to Kolkata is just not possible. It is a closed chapter. I can give you a guarantee that she can never come back here," Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid Noor ur Rahman Barkati said here.
    
Cautioning the government, he said "if they try to bring her back, the police will run out of bullets in controlling our agitation. There is no prison in the state which can hold so many protestors."
    
"One should not disregard the sentiments of Muslims. The West Bengal government should have arrested Taslima for her derogatory comments. But instead, they chose to keep All India Minority Forum president Idris Ali in prison for 26 days," he said.
    
The cleric said mere withdrawal of controversial portions from Nasreen's book 'Dwikhandito" would not suffice and she has to apologise.
    
"As per Islamic Law, once you have insulted Islam and repeated it several times, then no matter how many times you withdraw whatherever you have written or said, that is meaningless. She should first apologise to Muslims and announce she will be a true follower of Islam. Then she should apologise to Muslim clerics and religious scholars and read the kalma", he said.