Muslim leaders demanded the Indian government did not give permission to enter the controversial author, Salman Rushdie. The charges were still not separated from his work that could make a scene in the late 1980s, Satanic Verses.
Rusdhie novel published in 1988 is considered insulting to Islam by the majority of Muslims in the world. The book was not only bring death fatwa from Ayatollah Khamenei but also calls for he was killed from a number of Muslims who make it in hiding for several years.
Since then he has visited India several times, although his book is still banned there.
"India is a country where every community and caste sentiments are respected, because it's such a man should not be allowed to set foot in this country," said a prominent cleric in India, Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, Reuter reported.
His comments are supported by most influential cleric among Indian Muslims. The cleric said Rushdie has struck tens of millions of Muslims by insulting the Prophet Muhammad, said in a statement that appeared in the Indian media.
Rushdie considers the cold demands of banning entry to India. "For the record, I do not need a visa," said the Indian-born man was on his Twitter account.
Muslims in India accounted for 13 percent of the population with a total population of 1.2 billion people that. Rushdie was planning on attending the Asia's largest literary festival which will be held on January 20 to 24 in the historic city of Jaipur, India.
Govt rules out ban on Rushdie visit
Government today ruled out barring Salman Rushdie from visiting India in the wake of a demand by a top Islamic seminary to cancel his visa even as the controversial author said he does not need a visa to come to this country.
Official sources said 65-year-old Rushdie holds a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card, which entitles him to visit this country without a visa.
The sources said since PIO card guarantees any such person hassle-free travel without any document, Rushdie is not required to apply to any authority of the Government of India seeking permission for his proposed visit to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival this month end.
"He had travelled to India in the past using PIO card. We have never stopped him. We have no intention to stop any PIO card holder to travel his or her home country in future either," a source said.
Rushdie remained unfazed over the demand by Darul Uloom Deoband to block his planned trip to India and suggested it was misplaced.
"Regarding my Indian visit, for the record, I don't need a visa," posted Rushdie on microblogging site Twitter after Deoband demanded that the Indian government cancel the author's visa as he had hurt religious sentiments of Muslims in the past. Indian-origin Rushdie also has a British passport.
"Why should Congress stop this(Rushdie trip)?," Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid asked.
"If there is a legal provision to stop someone then it should be put. But whatever step is taken should be taken within legal framework not outside it," he said.
Salman Rushdie shrugs off call for India ban
British author Salman Rushdie has dismissed demands by an influential Islamic seminary in India that he should be banned from entering the country to attend a literature festival later this month.
Rushdie, who was threatened with death in a "fatwa" order from Iran over his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses", is due to speak in Jaipur alongside fellow writers such as Lionel Shriver and Richard Dawkins.
The Darululoom Deoband seminary, one of the world's most important Islamic universities, is known for its conservative teachings and has been accused in the media of inspiring radical Islamic groups such as the Taliban.
Maulana Qasim Nomani, a seminary official, called for India to cancel Rushdie's visa: "the man whose blasphemous writings have hurt the sentiments of Muslims all over the world must not be allowed to set foot on Indian soil."
Rushdie -- who was born in Mumbai in 1947 -- responded late on Monday by pointing out on Twitter he did not need a visa to visit India.
The novelist spent a decade in hiding after Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa in 1989 calling for his death for alleged blasphemy against Islam in "The Satanic Verses".
The Times of India said on Tuesday that Rushdie had visited India dozens of times over the last 20 years and it suggested the seminary was trying to link the issue to state elections in Uttar Pradesh that begin on February 8.
The seminary, which is located in Uttar Pradesh, was at the centre of a row last year between reform-minded new rector Gulam Mohammed Vastanvi and the school's traditionalists.
Vastanvi said he was sacked six months into his job for trying to modernise the curriculum, which is based on a 17th-century syllabus that focuses on Islamic law and spirituality.
Organisers of the Jaipur festival said Rushdie had attended literary events in India without incident in recent years, and was still scheduled to speak on January 20 and 21.
"In plural societies such as ours, it is imperative that we continue to allow avenues for unfettered literary expression," they said in a statement.
Pictures:
1.British author Salman Rushdie was born in Mumbai in 1947
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