An influential Muslim leader on Friday threatened violent street protests if Bangladesh writer Taslima Nasreen returns to this metropolis. He demanded an apology from her for making allegedly derogatory comments against Islam.
“My conviction is that 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 reporters 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 her for her derogatory comments. Instead, they kept All India Minority Forum president Idris Ali in prison for 26 days,” he said.
The cleric said that mere withdrawal of controversial portions from Nasreen’s book ‘Dwikhandito’ would not suffice.
“As per the Islamic Law, once you have insulted Islam and have repeated it, then no matter how many times you withdraw whatever you have said, it is  meaningless. She should apologise to Muslims and announce that she will be a true follower of Islam. Then, she should apologise to Muslim clerics and religious scholars and read the kalma”, he said.