The Muslim groups in Rajasthan that refused to allow Salman Rushdie’s video interview on the last day of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) by threatening the organisers with violence have overstepped their democratic right to protest.
No sense of hurt religious sentiment can justify that.
The message has to go out clearly that no community, caste, or group can threaten violence, and if they do, they lose their democratic right to be heard.
The state government had a duty to take necessary action to control the situation.
The Congress government failed in its primary duty to maintain law and order, and protect the lawful activity of the JLF organisers and participants.
Instead, it showed a lenient attitude towards criminal elements. In doing so, the government and the party have strengthened the reactionaries among Muslims and Hindus.
The issue goes beyond the outrage against the freedom of expression of a motley crowd of literature lovers. It poses a threat to the freedom of expression of every law-abiding citizen, and to the polity.
Conservative and fundamentalist Muslims can hate Rushdie and The Satanic Verses, burn the author’s effigies and copies of the book in city and town squares.
They cannot prevent others from hearing the author or from reading the book.
If the freedom of an individual is denied, then the freedom of a community will be trampled upon too. It is a danger to Muslims as much as others. This is cultural terrorism.
No sense of hurt religious sentiment can justify that.
The message has to go out clearly that no community, caste, or group can threaten violence, and if they do, they lose their democratic right to be heard.
The state government had a duty to take necessary action to control the situation.
The Congress government failed in its primary duty to maintain law and order, and protect the lawful activity of the JLF organisers and participants.
Instead, it showed a lenient attitude towards criminal elements. In doing so, the government and the party have strengthened the reactionaries among Muslims and Hindus.
The issue goes beyond the outrage against the freedom of expression of a motley crowd of literature lovers. It poses a threat to the freedom of expression of every law-abiding citizen, and to the polity.
Conservative and fundamentalist Muslims can hate Rushdie and The Satanic Verses, burn the author’s effigies and copies of the book in city and town squares.
They cannot prevent others from hearing the author or from reading the book.
If the freedom of an individual is denied, then the freedom of a community will be trampled upon too. It is a danger to Muslims as much as others. This is cultural terrorism.
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