New Delhi: Prominent Muslim organisations have condemned the renewed availability of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses in India and demanded that the central government reinstate ban on the controversial book. Banned in 1988 by the Rajiv Gandhi government, the book has reappeared in select bookstores in Delhi-NCR following the Delhi High Court’s closure of a plea challenging the ban.
The court, in November, stated that the absence of an official notification from October 5, 1988, implied the ban had lapsed. This development has sparked outrage among Muslim leaders. Maulana Kaab Rashidi of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (AM) termed the book “blasphemous” and a provocation under the guise of freedom of expression. “Selling such a book hurts the sentiments of a large section of the population and violates the Constitution’s spirit,” he said.
Maulana Yasub Abbas of All India Shia Personal Law Board also criticised the move, warning that it threatened national harmony. Similarly, Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi of All India Muslim Jamaat cautioned against reintroducing the book, stating, “No Muslim can tolerate its presence on bookshelves.”
The organisations collectively urged the government to reinstate the ban, emphasising its constitutional responsibility to maintain communal harmony. They warned of protests if the book’s sale continues, reiterating that its offensive content deeply hurts the sentiments of the Muslim community.
