Title: Cancel Rushdie
visa, Muslims tell govt
Author:
Publication: Rediff
on Net
Date: April 10, 2000
The All-India Muslim
Unity Forum has criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government
for giving visa to controversial writer Salman Rushdie who is to attend
the Commonwealth Writers' Prize ceremony in New Delhi on April 14.
''The BJP's main aim
is to hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslims. The BJP wants electoral
gains by vitiating the communal atmosphere in the country,'' the forum
said in a statement in New Delhi.
AIMUF president Saleem
Ahmed appealed to all secular leaders and the Iranian ambassador to request
the government to cancel Rushdie's visa.
He also urged the Muslim
leaders in the BJP to leave the party as its policies were ''anti-Islamic''.
He also urged Muslims to protest against the visit of Rushdie.
UNI
