Salman Rushdie invited to debate by Muslim scholars
The Times of India's reporting that the author of the Satanic Verses has been invited by some Muslim scholars in India to a debate. Will he accept, and will they respect his free speech? Well, it says here:
Many at the seminar, organized by Wahdat-e-Islami Hind, an NGO not known for its charitable views on Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen, were surprised when senior lawyer and member of AIMPLB Yusuf Muchala proposed: "Instead of opposing his visit to Mumbai, let us invite Rushdie to this city and answer our questions. If he has the guts he should explain to us why he wrote such a blasphemous book."If Rushdie accepts the invitation, he should also bring up some of the most violent verses in the Koran as well as Mohammed's marriage to the 9-year-old Aisha and ask if those are acceptable beliefs. And any meeting they have will need to be held in a place where there's tight security.
Muchalla, who heads the personal law board's legal cell, also appealed to the Muslims not to resort to violent protests against Rushdie.
