On Saturday, renowned Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen weighed in on the continuing controversy over former BJP spokespersons’ remarks about Prophet Mohammed, saying that “he would have been shocked to see the madness of the ‘Muslim extremists’ around the world.” Ex-BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal made derogatory statements about the Prophet, prompting enormous protests across numerous Indian states on Friday. Sharma’s arrest, and in some cases, capital punishment, was demanded by the demonstrators.
Nasreen made another comment on the subject on Wednesday, June 8th, saying, “No one is above criticism, no human, no saint, no messiah, no prophet, no deity.” She commented on Twitter that critical scrutiny is required to make the world a better place.
On Saturday, at least two people were killed and scores were arrested across the country in protests and skirmishes. Both deaths were reported in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. According to a senior police official, 227 persons were arrested in several districts throughout Uttar Pradesh in connection with Friday’s violence. Sharma was suspended by her party after various Islamic countries condemned her anti-Muslim remark during a television news debate.
