"But, he said, the government should also ensure that Nasreen is not allowed to do or write anything which hurts the sentiments of Muslims. 'The government should immediately cancel her visa and make her go out of the country,' he said, adding, 'she should realise that this is not Bangladesh or Pakistan, but India where the sentiments of all communities are respected.'" But not the sentiments of Taslima Nasreen and those who agree with her. And not the sentiments of those who believe that Islamic blasphemy law does not and should not supersede modern laws based on the principles of free inquiry and free speech.

As Islamic supremacism continues to advance under the radar screen in the West as well as in India, those principles will be increasingly imperiled.

An update on [1] this story. "Muslim leaders condemn Taslima attack," from [2] PTI (thanks to Andrew Bostom):

New Delhi: Muslim leaders and intellectuals today strongly condemned the attack on controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, terming the incident as "shameful" and "barbaric".

"The incident was outrageous and shameful. In a civilised society, you have a right to approve or disapprove of anything," noted lyricist and author Javed Akhtar said.

Observing that fundamentalists are becoming "bolder and bolder by the day", he said, "these (the attackers) are the same people who criticise Bajrang Dal and VHP. What is the difference between them and the Hindu fundamentalist organisations?"

"Fundamentalists are getting bolder and bolder as they can get away with almost anything. That is the problem," Akhtar said.

Delhi Minorities Commission chairperson Kamal Farooqui said the incident was condemnable, specially as three MLAs were involved in it.

But, he said, the government should also ensure that Nasreen is not allowed to do or write anything which hurts the sentiments of Muslims.

"The government should immediately cancel her visa and make her go out of the country," he said, adding, "she should realise that this is not Bangladesh or Pakistan, but India where the sentiments of all communities are respected."