Feel the love. An update on this story. “MIM threatens to behead Taslima,” from The Statesman (thanks to Arjun):
HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI, Aug. 10: The Majlis Ittehadul Musilmeen today threatened to behead writer Ms Taslima Nasreen if she ever visited Hyderabad again. Three MIM legislators, who led the attack on Nasreen yesterday, were released on bail late last night. They were given a rousing reception by the MIM cadre in the Old City.
“Muslims are proud of what our legislators and workers have done because we can never tolerate any insult to Prophet Mohammed“, MIM floor leader Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi said. “If she comes to the city again we will kill her“, MIM MLA Mr Afsar Khan said. He was one of the MLAs who led the attack. The AP Union of Working Journalists represented to the Speaker Mr KR Suresh Reddy to disqualify the three MIM legislators.
Some Muslims are unwilling to stand for this:
A slew of prominent Muslim figures, leaders and intellectuals have stoutly condemned yesterday”s attack on the Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen in Hyderabad, terming it as “undemocratic, shameful and barbaric” and expressing shock and outrage, even as the incident triggered strong condemnation from across the political spectrum.
Reacting to the attack on Nasreen, Dr Tahir Mahmood, a Religious and Linguistic Minorities Commission member, said: “It is brutal and barbaric. Religious people will never indulge in these kind of activities. It is only political people who do such things and mislead the masses,” making it clear that “such incidents may take place anywhere else but cannot be expected in India.”
And it is illegal. From the Times of India (thanks again to Arjun):
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s fresh threat on Friday that it would “not spare” Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen the next time she visited Hyderabad compounded the crime its MLAs and activists had committed when they attacked her at a book release function.
They can be prosecuted under following provisions of IPC:
– Section 503 defining criminal intimidation. “Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person … with intent to cause alarm to that person or to cause that person to do any act … or to omit to do any act … as the means of avoiding the execution of such threats, commits criminal intimidation.”
– Section 506 penalising criminal intimidation: “Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years …; and if the threat be to cause death or grievous hurt …, shall be punished with imprisonment … which may extend to seven years.”
– Section 350 defining criminal force: “Whoever intentionally uses force to any person, without that person’s consent, in order to the committing of any offence, or intending by the use of such force to cause, or knowing it to be likely that by the use of such force he will cause injury, fear or annoyance to the person to whom the force is used, is said to use criminal force to that other.”
– Section 351 defining assault: “Whoever makes any gesture, or any preparation intending or knowing it to be likely that such gesture or preparation will cause any person present to apprehend that he who makes that gesture or preparation is about to use criminal force to that person, is said to commit an assault.”
– Section 352 penalising assault or criminal force: “Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any person … shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months …”
– Section 355: “Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any person, intending thereby to dishonour that person … shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years …”
– Section 120B penalising criminal conspiracy to commit any illegal act. The offender will be punished as if he had abetted that crime.
– Section 153A: “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation, promotes or attempts to promote on grounds of religion .., disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious … groups … shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years.”