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Pair Held in India
for Offending Islam |
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The editor and publisher of a top
English-language Indian daily have been arrested on charges of "hurting
the religious feelings" of Muslims.
The Statesman's editor Ravindra
Kumar and publisher Anand Sinha
were detained in
Muslims said they were upset with the
Statesman for reproducing an article from the
The article was entitled: "Why should I
respect these oppressive religions?"
It concerns the erosion of the right to criticise religions.
In it, the author, Johann Hari, writes: "I don't respect the idea that we should
follow a 'Prophet' who at the age of 53 had sex with a nine-year old girl, and
ordered the murder of whole villages of Jews because they wouldn't follow
him."
Mr Kumar and Mr Sinha appeared in court on
Wednesday and were granted bail.
Apology
Angry Muslims have been demonstrating in
front of the offices of the Statesman since its republication of the article.
Police have broken up the demonstrations
using baton charges several times this week.
Some Muslims close to the Jamiat-e-Ulema e Hind (The Organisation
of Indian Scholars, a leading Islamic group in
Mr Kumar has said he
has already issued a public apology for reproducing the article.
"I admit it was an editorial misjudgement but it was never intentional," Mr Kumar told the BBC in an interview.