Bareilly: All India Muslim Jamaat President Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi on Monday criticised exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen over her remarks on madrasas, calling them "hate speech" and saying she should have no place in India.
The controversy began after Nasreen, speaking at an event in Kolkata, said madrasas "should not exist", alleging that some produced "jihadis" and were linked to child abuse. She also backed the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India and urged Bangladesh and Pakistan to adopt similar laws.
Responding to the remarks, Razvi said Islam grants women dignity and rights, rejecting Nasreen's criticism of the religion. He claimed the UCC interferes with Sharia and asserted that Muslims would not accept such interference. Razvi further said Nasreen's comments on madrasas amounted to hate speech, adding that Islamic scholars and madrasa students played a key role in India's freedom movement between 1857 and 1947. He accused her of unfairly portraying madrasas as centres of terrorism and said she should be "ashamed" of her remarks. (IANS)