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New Delhi (dpa) - Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has alleged a threat to her life, after a Muslim religious leader in India's eastern Kolkata city issued a fatwa against her, local news reports said Monday.
Chief Imam of the Tipu Sultan mosque, Syed Noor-Ur-Rehman Barkati, said he issued the fatwa (or religious ruling) against her on Friday for the "anti-Islamic" remarks she made at a seminar recently.
Nasreen had reportedly said she had abused Allah in her childhood and the Holy Koran "contains contradictions," the Times of India reported.
"I had said if anyone blackens her face and drives her out of the country, I will give him 50,000 rupees (1,079 dollars)," Barkati was quoted by the paper as saying.
Nasreen told the Hindu newspaper that she had learnt of a "threat to eliminate" her, which she had not expected in a democratic country like India.
The writer expressed the hope that "neither the Government nor the people would encourage such fanatics."
Nasreen has been living in Kolkata since last year on a tourist visa. Her appeal for Indian citizenship was rejected some months ago.
She is still a citizen of Bangladesh but has refused to return, saying the Bangladesh government has not been able to take steps to ensure her safety in the country.
Nasreen left Bangladesh in 1994. She had moved to Europe following threats by fundamental Islamists angered by her writings and demands for amendments to Islamic laws, which she said were discriminatory to women.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
