Nusrat Jahan terms 'sindoor' fatwa 'baseless'

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Nusrat Jahan. Pic/AFP

Kolkata: Days after a fatwa was issued against her for wearing 'sindoor' in the Parliament, Trinamool Congress MP and actor Nusrat Jahan on Thursday dubbed it as baseless saying she is still a Muslim.

"I don't pay heed to things which are baseless. I know my religion. I have been a Muslim by birth and I am still a Muslim. It's about faith. You have to feel it inside your heart and not in your head," Jahan said.

A fatwa was issued by a cleric against Jahan for sporting "un-Islamic" attire in Parliament on June 25, when she took oath as a Member of Parliament. "There is no political angle here, it's just the matter of faith and belief," she added.

Several other leaders have also defended Jahan's stand, including MoS for Women and Child Development Debashree Chowdhury. "As an Indian citizen, Nusrat has the right to do what she desires. This is not Pakistan, you can not issue a fatwa against a Member of Parliament," Chowdhury had said.

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