Secular Muslims denounce Fatwa against National song and term Deoband Maulvis Anti-National
Secular Muslims denounce Fatwa against National song and term Deoband Maulvis Anti-National
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has stirred up a hornet's nest by passing a resolution opposing the recitation of Vande Mataram, terming it un-Islamic.
Not only that, the Muslim body claims that members of the community must withdraw their children from schools that force their wards to recite the Vande Mataram.
But this leaves Muslim kids with few options to choose from.
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If the diktat is to be followed, Muslims will have no choice but to home-school their children, as there is a dearth of modern Islamic schools in Mumbai.
The Muslim body's biggest grouse is on the grounds that some verses of the national song are against the tenets of Islam.
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The fatwa opposing the recitation of Vande Mataram was one of the 25 resolutions passed yesterday at the 30th general session of the Darul Uloom in Deoband, in front of Home Minister P Chidambaram.
"We have passed a resolution that we are not bound to sing Vande Mataram, as some of the text from the song is un-Islamic.
The fatwa will be implemented strictly," said Mehmood Madani, chief, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.
Gulzar Azmi, general secretary, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, added, "Vande Mataram is against the ethics of Islam, as the meaning of Vande Mataram is to bow the head to the motherland; we can only bow before Allah.
We want to convey this message to our youth that they should not recite Vande Mataram, and if any one forces them action will be initiated."
Though the national song is taught as part of India's freedom struggle movement in History textbooks, it is not compulsory to recite it in most schools.
M P Sharma, director, G D Somani School, Cuffe Parade, said, "We recite the national song in our assembly. I don't think any Muslim parent will remove their child for singing Vande Mataram."
"Most Muslim students don't sing Vande Mataram in schools. Even teachers never force students so that their feelings are hurt," said Arundhati Chauhan, president of Parents Teachers Association United Forum.
'I sing along'
However, despite all the apprehensions Muslim students have no issues in reciting the song.
"We sing the national song during the assembly. I don't know anything about the fatwa, and neither have my parents ever forbade me from singing it," said a Muslim student of Std X at Sir J J Fort Boy's School.
However, maulvis insist that Muslims withdraw their children from schools that make students recite Vande Mataram.
"Students are free to leave the schools/colleges if they are force to sing the song," said Mufti Salman Mansoorpuri Dar-ul-Ifta from Muradabad, Deoband.
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SONG STIR: It's a practice in some of the schools to recite the national song in morning assembly and the national anthem when the school ends. |
On the other hand, the BJP has blasted the fatwa, terming it anti-national. "All the maulvis of Deoband should be expelled from the country," said Praveen Togadia, VHP general secretary.
"This is a conspiracy to disturb the social fabric of the country. The home minister should explain why he was silent over the issue," questioned Tarun Vijay, senior BJP leader.
Is it ok to greet non-Muslims?
I am working with non-Muslims, Europeans. There is a normal practice to say good morning when we meet in office.
Is it OK to say good morning, good afternoon and good night to these non-Muslims?
It is allowable.
I am living in Dubai. Can I give Zakath-ul-Fitr in Sri Lanka?
The Zakah amount can be given to the people of other countries as well.
Is it permissible to use perfume or deodorant at home?
It is allowable to apply perfume and deodorant provided they are free from unlawful ingredients.
The above questions have been posted on the Darul Ifta site https://www.darululoom-deoband.com
The Age-Old Controversy
Vande Mataram had been in controversy even before it was selected as the national song of the country.
Jana Gana Mana was chosen as the national anthem of independent India, while Vande Mataram was rejected on the grounds that Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, Arya Samajis and others who opposed idol worship felt offended by its depiction of the nation as Mother Durga.
Muslims also felt that its origin as part of Anandamatha, a novel they felt had an anti-Muslim message.
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In 1937, the Indian National Congress decided to adopt only the first two stanzas of the song as the national song.
On August 22, 2006, there was a row in the Lok Sabha over whether singing Vande Mataram in schools should be made mandatory.
Bankim's inspiration for Vande Mataram
Bankim Chandra Chatopadhyay was one of the first two graduates of the University of Calcutta.
Chatopadhyay's 1882 novel Anandamath, which depicts a sanyasi army fighting the soldiers of the East India Company, was the inspiration for Vande Mataram. The poem was set to music by Rabindranath Tagore.
What is Deoband?
Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic school propagating Sunni Islam located at Deoband, in Uttar Pradesh. Several prominent Islamic scholars (Ulemas) founded Deoband in 1866.
What is a Fatwa?
Dar El- Ifta (the place which issues fatwa) is a part of the Muslim institution where a Mufti issues the fatwa on the basis of information, which he receives from sources and issues the fatwa in the backlight of the Quran and Hadees.
There are two kinds of fatwas. The first kind is on issues concerning ordinary people.
The second kind deals with controversiesu00a0 that may affect the state's interests. Dar El- Iftaa can issue fatwas without the opinion of other Islamic institutions.
Famous Fatwas
Salman Khan
Ifta-Manzar-e-Islam of Bareilly issued a fatwa against actor Salman Khan and his family members for conducting Ganesh puja and dancing at the procession.
Under the fatwa, a Muslim will have to read the 'Kalma' again to re-enter Islam if he or she worships an idol.
Salman Rushdie
One of the first well-known fatwas was proclaimed in 1989 by the Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, against Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses.
The argument related to an ostensibly blasphemous statement from an early biography of Prophet Muhammad, regarding incorporating pagan goddesses into Islam's strongly monotheistic structure.
Khomeini died shortly after issuing the fatwa.
In 1998, Iran stated that it is no longer pursuing Rushdie's death; however the decree was again reversed in early 2005 by the present theocrat, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Taslima Nasreen
Fundamentalists in Bangladesh proclaimed a similar fatwa against Taslima Nasreen in 1993, against a series of newspaper columns in which she was critical of the treatment of women under Islam.
The next year she wrote Lajja (Shame), which described the abuse of women and minorities. Again there were calls for her death.
This controversy is obsolete. I have written 3 songs that have Vande Mataram in them. You don't want to sing? Don't! Who is forcing you?
Javed Akhtar, Lyrist
We are a multilingual society where everyone has a right to protest. By and large I believe all educated Muslims may not follow the fatwau00a0
Akhtar Rizvi, Educationist
I have always enjoyed it and Vande Mataram has been a part of my national experience. I wouldn't like to comment on what's Islamicu00a0u00a0
Imtiaz Ali, Director
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