Author: Agencies
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: November 3, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/213215/J-e-D-issues-fatwa-against-Vande-Mataram.html
A top Muslim body on Tuesday asked members
of the community not to recite 'Vande Mataram' on the grounds that some verses
of the national song are against the tenets of Islam, sparking condemnation
from the BJP.
The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind opposition to the
recitation of the song came when it supported seminary Darul Uloom's 'fatwa'
(edict) which opposes any prayer involving the song.
"The fatwa of Darul Uloom (opposing recitation
of Vande Mataram) is correct," said one of the 25 resolutions passed
today at its 30th general session in Deoband in the presence of Union Home
Minister P Chidambaram.
Darul Uloom's fatwa department had issued
the edict in 2006 describing recitation of Vande Mataram as anti-Islamic.
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said
the resolution is not acceptable and it is against Constitutional provisions.
"During the freedom struggle, it was
a motivational song. It should be sung by every patriot," he said
The resolution, which was adopted by over
10,000 clerics from across the country, said, "The judgement of the Supreme
Court also clearly states that nobody can be compelled to sing Vande Mataram."
"Patriotism does not require singing
of Vande Mataram. We love our country and have proved this several times,
but Vande Mataram violates our faith in monotheism that is the foundation
of Islam," the resolution said.
The BJP also seized on the approval of resolution
to attack Chidambaram saying his presence has legitimised Jamiat's decision.
Its national vice president Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi said the presence of Chidambaram at the programme "gave legitimacy
to the resolution...It
is a matter of concern."
Naqvi demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh explain the compulsions behind Chidambaram to attend the programme after
the resolution against singing of Vande Mataram was passed.
"We begin our programmes by singing Vande
Mataram. But the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind function started with a protest against
the national song," Naqvi told reporters in New Delhi.
Naqvi said Chidambaram should have at least
said something about the resolution in his speech. "I have a copy of
his speech. He has mentioned about Babri mosque demolition and communal riots,
but there is no mention of the resolution against Vande Mataram."
The resolution sparked a sharp reaction from
some groups which burnt the effigy of Darul Deoband at some places.
In Lucknow, BJP state unit president Ramapati
Ram Tripathi said the protest against Vande Mataram was "anti-national
and the presence of the Union Home Minister was condemnable".
The Jamiat resolution said, "We love
and respect the mother, but do not worship her...The house demands that the
issue of Vande Mataram should not be deliberately raised for causing communal
discord and threat to law and order."
The resolution also condemned what it called
the exploitation of Vande Mataram for targetting Muslims.
