Indian religious figure’s blasphemous act strongly denounced

ISLAMABAD: In Indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), religious scholars and pro-freedom leaders and organisations have strongly denounced the former chairman of Central Shia Waqf Board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Waseem Rizvi for his blasphemous act of filing a petition in the Supreme Court of India, seeking removal of 26 verses from the Holy Quran.

In his petition, Rizvi has stated that the Holy Quran, the holy book of the Muslims, has “some verses that are used to promote terrorism, violence, jihad”. In the PIL, Rizvi has claimed that these verses were added to the Holy Quran later.

“These verses were added to the Holy Quran, by the first three Caliphs, to aid the expansion of Islam by war,” the former chairman of the Shia Waqf Board said, according to international media reports.

The Grand Mufti of IIOJ&K Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam, in a statement issued in Srinagar said Waseem Rizvi’s assertions are totally blasphemous, unacceptable and that he should be arrested immediately. All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi also condemned the blasphemous act of Rizvi and demanded strict action against him.

He said the Quran teaches brotherhood and rejects all forms of violence. “Waseem Rizvi hasn’t understood the Holy Quran,” Mufti Nasir said. He demanded immediate arrest of Rizvi for his blasphemous remarks and hurting the religious sentiments of billions of people around the globe. He urged people to maintain discipline, remain calm and to register protest peacefully.

National Conference President and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah said the act of Rizvi was abominable. “The Holy Quran is the incorruptible and unchangeable word of Allah. The petition should not be entertained; on the contrary, strict action should be taken against him for hurting the sentiments of the Muslims living across the globe,” Dr Abdullah said.

“This move is deliberate, aimed at provoking Muslims and feeding the agenda of Islamophobia which is hostile towards Islam and full of hatred. Quran is the fountain-head that promotes humanity, love, unity and harmony,” a spokesman for the J&K Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), a body of 24 religious groups, said. The Majlis-e-Ulmae Imamia J&K, an amalgam of the Shia clergy, also demanded the arrest of the Shia leader.

“We strongly condemn the statement. This man has become a tool of conspiracies of the enemies against Islam and Shiaism. Indian Muslims have already kicked him out and he has been excommunicated from Islam,” Masroor Abbas Ansari, head of the Itehadul Muslimeen, said.

Karwan-e-Islami International patron Alama Ghulam Rasool Hami said, “Allah himself is the protector of this holy book, which doesn’t teach violence but love and forgiveness. Quran is a complete way of living and will remain till Qayamah (doom’s day). Muslims across the globe shouldn’t give much importance to Rizvi, who is a non-entity.”

The Tehreek-e-Wahdat-e-Islami spokesman in a statement in Srinagar said Waseem Rizvi’s act was condemnable. He said that Waseem Rizvi had hurt the sentiment of Muslims throughout the world by issuing heinous and anti-Islam statement. The spokesman said that Wasim Rizvi is a tool of the enemies of Islam. Kashmir’s religious scholars have, however, appealed to the people to maintain calm, control their emotions, and to register protests in a peaceful manner against the blasphemous act of Rizvi.

The General Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Muhammad Wali, in a statement, denouncing Waseem Rizvi, said that he had filed the petition in the Supreme Court of India for his vested interests and gaining cheap popularity. He said, the action of Waseem Rizvi is not new as in past many people have also tried blasphemous acts but they never succeeded in their nefarious designs.

Senior Hurriyat leader and patron of Jammu and Kashmir Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen Maulana Abbas Ansari and President Maulana Masroor Abbas Ansari, in their separate statements issued in Srinagar have termed Waseem Rizvi a corrupt and satanic tool. They said that Waseem Rizvi was trying such vicious tactics to please his masters and to divert attention from the Waqf Board scam.