India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI—All India Muslim Personal Law Board(AIMPLB) has categorically stated that chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and lighting earthen lamp to express happiness over the construction and inauguration of Ram temple was not permissible for Muslims under any circumstances.
“It is completely prohibited for Muslims to indulge in such acts,” the highest Muslim body comprising all schools of Islamic though said in a media statement on Monday.
The statement issued in the name of AIMPLB president Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani says that AIMPLB has no objection if Hindus choose to light earthen lamps to express happiness over Ram Mandir construction, but for the Muslims it is not permitted in any way.
It said that the Muslim community must realize that chanting Jai Shri Ram amounts to idolatry prohibited in Islam.
The statement clarifies, “Islam asks to respect the holy personalities of all the religions. We respect Hindu religious personalities including Shri Ram Ji but we don’t identify him as God.”
It added that Muslims chant the slogan of Oneness and Greatness of only God, and no other personality. The statement reiterates that Muslims must be utmost cautious in this regard and never indulge in such (lighting lamps and chanting Jai Shri Ram) acts.
Maulana Rahmani also pointed out that the construction of Ram Mandir at the site of demolished Babri Masjid is a grave injustice as the Supreme Court (SC) conceded that there was no temple beneath it. He elaborated that according to SC, there was no proof that Shri Ram Chandra ji was born at the same site where the Babri Masjid stood.
He said, “But the court, setting aside the legal aspects, gave the verdict in favour of the majority community based on Aastha (belief), which, according to him, has no mention in the holy books of the Hindu community. He said, “This indeed is a big attack on the country’s democracy and secularism.”
The Muslim religious leader said that showing respect to SC judgment Muslims kept quiet but this verdict has hurt them immensely.
The statement said, “Based on that hurtful verdict, the construction of Ram Mandir on the site of a mosque- where Namaz was offered for hundreds of years, government’s special interest in it and it’s inauguration by Prime Minister is the murder of justice and secularism, and it’s propaganda for political gains is adding insult to the injury of minorities.”
The statement announced that AIMPLB condemned such “unsecular and undemocratic” acts of the government.
It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all Indians to celebrate Ram Diwali on January 22, the day of Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of Ram Mandir. RSS ideologue Indresh Kumar has asked Muslims to chant Jai Sri Ram (JSR), that too from the mosques. There are few Muslims who are being projected as favouring the chant of JSR.
The board president said that the concept of creation of the Universe is quite clear in Islam, and that says that there is only God only who created the Universe and everything in it, it is He who provides livelihood, it is He who gives knowledge, it is who gives honour, and it is He who gives life and death.
He elaborated that it was not that different gods are running the Universe, and it is not that some is god of education, some is god of livelihood, and some is god of life and death. He pointed out, “This is fundamental belief of every Muslim. This belief instills the value of human equality as everyone believing in this understands that we all are created by one God and being human, we all are equal.”
