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New Delhi: BJP Minority Morcha national president Jamal Siddiqui has urged Darul Uloom Deoband to issue a fatwa against a Congress worker arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar.
Mohammad Rizvi, also known as Raja, a Congress worker from Singhwara in Darbhanga, allegedly used abusive language against the Prime Minister and his mother at a rally last week. He was arrested following a BJP complaint and remanded to 14 days' judicial custody.
While the Opposition INDIA bloc in Bihar has denied Rizvi's affiliation and distanced itself from his comments, the BJP has demanded public apologies from Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
In a letter to Maulana Abdullah Mujahid Siddiqui, principal of the Uttar Pradesh-based Darul Uloom Deoband, Jamal Siddiqui said insulting the Prime Minister's late mother was not only an affront to a family but also a violation of Islamic teachings. He argued that the incident had "tarnished the image of the Muslim community".
Quoting from the Quran and Hadith, Siddiqui wrote: "In the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Isra (17:23), Allah commands believers to treat their parents with kindness, and in the Hadith, Prophet Muhammad has described a mother as the gateway to Paradise." He added that Rizvi's conduct "goes against Islamic morality, creates discord in society, and is being condemned across the nation".
Siddiqui urged the seminary to issue a fatwa against Rizvi's "disgraceful act", saying it would act as a corrective measure for the individual while reinforcing Islamic values.
The episode also triggered clashes between BJP and Congress workers at the Congress office in Patna. Several NDA leaders, including Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and BJP national president JP Nadda, have condemned the alleged remarks.
