Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom of Deoband has issued a fatwa against chanting Bharat Mata ki Jai saying there is only one god in Islam.
“India is without doubt our country. We and our ancestors were born here. We love our country, but we do not think it is our God,” Darul Ifta, the fatwa department of Darul Uloom, said in a statement.
Media reports said the fatwa was issued on March 19 but became viral on social media on Thursday evening. The statement said that Islam does not allow Idol worship, therefore Muslims should restrain themselves from chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai.
The Swarajya quoted Ashraf Usmani, spokesperson of the seminary, as saying that in light of the teachings of holy Quran and Hadees, followers of Islam can’t say Bharat Mata Ki Jai, which has been portrayed as a Goddess carrying a trident in one hand and clad in saffron clothes.
Darul Uloom had recently issued a decree asking Muslims to hoist national flag on their houses and establishments on Independence Day and had appealed to them to celebrate the occasion with great spirit of patriotism.
The latest fatwa came amid a raging debate sparked off by a remark by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that the youngsters in India need to be taught to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai. His remarks came in the wake of a controversy over the anti-India slogans allegedly raised in the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi on February 9.
