Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Mahmood Madani on Saturday triggered a controversy, the Supreme Court is eligible to be called supreme only when it follows the Constitition.
He also alleged the government and media has deliberately distorted the meaning of "jihad".
Who is Maulana Mahmood Madani?
Maulana Mahmood Madani is the president of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind organisation, representing the Mahmood faction. Formerly, he was a Rajya Sabha MP of the Rashtriya Lol Dal from Uttar Pradesh from 2006 to 2012. His father is Islamic scholar and politician Asad Madani.
Slamming the judiciary, Madani said recent rulings show the courts were functioning under government pressure, citing the verdicts on Babri Masjid row and triple talaq issue.
"Supreme Court is eligible to be called supreme only when it follows the Constitution. If it doesn’t uphold the law, it does not deserve to be called 'supreme'," he said.
Talking about jihad, he said the "enemies of Islam and Muslims have made the term synonymous with abuse, conflict and violence", slamming the use of terms like "love jihad", "spit jihad" and "land jihad".
Madani said Jihad was and will always remain holy. He said the religious texts mention that jihad is only "for the good and betterment of others" and that it alludes to personal responsibility and public welfare. "Whenever there is oppression, there will be jihad," he said.
The BJP has lashed out at Madani, claiming he was allegedly inciting Muslims and challenging constitutional bodies.
