All India Muslim Personal law Board (AIMPlB), a representative body of several Muslim organisations in India, has warned against the attempts by the NDA Government to impose “Vedic religion and culture” on all the citizens of the country and said that it will seek judicial remedy against it.
Moulana Khaleelur Rahman Sajjad Nadvi, spokesperson of the Board told the media in Hyderabad on Saturday that the Government’s moves to make Yoga, Suryanamskar and Vande Mataram compulsory in schools and attempts to safronise the school curriculum was a direct attack on the religious identity of Muslims as well as other religious minorities.
Referring to the meeting of RSS leadership with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Ministers, he said, “This makes it clear it is the Government of RSS. The Government is being run by the RSS. The meeting gave the impression that some students were meeting their teachers”, he said.
Moulana Nadvi and Moulana Mohammed Wali Rahmani, acting general secretary of the Board were in Hyderabad as part of “Deen Bachao Dastoor Bachao Tehreek” (save religion save constitution movement) of the Board.
The meeting was attended by thousands of Imams and religious leaders from all over Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. “This was to prepare the ground for launching of the movement in the State”, Moulana Nadvi said, adding that these Imams and religious leaders create awareness about the threat to the Muslim identity and the secular democratic fabric of the country from the communal forces.
He said that the Board’s movement had support from all the other religious minorities, including Christians and Buddhists, who were concerned about the attempts to impose the Vedic Brahmin religious hegemony over the country.
“It is not at all a political campaign. It is an effort to ensure peace and harmony, justice and fairness”, Moulana Naomani said.
“Muslims believe that Yoga, Surya Namaskar and Vande Mataram are part of the Vedic religion and Muslims cannot accept it because their religious faith is different. The people who believe in these things can follow them. We don’t have any objection. We respect the freedom of the people to follow their religion and faith. We want to live a peaceful life with others on the basis of human values. But from the day the present government was formed, 177 churches have been demolished. Did Christians and Muslims not play a role in the freedom struggleIJ This is a very dangerous trend which will be harmful to the country”.
He said that the movement was not started in a haste. “After this government was formed we adopted a wait and watch policy. But when this government’s intentions became clear we decided to launch this movement to protect the Muslim Personal law”, he said. When his attention was drawn to the statements of the PM that his Government wants to take all the communities along, he quipped, “Woh kehte kuch aur hain aur karte kuch aur hain”. (He says one thing and does another).