Close on the heels of recent spate of fatwas by the Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom Deoband, the former Bahujan Samaj Party MlC Haji Iqbal is in the line of fire of Mullhas for making offerings at yajna at an Ayurvedic college owned by him in Saharanpur district.
The college is located within the private Glocal University promoted by the former MlC in the district. The yajna was organised at the Ayurvedic College on Dhanvantri Jayanti on October 17.
Mufti Arshad Farqui of Darul Uloom Deoband said, “Haji Iqbal stands ex communicated from the Muslim community as a devout Muslim can only pray Allah. Haji Iqbal has committed the folly of following the rituals of other religion and he will have to repent for his mistakes and recite the kalmia again for becoming a Muslim’’. The Mufti said, “Islamic law applies on all irrespective of gender and Islam strictly forbids Muslims from worshiping any other God except Allah’’
The photo of the Haji Iqbal, chairman of the Ayurvedic college performing yajna went viral on the social media which caused stir among the Islamic clergy of Darul Uloom Deoband. The former MlC said, “the Union Ayush Ministry had directed the Ayurvedic colleges across the country to celebrate the Dhanvantri Jayanti on October 17.
In compliance of the directive the Ayurvedic College of Glocal University had organised the programme and had also invited me to participate in the celebrations. Since I am the chairman of the college I attended the ceremony’’. The former MlC added “the circulation of my pictures on social media participating in the yajna is a part of the conspiracy against me’’.
Of late, the Darul Uloom Deoband has been on a fatwa-issuing spree. On Wednesday, the Islamic school decreed that Muslim men and women should not upload photos of themselves or their family on social media platforms. Earlier this month, the seminary prohibited women against shaping their eyebrows and cutting their hair, terming all such hair-grooming activities as “un-Islamic”.