Terming Muhammad Ali Jinnah the architect of India’s partition, Dargah-e-Aala Hazrat, the seat of Islam’s Barelvi sect, issued a fatwa urging Muslims in India to not support the Pakistan founder and remove all his portraits and pictures. Dargah Spokesman Maulana Shahabuddin said: “Jinnah is the architect of India’s partition and it’s not proper for Muslims in India to support him. He is not part of India and so his pictures and portraits should be removed immediately.’’ Bareilly resident Bakhtiyar Khan sent some queries to the Darul Ifta after Aligarh Muslim University was hit by a controversy over Jinnah portrait. Khan asked if it was proper for Muslims to install Jinnah’s portrait in the light of Shariat law. In its response, the Darul Ifta issued a fatwa saying it was not proper for Indian Muslims to use Jinnah’s portrait.
Meanwhile, a new controversy erupted in Aligarh as AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmed’s portrait was removed from PWD Inspection bungalow in Khair township on Tuesday. The portrait was replaced by that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. District PWD officials said it was the state government’s order to hang pictures of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister. It is not known, however, why Sir Syed’s portrait was removed. The Khair township is located 26 kilometers from Aligarh.