Islamic seminary of Darul Uloom Deoband has condemned termed Muslim girl Aliya Khan `unislamic’ for dressing up as lord Krishna and reciting Gita. Aliya of Meerut recently stood second in a competition for recitation of Bhagwad Gita.
``Her act is shirk (opposed to monotheism) and Islam strictly prohibits such acts. Donning the dress of lord Krishna is also strictly prohibited in Islam as this is transvestite where a women cannot take on the dress of a male and vice versa,’’ said Chairman of Online Fatwa department of Darul Uloom Deoband Mufti Arshad Farooqui.
On December 30, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had felicitated Aliya Khan and given her a prize of Rs 25,000 during a convention in honour of Bal Ganghadahar Tilak in lucknow. Aliya had received the prize from the Chief Minister dressed as lord Krishna.
Responding to Darul Uloom’s criticism, Aliya said, “I am an Indian first. I have not shunned Islam by reciting shlokas from Bhagwad Gita and donning the attire of lord Krishna does not affect religious belief and identity of any person.’’
“I read Gita for knowledge and this can be obtained from scriptures of any religion. The scriptures tell us about humanity and human values. I have done that by reading and reciting from Bhagwad Gita. Its is not a religious book, it teaches you about the philosophy of life and Karma.”
Rejecting Darul Uloom’s objections, she said, “Please do not drag me into politics. I am a student, allow me to pursue my studies. All those who want to politicise this issue should first express their opinion about Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan and others.’’
Alia had beaten thousands of children across the state to win the second prize for Gita recitation competition organised by the state.
Alia asserted that no one discouraged her from learning the scriptures of a different religion. “Even if someone says anything, I have a straight-forward answer. I do not read Gita for religion. I read Gita for knowledge and we can access knowledge from anywhere,” she said.
And she is not an isolated case. Few days back, Afreen Rauf (16) from a municipal school in lucknow secured first place in lucknow division. A labourer’s daughter, Afreen, who wears a hijab, said that the most important lesson that she learnt from Gita was to do good deeds, be honest every time and not wish bad for anyone. Afreen had described Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath as her inspiration to learn the Gita.
Bhagwad Gita which is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, is highly cited and considered a valuable guide for spiritual seekers.