The All India Ulema Board (AIUB), Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday, 20 March, issued a fatwa over the upcoming film Ram Janmabhoomi produced by controversial figure Waseem Rizvi.
The fatwa appealed to Muslims to avoid watch TV shows and movies which spread obscenity, communalism and portray Islam in poor light, and also films like Ram Janmabhoomi. Another fatwa was issued against the film's actor Nazneen Patni, advising her to "revive her belief in the light of Shariat", reported PTI.
The board suggested that Rizvi, chairman of Shia Waqf Board, Uttar Pradesh, and Nazneen Patni should be expelled from the religion because the movie will not only create hatred between the two communities but has also shown Islam in a bad light.
“The film produced by the president of Shia Waqf Board of UP is not only controversial but also an instrument to create hatred between the two communities of the society,” said the president of AIUB, MP Qazi Anas Ali Nadvi in a press conference on Tuesday in Bhopal in presence of the vice president of the board Noor Ullah Yusuf Zai.
While addressing media, Noor Ullah said the movie has shown Islam in a bad light and without any credence.
“In the movie, halala is shown in a way which is completely against the Islamic Shariya. The movie makes a mockery of Islam intentionally to create vicious atmosphere before the Lok Sabha elections.”AIUB Vice President Noor Ullah
They also questioned the timing of the release of the film – slated to come out on 29 March 2019, days before the first phase of the general elections.
Waseem Rizvi – A Controversial Figure
Waseem Rizvi is the chairman of UP Shia Waqf Board, and is known for his controversial statements allegedly inciting hatred.
Recently he dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to shut down primary school madrasas across the country to curb the influence of ISIS.
In September 2018, he said that “Lord Rama came into his dreams, crying over the ill state of Ram Temple.”
Besides, last November, he infuriated Muslim groups when he said the Shia Waqf Board was in favour of a grand Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
In the midst of the Parliament debate on the Centre’s bill criminalising triple talaq – which saw many Muslim groups argue that the bill was drafted with the intention to unfairly target innocent Muslims and not to ensure gender justice – Rizvi had said instead of three years, as proposed by the government, the offender should be imprisoned for a period of 10 years for giving instant divorce.
In October, when the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh proposed the construction of a grand statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Rizvi said his board would gift 10 silver arrows if the 100-metre tall statue was constructed.
Leaders of Muslim groups allege that Rizvi’s statements reek of political opportunism.
With over a dozen FIRs against him for alleged corruption during his tenure at the Waqf Board, a controversial political past, and a BJP government in the state, Rizvi is on the defensive, they say.
“Earlier, he was never seen without (senior Samajwadi Party leader) Azam Khan. Now, he is trying to appease the Yogi Adityanath government to keep his corruption cases buried and maintain his position.”Arif Qasmi, Imam Foundation.
The Ulema Board will never accept mockery of Islamic Shariya, said Noor Ullah adding, “We demand the government of MP and the central government to stop the release of this controversial film and ban it.”
The board has suggested that a committee of four members be formed to decide whether this film is controversial or not and whether it should be stopped. The committee should include the religious leaders from both the communities, it further suggested.
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