GUWAHATI: The fatwa issued against Indian Idol Junior’s runner-up, Nahid Afrin which evoked widespread outrage on Wednesday is not a fatwa at all.
The pamphlet reported to be so-called fatwa was actually an appeal made to locals not to attend a musical night but was misconstrued by the people on social media and all news portals including our had reported that Assamese maulanas have issued a fatwa against Nahid.
Pamphlets or leaflet printed in Assamese and carrying names of 46 clerics did mention the musical event where Ms Afrin is scheduled to perform but it nowhere mention young girl’s name.
The leaflets on the top bear the word “gohari” (translates into request/appeal) reads that the musical night on March 25 at the Udali Sonai Bibi College in central Assam’s Nagaon district was “against the Sharia”.
“Things like magic, dance, drama, theatre, etc are against Sharia laws. Events like musical shows are against Sharia, law and future generations will be corrupted by it.”
“If anti-Sharia acts like musical nights are held on the grounds surrounded by masjids, idgahs, madrassas and graveyards, our future generations will attract the wrath of Allah,” the pamphlets read.
“If we don’t keep our children away from such things, Allah will not spare any of us,” it further read.
Md. Abdur Rashid Kashimi,, the General Secretary of Assam State Jamiat Ulema is among the 46 Muslim leaders alleged that the “appeal” was deliberately viewed as a “fatwa”.
“We did not issue any threat to her (Afrin). We said organising such a programme at a Muslim area that is surrounded by mosques, madrassas, graveyard, schools and colleges, was against the Sharia. We perceived that such a programme would vitiate the peaceful atmosphere. But some elements, we don’t know who tried to give it a different colour. We sniff politics in it,” he told The New Indian Express.
“It was not a fatwa but an appeal. The leaflet didn’t bear the name of any, including the singer,” Kashimi clarified.
Clarification: An earlier version of the story had said that a fatwa had been issued against Nahid Afrin. However, there was ‘no fatwa’ but only a pamphlet campaign.