BJP’s Ishrat Jahan using Islam to boost political career

NEW DELHI: All India Imam Association (AIIA) President Moulana Sajid Rashidi on Thursday said Ishrat Jahan is using the Islam religion to move forward in her political career hours after she claimed that she was allegedly threatened for attending a Hindu religious event.

“Ishrat Jahan is resorting to Islam to advance herself in the politics of Bengal and is trying to defame Islam. Islam clearly states that participating in any such program is not wrong but participating in the worship ceremony of any other religion is wrong. Ishrat participated in the Hindu ceremony while wearing a Hijab which is not allowed in the Islam religion,” he said.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party National Secretary Rahul Sinha supported Jahan and said that she is free to follow and participate in any religion of her choice.

“She is free to follow any religion. Anybody who is threatening her should be arrested immediately. But due to the Mamta Banerjee’s government in the state, no action is being taken which is why this incident happened with her today. Banerjee has created communal violence between Hindu’s and Muslims in the state. This is totally illegal and they should be arrested. She should be provided security and government should take stern actions against such acts,” Sinha said.

BJP leader Ishrat Jahan was allegedly threatened by locals and asked to vacate her rented house for attending a Hindu religious event wearing hijab in Howrah, police said on Thursday.

In her complaint filed on Tuesday (July 16), Jahan had said that she went to attend BJP’s Hanuman Chalisa Path in the AC market. But, when she returned home she was accosted by people of her community for attending the Hindu event. “They said that I have demeaned the Muslim community as I attended the function in hijab,” she said in her complaint.

“A group of people gathered outside my house had asked me why I went to attend a Hanuman Chalisa Path event wearing hijab,” Jahan told ANI.

“Everyone said I should leave the house immediately else they will push me out of the house forcefully. I am receiving death threats. I demand protection. I live alone with my son, anything can happen to me anytime,” she added.

Meanwhile, Howrah ACP North Pratiksha Jharkaria confirmed that they have received Jahan’s complaint and an investigation is underway.

Jahan, who was divorced by her husband over the phone from Dubai in 2014 by uttering ‘talaq’ thrice, was one of the petitioners in the triple talaq case.