Deoband, UP: It is a rare scene where both the Muslim clerics and Hindu Pandits agree on a same issue. But Deoband in UP has seen both Muslim cleric and Hindu pandit endorsing each other’s views.
Generally, on January 1, New Year in India and across the world is celebrated by cutting cakes and rejoicing it. This is actually a western practice of celebration.
Maulana Mufti Tariq Quasmi has said that the practice of cutting cakes is unIslamic. He said that “This is not legitimate in Islam.”
He further said that “Our new year begins in the month of Moharram. We have no objection to people of other religion following such practices but Muslims, especially the youth, should avoid such things.”
Similarly, Pandit Satendra Sharma of the Ma Shri Tripur Bala Sundari Mandir Seva Trust of Deoband said that “According to Hindu shastras, our new year begins on the first day of Navaratri in the Chaitra month. Our new Nav Vikram Savant (new year) begins on that day and this is also mentioned in the government records.” He further added that “Our youths should not follow English customs blindly. They should have basic knowledge of their religion.”
Darul Ulum in Deoband had recently banned the use of smart phones in their campus. According to the clerics, smart phones were hindering studies and made students less attentive.