New Delhi: The self-proclaimed guardians of patriotism, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have done it again. RSS-affiliate Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) body through their nationwide campaign named ‘Jhanda Falani’ asked all Madrasas in the country to unfurl national flag.
Darul Uloom Deoband Press Secretary Maulana Ashraf Usmani reacted sharply on RSS campaign and questioned- ‘Does the RSS “believed” in Constitution of India and in the Indian flag’? “Does the RSS hoist the flag at its headquarters in Nagpur?
MRM under the patronage of senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar, on Sunday had directed all the madrasas to unfurl Indian flag in the compound on January 26 on the upcoming Republic Day.
Usmani told The Hindu that although the decision to hoist Indian flag is individual choice of Madrasas, all of them not only unfurl the flag but also celebrate Republic and Independence days.
Mr. Usmani with no holds barred asked the RSS what was its contribution in the national freedom struggle.
“We are the ones who sacrificed our lives for the freedom struggle of the country. It is an indisputable fact that the ideological forefathers of the group which is asking us for our nationalist credentials, were on the sides of Britishers. Now it would be hugely ironic and hypocritical of these people to ask us to do become nationalist,” added Mr. Usmani who heads the media department of the seminary.
Usmani said that it would be “historically unfair” for any group associated with the RSS to question or coerced Indian Madrassa to “be patriotic”.
“These people should first hoist the national flag in their headquarters in Nagpur before asking anybody, let alone us to hoist the tricolour,” he Usmani.
This is the first time that the influential Islamic seminary has responded so sharply to RSS’s questioning the nationalistic credentials of Islamic seminaries in India.
Navaid Hamid the president of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat termed the MRM as “stooges” of RSS who are not aware of “contribution of Islamic scholars in the national freedom struggle”.
“These people had burnt the national flag in 1949 and the same people are asking Madrasas to hoist tricolour. It’s shameful and characteristically hypocritical of the MRM and RSS to speak like this. But we are not surprised. It is all a pressure tactics on Muslims to make them feel insecure and get communalise the country by falsifying history,” added Hamid.