FTN: Un-Islamic to sing Vande Mataram?

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Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday, travelled to the Deoband seminary in Uttar Pradesh which is regarded as the fountainhead of orthodox Islam to attend the annual convention of the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind. Addressing clerics and Ulemas, Chidambaram emphasised the nationalist and modernist legacy of India's Muslim community.

The convention passed a strong resolution against terrorism. Violence is un-Islamic, the gathering decided with a consensus.

P Chidambaram has become the first home minister to attend the convention of arguably India's most influential Islamic seminary - The Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind. Chidambaram said Muslims are not aliens to India and praised the fatwa against terrorism.

But among the 25 resolutions passed at the convention was one reiterating the clerics' opposition to reciting Vande Mataram, the national song, as well as to homosexuality and terrorism.

Supporting the 2006 fatwa, or Islamic decree, against Vande Mataram, the clerics said that some of its lines were "against the religious principles of Islam".

"We cannot bow before anybody other than the Allah. It is un-Islamic," Moulana Muizuddin of the Jamiat said.

Muslim clerics issued the fatwa against the national song in 2006. They contend that Vande Mataram means "Mother (India), I bow to thee!".

CNN-IBN on Face The Nation debated – Ulemas Resolution: Is it un-Islamic to sing Vande Mataram?

At the beginning of the debate, 17 per cent agreed that it was un-Islamic to sing Vande Mataram while 83 per cent disagreed.

The guests on the panel to discuss the issue were historian Charu Gupta; former Member of Parliament (MP) and author Prafull Goradia; Editor, Muslim India and former president of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat Syed Shahbuddin and Theatre Director, Padmashree Awardee Aamir Raza Hussain.

The Muslim Personal Law board, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq says that Vande Matarm simply means salutation, respect or homage. There is nothing wrong in it.

Syed Shahbuddin took up the discussion by saying that it was a compromise that was made.

“Initially it was the whole song. The Congress formed a committee in the 1930s, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and they made the compromise of singing only the first two paragraphs, which does not have the names of any devi or devta (goddesses or gods). The Muslim objection can be summed up in one sentence. Watan hamara mehboob hai, watan hamara mabood nahi hai( We love the country as anyone else, but we don’t worship the country),” explained Shahbuddin.

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Aamir Raza Hussain added to the conversation by saying, “Any Arabic word has between 10, 15, 20, 50 meanings, for example, the word Maula is used to denote prophet, god or Hazrat Ali -- Vandana has two meanings, the morning pray is called the Vandana and the second meaning is salutation. So when you take Vandana as that, it is as part of your faith. It signifies the love to your nation.”

Shahbuddin disagreed to Hussain’s explanation saying, “Vande Mataram has a long history and that was part of a novel which was considered to be un-Islamic.”

Hussain said that going into the detail of the novel had nothing to do with the song. He explained that the Muslim, Islamic, Arabic, Persian poetry was full of allusions to the Mehkhana, Sharaab, mehkhada, words which are not in congruence with the tenets of practicing Islam.

Why is it only Vande Mataram that has been singled out by the Ulemas?

“Some of us are the products of Christian schools, we have said the Lord’s prayer in the school assembly and no maulvi has turned around and said that it’s an un-Islamic thing. Why does this come with Vande Mataram," questioned Hussain.

Shahbuddin tried to explain by saying, “The Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party made it an issue by making Vande Mataram mandatory if one was to stay in India. That is why it is objectionable.”

TOUCHSTONE FOR NATIONALISM?

The saffron forces have made Vande Mataram a touchstone for nationalism. Is that what is objectionable?

Prafull Goradia responded to the argument by saying that there was no BJP formation in 1937 or 1905. He said that the main problem was that Islam considers woman to be half a person and if your are supposed to praise or adore a Mataram, that is frightening to the traditional Ulema. “They don’t want women to rise.” added Goradia.

Shahbuddin said that he may stand by the side of the resolution but he wouldn’t support it. He said that there were many problems facing the Muslim community and whether Vande Mataram is to be sung was not a problem. He said that the status of the Vande Mataram could not be changed.

THE BALANCING ACT

The Muslim communities have denounced terrorism at the same time they are trying to assert their identities by denouncing Vande Mataram.

Hussain said, “Denouncing Vande Mataram as a way of asserting Muslim identity is ridiculous.”

Charu Gupta thought that Vande Mataram could not be seen in isolation. “It has to be placed in a larger context and see its historical trajectory, ” she said. She also said that Gandhi himself had opposed the song in 1947 when there was a severe communal riot. She also stated the example of Nehru being uncomfortable with the contents of the song in regards to the Muslim communities. “We need to see its trajectory, the way it has evolved,” stressed Gupta.

“If Vande Mataram is presented correctly, there is no reason why the Muslim community will not accept,” said Hussain.

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CHIDAMBARAM AT THE DEOBAND

The Home Minister P Chidambaram visited the Darul Uloom, praising the nationality and modernity of many of the Ulema. The invitation was extended to him by the Muslim organisation to address the annual convention of the Ulemas.

Hussain was of the opinion that the Home Minister’s visit to the Deoband and his speech on modernity was a complete mismatch.

He said, “The philosophy of Darul Uloom Deoband is very close to the philosophy of the terrorist madarssas which are being run against us in Pakistan.”

He went on to say that Hussain Haqquani, the Pakistani ambassador to the UN had stated that the seat of Deoband is in India when asked that Pakistan was nurturing terrorists.

Shahbuddin agreed with Hussain by saying that Chidambaram could have made a much more effective gesture by looking at some of the charges that are being made at the police force, at the way it behaves, at the way it ignores Hindu terrorism and plucks any Muslim out of his home. “He should have done something about it,” he added.

Strong denunciation of terrorism has come from the resolution of the Darul Uloom which the Hindu community could also learn something from.

Gupta said, “It is a step that needs to be appreciated but Chidambaram mixing up religion with politics can have some serious connotation.”

Chidambaram has recalled the nationalism of the Muslim clergy, he has recalled the modernity of the Muslim clergy and said that the Muslim clergy fought shoulder to shoulder with the Hindus in the 1857 war. He said that political freedom, right to worship, personal liberty must be given.

Hussain said, “We have had platitudes and gestures for the last 60 years, we are sick of it. We need action. Every home minister looks secular to us. We want them to do something for the community.”

“Intelligence (department) traditionally never had a Muslim officer. Can Chidambaram infuse confidence in the Muslims (by changing that),” questioned Shahbuddin.

VOTE BANK POLITICS

Shahbuddin said, “The Muslims have been protesting the renaissance about terrorism for the last 5 years. We should tell the government that look your police is misbehaving with the Muslim community, putting them into a complex."

Hussain ended the discussion by saying, “If Baba Ramdev can go to the Deoband and say bismillah-rahman-e-rahim, I don’t see why any Muslim cannot sing Vande Mataram.

Final results of the SMS/Web poll: Ulemas Resolution: Is it un-Islamic to sing Vande Mataram?

Yes: 17 per cent

No: 83 per cent

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