LUCKNOW: Darul Uloom Deoband, one of the highest seats of Islamic education and seminaries, is under fire from a Muslim Women’s body of Varanasi, the founder president of which has challenged the authority of the seminary to issue fatwas and oust anyone from Islam for worshipping Gods of other religions.
Deoband issued a fatwa against Nazneen Ansari, founder president of Muslim Mahila Foundation of Kashi, and all Muslim women who had joined her in performing the aarti of Lord Ram at Sankatmochan Mandir in Varanasi on Diwali eve, calling it anti-Islamic.
“They will have to repent all their life,” the Fatwa conveyed.
In response, Ansari challenged Deoband’s authority. “They have no authority to oust anyone from Islam, and if they continued like this, we would be forced to lodge and FIR against them,” she said.
“Darul uloom is not a competent authority to oust anyone from Islam whimsically,” she added.
Threatening a legal recourse against the seminary, she not only sought a high-level probe into the source and mode of funding to seminary keeping the national interest in mind, but also demanded a ban on it.
In a separate development, a former legislator of Bahujan Samaj Party, Haji Iqbal was ousted from Islam for holding and participating in a hawan at his Glocal University in Saharanpr on Diwali eve. Again calling it unislamic, Iqbal was asked by Mulsim religious leaders to seek forgiveness from God for his actions.