Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, the largest Muslim organisation in the country, on Thursday described the BJP-led central government's new guidelines, mandating the singing of all six stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram as a "blatant attack on religious freedom."
In an order issued on January 28, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs outlined comprehensive guidelines for singing the national song and mandated all six stanzas to be sung before the National Anthem in government functions and schools.
Pointing out that some verses of the Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, were based on beliefs that portray the homeland as a deity, Jamiat President Maulana Arshad Madani said that it contradicted the belief of monotheistic religions.
"Since a Muslim worships only Allah, forcing him to sing this song is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution and several judgments of the Supreme Court," Madani said in a post on X.
Emphasising that a Muslim worships only one God, he said, "they may endure everything, but they cannot accept associating partners with Him (God)."
Calling the BJP-government's move a "unilateral and coercive decision," he said it was not only a "blatant attack on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of India but also a systematic attempt to curtail the constitutional rights of minorities."
Making this song mandatory and attempting to impose it on citizens is not an expression of patriotism, rather, it reflects electoral politics, a sectarian agenda, and a deliberate effort to divert public attention from fundamental issues, Madani said.
"The true measure of love for one's country lies not in slogans but in character and sacrifice. The shining examples of which can be seen prominently in the historic struggle of Muslims and the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. Such decisions weaken the country's peace, unity, and democratic values and undermine the spirit of the Constitution," Madani said.
Making Vande Mataram compulsory is a clear assault on the Constitution, religious freedom, and democratic principles, he added.
The BJP has long advocated for including the stanzas exempted from Vande Mataram during its adoption as the national song in 1937. The parts were exempted from the song due to concerns of hurting the religious sentiments of non-Hindus, as it referred to the homeland as goddess Durga, contradicting the beliefs of several religions, including Islam.