Rituals like putting Tilak on forehead sends people to hell, says Islamic scholar Illyas Sharafuddin

If creating unnecessary outrage is an art then Indian media is the Picasso of it. Indian media is notorious for making an issue out of non-issue and ignoring relevant issues concerning common people. India’s mainstream media again created an unnecessary outrage around Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s refusal to accept a muslim skullcap. Yesterday, UP CM Yogi visited saint Kabir’s Mazaar in Maghar where the warden of the place offered him a skullcap, which Yogi Adityanath politely refused to wear.

Now, the pseudo-secular media is outraging over this non-issue. Many unnecessary debates have been organized questioning Yogi’s freedom of choice. In an debate about this non-issue on national television, bigotry was at its zenith. Sambit Patra, BJP spokesperson was debating about the incident with an Islamic scholar, Illyas Sharafuddin.  In the debate, Sambit Patra raised a very pertinent question, “Will you put Tilak on your forehead?”, he asked to Illyas Sharafuddin. What the so-called scholar said next was extremely shameful and shocking. His bigotted mentality was clearly reflected in his reply. He said he won’t perform these rituals which send people to hell. Later he desperately tried to defend his statement by saying that Sri Krishna had also said the same thing in Bhagwat Gita, which is again absolute rubbish and a fabrication by the so-called Islamic Scholar. But the damage was already done.  This statement by Ilyas Sharafuddin is demeaning to the Hindu religion and he should be booked for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus.

People like Illyas Sharafuddin think that the responsibility to maintain secularism in India rests only on the shoulders of the Hindus, it is the Hindus who should always surrender to their intolerance. They expect Hindus to follow their rituals and customs but in return they demean Hindu religion and its rituals. Even the followers of their religion face the heat and venom of such bigots. A Muslim BJP MLC was once ostracized for worshipping a Hindu god.  A Fatwa was once issued against the Muslim MLA of Bihar for chanting Jai Sri Ram. In fact, actress Sana Amin was attacked on social media for wearing sindoor and mangalsutra in a serial named Krishnadasi. In another shameful display of bigotry, a 22 year old Muslim girl singer was trolled, threatened and abused for singing Hindu bhajan. In a similar incident, as many as 46 Islamic clerics of Assam issued fatwa against a 16 year old singer, Nahid Afrin because according to these bigots music, dance, drama and theatre etc are against Sharia Laws. Last year, Darul Uloom Deoband issued fatwa against a group of Muslim women who performed ‘aarti’ on Diwali in Varanasi.  

These intolerant bigots on television portray themselves as the crusaders of secularism in India. If such people have followers then no one can protect their followers from going to hell. In fact, the mentality of such scholars is so intolerant that they themselves will suffer in hell.

Refusing to wear a skullcap is no disrespect to Islam and the Muslims. A leader should be judged on the basis of the works which he is doing to take a community forward and not on the basis of the acts of symbolism such as wearing caps. CM is doing a lot for the betterment of the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh.

This entire controversy is itself fishy. BJP cabinet minister Mahesh Sharma was also there but no one offered him a skullcap. It seems that entire skullcap was offered only with the intention to create a controversy. Secularism means respecting each other’s religious beliefs and not forcing your religion on someone else.