Syed Waseem Rizvi, ex-chairperson of the UP Shia Central Waqf Board stirred the hornet’s nest of extremists and ultra-soft seculars of the Muslim community on Thursday when he filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to remove 26 verses of the Quran alleging that it promoted terrorism and Jihad. However, as soon as the news of the petition came to light, the Muslim clerics issued a bounty offer of Rs 20,000 for anyone who brought Rizvi’s head to them.
The decision to file a petition to alter the Quran has seemingly not gone down well with the fanatics of the religion as Muslim clerics have condemned Rizvi for challenging the Holy Quran and its chapters. Islamic Cleric Hasnain Jaffrey Dumpy, the national president of Islamic organisation – Shiane-Haider-e-Karrar Welfare Association, announced a bounty of Rs 20,000 to anybody who beheads Rizvi.
After issuing bounty, Islamic cleric Dumpy also urged the administration to take action against Rizvi for allegedly attempting to hurt Muslims’ sentiments by speaking ill of Quran. He claimed Rizvi’s statement could incite violence in society and demanded his immediate arrest.
The All-India Shia Personal Law Board and many other Muslim organisations have condemned Rizvi’s action and urged the SC to dismiss the PIL as “Muslims will not accept any debate on authenticity and truthfulness of the Quranic verses.”
“Nobody from Hazrat Imam Ali, the first Imam of the Shias, to Imam Hussain or any other imam ever raised doubts over the veracity of the Quranic verses. He is quoting out of context and trying to spread discord. The Supreme Court should throw out the PIL immediately,” said Shia Personal Law Board’s general secretary and spokesperson Maulana Yasoob Abbas.
Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi, general secretary of Majlis Ulema-e-Hind in Lucknow, said that Rizvi had nothing to do with the Shia Board or Islam. He described Rizvi as an agent of extremist and anti-Muslim organizations. Meanwhile, Maulana Khalid Rashid has demanded the Uttar Pradesh government to take strict action against Waseem Rizvi for filing a petition in the Supreme Court.
The Jammu and Kashmir Anjuman-E-Sharie Shian President Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al-Safavi also condemned the petition challenging the Holy Quran and its chapters.
In the PIL, Rizvi claimed that the objectionable verses were added to the holy book of Muslims later. “These verses were added to the Quran, by the first three Caliphs, to aid the expansion of Islam by war,” Rizvi had said. According to Rizvi, terrorists use these verses to fuel jihad. He also said that these verses are used to mislead the young Muslim generation, provoking them to become radicals and terrorists resulting in the massacre of millions of innocents.
The aforementioned statements by the Muslim clerics is a sad commentary on the state of affairs of the religious community whose reputation has taken a nose dive lately for churning terrorists and extremists who are misguided by misinterpretation of the Quran.