Vande Matram not for Muslims; only Jihad: Mullahs

The Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind’s renewed objections to the singing of Vande Mataram by Muslims will unnecessarily fuel a controversy which does not serve any helpful purpose. It will definitely enable the RSS, VHP and the BJP, to stoke anti-Muslim sentiments by stressing, yet again, the supposedly anti-national outlook of the minorities. Even among the Muslims, the more sober elements cannot be too happy with the Jamiat’s unwise fatwa since the resistance among them to accepting the patriotic song has been declining. As much is clear from music director A R Rehman’s stirring rendering of the song, ma tujhe salaam, which captures its essence.

As is known, the Muslim objection is to the song in its entirety since it extols Mother India as a goddess. However, as Rehman’s version specifies, there cannot be any opposition to the perception of the nation as a mother. It is precisely for this reason that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram have been declared as a National Song (as also in the case of Jana Gana Mana), which only describe the natural beauty of the motherland. The Jamiat would have been well-advised, therefore, to clarify this point. But it may have been guided by a not very wholesome desire to pose as a champion of Muslim interests by refusing to make a distinction between the opening lines and the whole song. Such a stance is strange since the Jamiat, unlike the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, has been known for its nationalist credentials and its links with the Congress, which explains P Chidambaram’s presence at its convention in Deoband.

It may be the competitive urge to flaunt its credentials as a true defender of the faith which made the Jamiat not only voice its objections to the National Song, but also to what it perceives as Western influence via cinema and television and the use of English words like “hello”, which it wants to be replaced with salaam. As if all these retrograde advice were not enough, the Jamiat demanded the scrapping of reservations for women in legislatures since it fears that the step would create “social problems” and affect their “security”. To confirm its embracement of primitivism, it also argued against anti-AIDS campaigns.

This egregious display of backwardness undermines its own case against Vande Mataram since these various retrogressive diktat show that the Jamiat cannot be taken seriously.

Public Opinion:

No where in the world, does a citizen of a country says, they decry National Anthem. Its only in our country under the cover of Freedom of Press and Minority Rights, we f**k up every national Sentiment. Sorry to see such a great News Paper, supporting /justifying the hopeless anti national attitudes of Jamait.
By Indian
11/5/2009 12:07:00 AM

This is totally unpatriotic. Our Indian flag has dharma chakra in the middle. Whats next, are they going to stop saluting the Indian flag because it has a non-muslim symbol ? One of the core ideas of Islam is that the state should be governed by Islamic law. Are they going to demand that Sharia must be implemented for all of India ? Where does this stop ??? Why in a "secular" (separation of church & state) country, a particular minority religion is allowed to declare political statements based on religion ? This trend must be totally condemned, else it will lead to another partition.
By Bharatham