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The All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of the Ministry of Home Affairs' notification mandating the playing of all six stanzas of Vande Mataram before the national anthem at official events.
In a press statement, the Board's General Secretary, Maulana Mohammed Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi, expressed strong opposition to the government's decision, calling it unconstitutional, against religious freedom and secular values, contrary to the Supreme Court judgment, and directly conflicting with the religious beliefs of Muslims. He stated that the decision is therefore completely unacceptable to Muslims. The Maulana noted that, following Rabindranath Tagore's advice and deliberations in the Constituent Assembly, it had been agreed that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be used. He said that a secular government cannot forcibly impose the beliefs or teachings of one religion upon followers of other religions. He added that the song was written in the context of Bengal and contains references to the worship and veneration of Durga and other deities. "Whatever the political considerations behind implementing this decision ahead of the West Bengal elections, Muslims cannot accept it, as it directly conflicts with their faith. A Muslim worships only One God, Allah, without partners, and Islam does not permit any form of associating partners with God." The General Secretary further stated that Indian courts have also held that the other verses are inconsistent with secular values and have restricted their recitation. Therefore, the Board demanded that the Central Government immediately withdraw the notification, warning to challenge MHA's decision in court. Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released detailed guidelines for the national song Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, stating that when both the National Song and the National Anthem are performed at an event, all six stanzas of the official version of Vande Mataram must be presented first. "The duration for which the song shall be played or sung shall be 3 minutes and 10 seconds," the order states. The MHA instructions on 'Vande Mataram' coincide with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the creation of the song. Earlier, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani criticised the Union government's directive to play all six stanzas of Vande Mataram before the national anthem at official events, calling it a "blatant attack on freedom of religion". (ANI)
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