Muslims rubbish Syed Ahmed Bukhari’s invite to Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif

LUCKNOW: From the common man on the street to the head of Asia's most important Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband (DuD), various sections of the Muslim community on Friday condemned and questioned the decision of Syed Ahmed Bukhari, shahi imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, to overlook Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invite Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif for the coronation of his son as the naib imam (imam's deputy) on November 22.
"There's no scope for controversies in issues of sharia," Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, the mohtamim of DuD, said, questioning the very need of inviting political individuals to any religious event. "We don't address political issues as we're a purely religious entity. Hence I'll prefer to say no more on this issue."

Other top clerics were more direct in their criticism. "Instances like these bring the entire Muslim community under scrutiny," said Maulana Khalid Rasheed, imam of the Lucknow Idgah and member of the executive committee of the All India Muslim Law Board, the highest body of Muslims in India on issues of sharia.

"How can anyone even think of overlooking the Indian PM and going ahead with inviting Pakistan's PM at a time when Pakistani soldiers are chopping the heads of our soldiers on the borders?"

Shia cleric Maulana Yasoob Abbas said Bukhari's move must be condemned. "People like these give the world an opportunity to point fingers at Muslims," he said. "The irony is that such individuals have hardly any say within the community, hence they resort to such tactics, which is deplorable."

Others said Bukhari's move was a desperate attempt to secure political significance at the cost of the entire Muslim community's identity in the country. "Such clerics declare themselves as the leaders of Muslims and then trade the name of their community for vested interests," said Mohammed Asad, an engineer who retired from a top post in the state government.

Mazhar Alvi, a chattered accountant, said: "I'm sure Nawaz Sharif, if he has even a little more sense than Bukhari, will not attend the event after this controversy. I'm sure Bukhari, too, must be aware of it and hence deliberately orchestrated the entire controversy."