Muslim clerics too jump into Sai Baba controversy

After the Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati’s controversial remarks on Shirdi Sai Baba, Muslim clerics have also joined the issue and said that people from their community must not attend Sai Sandhya, an evening prayer session organised by the disciples of Sai Baba.

The clerics associated with the prestigious Islamic seminary Darul Uloom in Deoband said it was improper to recite the word Allah at Sai Sandhya. “It is un-Islamic to recite the word”, said Senior Cleric at Deoband, Arif Quasmi.

The cleric said that one should pay obeisance and worship one’s god in accordance with his or her own religion.

“If a Muslim attends Sai Sandhyas, he is doing something which is un-Islamic”, Quasmi went on to say. The cleric said that it was “highly improper” to sing any prayer or song which contains the word Allah.

Some other clerics also expressed their strong opposition to the recital of the word at religious gatherings organised by the disciples of Shirdi’s Sai Baba.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Sai Baba staged a demonstration at Varanasi in protest against Shankaracharya’s comment. “The Shankaracharya is trying to drive a wedge between the Hindu community”, they said.

“The Shankaracharya’s comments have hurt the sentiment of millions of disciples of Sai Baba”, said Akhilesh Singh, the caretaker of a Sai temple at Nadesar in the town.

The ‘Sai Kutumb Samiti’, an Uttarakhand based organisation of the Sai Baba disciples has said that it will organise a mass bath at the famous Har-ki-Paidi ghat on the banks of the Ganges at Hardwar on June 29 to register its protest against Shankaracharya’s remarks.

“Sai Baba never called himself a god. There was never an controversy over his status.
Such comments are made only to be in the limelight,” said a Samiti office bearer.
The Shankaracharya had recently said that Sai Baba was not a god and that Hindus should not worship him.

Devotee moves court

A complaint was filed in a local court on Tuesday against the shankaracharya of Dwaraka Peeth, Swaroopananda Saraswati, for his alleged remarks against Saibaba of Shirdi, reports PTI from Indore.

The complaint was filed by a law student, Abhishek Bhargava, 23, before Judicial Magistrate First Class Dilip Gupta. “The court posted the matter to August 20,” said Abhishek’s counsel Sanskar Bhargava.