In a statement issued from Srinagar, the MMU expressed “serious concern” over the recent directive by the Union Territory’s Department of Culture instructing schools across the region to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram by organizing musical and cultural programmes ensuring the participation of all students and staff.
Photo: SNS
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Hurriyat leader and Kashmir’s chief cleric, who heads the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of various religious groups in the Valley, on Wednesday urged the government to immediately revoke the “coercive order” mandating the recitation of Vande Mataram in schools across Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the national song contained passages that were “un-Islamic.”
In a statement issued from Srinagar, the MMU expressed “serious concern” over the recent directive by the Union Territory’s Department of Culture instructing schools across the region to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram by organizing musical and cultural programmes ensuring the participation of all students and staff.
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The MMU said that singing or reciting Vande Mataram was un-Islamic, as it contained expressions of devotion that contradicted the fundamental Islamic belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah (Tawheed). Islam, it said, does not permit any act involving worship or reverence directed toward anyone or anything other than the Creator.
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The MMU further stated that while Muslims are encouraged to deeply love and serve their homeland, that devotion should be expressed through service, compassion, and contributions to society, not through acts conflicting with their faith. “Forcing Muslim students or institutions to participate in activities that contradict their religious beliefs is both unjust and unacceptable,” the MMU added.
The statement alleged that the directive appeared to be a deliberate attempt to impose an “RSS-driven Hindutva ideology” on a Muslim-majority region under the guise of cultural celebration, rather than promoting genuine unity and respect for diversity.
“MMU urges the administration, both led by the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister, to immediately withdraw such a coercive directive, which has caused anguish among Muslims, and ensure that no student or institution is compelled to act against their religious beliefs,” the statement concluded.
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