New Delhi, August 27: Maulana Sajid Rashidi, President of the All India Imam Association, has criticized the Allahabad High Court‘s decision regarding the hijab. He expressed his views on several contentious topics, labeling Tipu Sultan as the first martyr and the Mughals as role models. He also opposed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the mandatory singing of “Vande Mataram.”
Speaking from Delhi, Rashidi responded to AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi’s comments on the Allahabad High Court ruling. He stated, “A headscarf is not a hijab; it is essential to understand this. Hijab means a woman or girl covering her entire body with a sheet or something similar. I believe Owaisi has made a new move by linking this to Islam to attract Muslim voters. The court said that hijab is not an essential part of Islam, while the Supreme Court has previously stated that it is part of Islam and cannot be banned in schools.”
He added, “In 2022, there was a Karnataka High Court ruling that was challenged in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court judge ruled that there cannot be a ban on hijabs in schools and colleges. The question is whether the Allahabad High Court judge made his decision without considering the Supreme Court’s ruling. Is there a possibility that he thought about promotion, believing a decision in favor of the government might lead to that? Additionally, that girl studied in the same school with a headscarf for ten years, and neither the school nor the court objected at that time. Why did the High Court not ask the school principal why there was no objection for ten years and why they now want her to remove the scarf? The court should have revoked the school’s recognition and imposed a significant fine. The girl has been targeted in the name of Islam.”
Regarding Owaisi’s statement, he remarked, “A headscarf is not a hijab. The meaning of hijab is for a woman to cover her entire body. A scarf only covers the back of the head, meaning the hair. By linking it to Islam, Owaisi is playing a new game to secure votes. However, a headscarf does not equate to hijab.”
On the issue of “Vande Mataram,” Rashidi stated, “Congress, SP, and other parties that claim to be secular have fallen into the BJP’s trap and have not opposed ‘Vande Mataram.’ However, they do not realize that it goes against the beliefs of Muslims. We are people who respect the Constitution and laws. We will not sing ‘Vande Mataram.’”
Concerning the UCC, he said, “The UCC is also being forcibly imposed on Muslims. The Constitution has granted us three things: marriage, divorce, and inheritance. We will follow these according to Islam. You can introduce the UCC or other laws, but we cannot abandon Islam. Our Constitution allows us this right.”
Supporting the display of Tipu Sultan’s photo in the Malegaon Municipal Corporation, Rashidi declared, “Tipu Sultan was the first martyr to fight against the British in India. Just because we acknowledge Tipu Sultan does not mean we will be anti-national. What harm did the Mughals do to India? In reality, they were role models. Yet today, those same Mughals are labeled invaders.”
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