Cleric, who said shifting of mosque possible, 'quits'

Hyderabad: The AIMPLB on Sunday approved Maulana Syed Salman Husain Nadvi’s “decision to quit” as its executive member, days after he met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over the Ayodhya dispute and said at the board’s meeting that shifting of a mosque is possible according to the Sharia.

“Moulana Salman Nadwi is no longer a board member. Sub-committee of the board accepts Nadwi’s (sic) decision to quit the organization,” the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said in its official Twitter account on Sunday. However, AIMPLB member Qasim Rasool Ilyas said “action” was taken against Nadvi after he disagreed with the board’s views on the matter.

Nadvi had last week met Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar, who is exploring an out-of-court settlement in the long-pending Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, and had said that shifting of a mosque is possible in the Sharia. Asserting that Nadvi had himself disassociated with the board’s views, Ilyas told reporters on Sunday, “The board has taken a stand and took action… This is the board’s unanimous decision. Now, he is a free man.”

Referring to Nadvi’s remarks that a mosque can be shifted as per the Islamic law, he said the AIMPLB had made its stand clear that a masjid is the “home for Allah”. “A masjid always remains like that. It cannot be shifted or gifted or sold. This is Sharia. Salman Nadvi’s stand is opposite to this. He made it clear that he did not want to change his stand,” Ilyas said.

AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jeelani said, “He (Nadvi) said he did not agree with the board’s stand. He made allegations against the board and he said he wanted to leave the AIMPLB.” When contacted, Nadvi said he was at the airport boarding a flight. One of his close aides said Nadvi had offered to quit the board on Saturday.

Nadvi, who was present on the first day of the 26th plenary of the AIMPLB, which began on February 9, skipped the event on Saturday as well as on the last day on Sunday. The cleric’s meeting with Ravi Shankar last week had caused a flutter. “The atmosphere should be good (between the two communities)… There is permission for this in the Sharia. As per the Hanbali school of (Islamic) thought, a mosque can be shifted,” Nadvi had said.

He said though Muslims should conserve their mosque, it does not entail “fighting at the same place and taking it”. “The Babri Masjid is a masjid and it shall remain a masjid till eternity. By demolishing the Babri Masjid, it will never lose its identity as a masjid. And according to the Sharia, it will always remain a masjid,” the board said in a statement.

The Supreme Court is hearing the final arguments in the politically-sensitive Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid case.

Triple talaq bill

The plenary termed the triple talaq bill, moved by the central government, as anti-women. The board believes that the bill will create more difficulties for women. “It is against the Sharia and the Constitution. The board will continue to oppose this bill in the Rajya Sabha,” it said.

The board will coordinate with those parties opposing the bill and start a nationwide awareness campaign against it. ‘Won’t tolerate interference’

The board said that Muslims will not accept any amendments or any proposal for amendments in the Sharia. India is a secular and democratic country, which allows Muslims and other communities to practice their religion according to their laws and customs. The board has also decided to take up campaigns among the masses, in particular among the Muslims, as to how the present government, under the garb of the triple talaq bill, wants to put restrictions on members of the community.