Speaking to OpIndia, the Diwan of Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah, Ali Musa Nizami, asserted that Islam would never pardon former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for what she said about Prophet Mohammad.
Nizami advised her to go to the temple to do penance for her transgression. He asserted that she is still alive since this is India, had it been in any Islamic country, she would have been dead by now.
Nizami, who was seen laughing when asked about the horrendous beheading of the Udaipur’s Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal by Islamists, said that in Islam, there is no such thing as forgiveness for the sin she has committed. He added that since Jamhooriyat (Democracy) exists in India, she is still alive, had it been any Islamic country, the only punishment for her would have been death.
Notably, BJP ex-leader Nupur Sharma’s comments had the Islamists across the country running riot, indulging in wanton violence, issuing death and rape threats against her and killing those who extended their support to her, like Udaipur’s Kanhaiya Lal, besides engaging in vandalism and arson.
Nizami told OpIndia, “Islam will not pardon Nupur Sharma for what he has said. The punishment for it is only death. She, however, is still alive since Jamhooriyat exists in India. She needs to publicly apologise for what she said. She needs to go visit the temple and make amends, in my opinion. You ought to apologise for what you said. It’ll have a significant effect,” said the Nizamuddin dargah’s dewan adding that since India is a country of faith, raising the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogan was also ‘wrong’.
When OpIndia pointed out to Nizami how many Islamic scholars have corroborated with Nupur Sharma’s statement saying that she had merely quoted from Islamic texts, the Diwan of Delhi’s Nizamuddin Dargah repudiated the same. He responded by asserting, “Their claims are incorrect. In Islam, there is no room for forgiveness.”
Notably, last month, in a debate show hosted by Pradeep Bhandari in India News, Islamic scholar Atiqur Rahman stated that Nupur Sharma was not wrong in what she said about the life of Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic scholar lamented the atmosphere of hate and threats created via social media and stated that Islam has the scope to discuss and forgive.
Replying to VHP’s Vinod Bansal, scholar Atiqur Rahman said, “No, Nupur Sharma was not wrong. She was not wrong. If any Islamic scholar or Muslim thinks she was wrong, Islam has such wide scope that she can be forgiven and given a chance that some senior Islamic cleric explains to her how she was wrong.”
He also mentioned how the number of Hindu visitors to the Dargah has dramatically decreased over the last year. He said that the number has gone down by almost 60 per cent during that period. The 84-year-old dewan, who has been associated with the dargah for several years, asserted that fewer Hindus are now visiting the dargah as a result of the ‘propagation of hatred’, which he believed will only increase with time under the present government.
Nizami lamented how, earlier, many Hindus used to visit the dargah every day in the past. From 2 in the afternoon to almost 11 at night, the Hindus use to throng the dargah, hold bhandara, and distribute food and money amongst the needy, but that is not the case anymore.
(This piece is taken with gratitude from OpIndia)
