Kolkata: Clerics launch twin attacks, target BJP and TMC on triple talaq

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised ‘achhe din’, but does that mean taking away the right to practice the religion of one’s choice or to dictate what one will eat or wear?” Kamruzzaman asked.

Referring to the proposed BJP rally against triple talaq on November 18, when the three-day convention of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) would begin, he said: “The BJP in order to disrupt the function of the AIMPLB has organised a rally on November 18, but we are also ready to counter any attempts by the BJP. I urge all Muslims to maintain peace, but if they intend to create trouble, we are also ready to fight back.”

Kamruzzaman said the state government had been kind enough to start honorariums for Muslim clerics, but this had been stuck at Rs 2,500 for imams and Rs 1,000 for muezzins every month for the last five-and-a-half years.

“The state should find ways to generate revenue from the wakf property, and it should revise the imams’ and muezzins’ pay. It should be at least Rs 10,000 for the imams and Rs 6,000 for muezzins as they have it in New Delhi. Besides, there should be provision for housing imams and educating their children, as Mamata had promised before she became the chief minister,” Kamruzzaman added.

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While Qari Fazlur Rahman, the imam who leads the Red Road congregation of Muslims on Eid and Bakri Eid also said the demand of the imams were justified, MPs have skirted the issue of the hike in honourarium, and spoke about the intervention of the Centre with Muslim Personal Law.

“It is a testing time for Muslims, and they should be careful not to walk into the trap. The prime minister is raising these communal issues knowing fully well that Muslim law would not be altered. He is doing it to divert the attention of people from other issues – The unfulfilled promises of bringing in black money into the country, being unable to trace missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed and the fake encounter of eight undertrials in Bhopal,” Imran said.

He also said the chief minister opposed encroachment into any religious law.

“She had said that no one should be forced to follow any norm which is against his or her religious rules. If it is the Muslim Shariya, let the Muslims decide what they want,” he said.

Ali said BJP leaders had lost their minds, and that Narendra Modi would never be successful in imposing a uniform civil code in the country. Sultan Ahmed added that a unified fight by different parties would be required to defeat Narendra Modi.

“The Muslims would not be able to fight the rising communal forces in the country. Mulayam Singh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal and Nitish Kumar should come together with Mamata Banerjee to fight against BJP at the Centre,” Ahmed said.

He however, added that imams and muezzins had every right to demand a hike in their honourariums, and that he would pass the message to the right quarters.