For united Muslim stand on womens Bill,Deobandis extend a hand to Barelvis

In a development that could worry the Congress which is trying to revive itself in the Hindi heartland,the warring,but influential,Deobandi and Barelvi sects are warming up to each other to oppose the Womens Reservation Bill....

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In a development that could worry the Congress which is trying to revive itself in the Hindi heartland,the warring,but influential,Deobandi and Barelvi sects are warming up to each other to oppose the Womens Reservation Bill which has already created unrest among Islamic scholars and bodies.

Despite both being Sunnis,the Deobandis and Barelvis have been traditionally opposed to each other. It is virtually a no-no for both sects to intermingle,sometimes even while the last prayers of a dead person are in progress. The differences between the two sects owe their origin to their respective interpretations of Islam,with Deobandis taking a more austere view of the tenets and Barelvis having been more influenced by other practices and ceremonies that they have adopted over the years.

Indications about the thaw came when prominent Muslim leaders belonging to the Deobandi school of thought condemned the arrest of noted Barelvi cleric Maulana Tauqueer Raza Khan by the UP Police on March 8,following incidents of communal violence and rushed to Bareilly to meet him in a show of support. He was subsequently released.

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Raza,the great grandson of Barelvi sect founder Maulana Ali Shah Mufti Ahmad Raza Khan,has been at loggerheads with the Deobandi leadership ever since he came out of the All India Muslim Personnel Law Board and floated a parallel board in 2004 reflecting the rift among Muslim clergy on issues involving Shariat.

Though the leaders who travelled to Bareilly from Delhi putting aside their differences were not allowed to enter the town by the local administration,they sent across a message to Khan that they condemned his arrest. He expressed his gratitude and his aides informed us that he would come to Delhi to meet us, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind secretary Mujtaba Farooq said. He said the visit was an attempt to reach out to the Barelvi leadership at a time when Muslim bodies and clerics are up in arms demanding sub-quota for Muslim women in the Womens Reservation Bill.

We want to engage all groups since we are planning to launch an agitation before the Bill comes up in the Lok Sabha, he told The Sunday Express. Jamiat-ulama-i-Hind leader Abdul Hameed Nomani pointed out that differences in ideology would not come in the way of raising the legitimate demands of the community. Besides Farooq and Nomani,representatives of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat and the Muslim Political Council were part of the team that went to Bareilly.