Darul Uloom Deoband has now ostracized a BJP Muslim MLC in Uttar Pradesh for indulging in idol worship while paying obeisance to Lord Hanuman in the state capital Lucknow.
Head of the Madarsa Darul Uloom, Asharfia Maulana Saalim Ashraf Qasmi said that BJP MLC Bukkal Nawab has been expelled from Islam and the Muslim community for indulging in 'anti-Islamic' act of idol worship and worshipping a Hindu God.
"Islam does not allow idol worship. Any devout Muslim paying obeisance to any other God than Allah cease to remain a Muslim. It is an unislamic act and such a person should be thrown out of Islam and the Muslim community," said Maulana Qasmi.
Maulana Qasmi said that Nawab should repent his anti-Islamic acts by seeking an apology from Allah. "He can only be taken back into Islam after he purifies himself by offering an apology to Allah and read the 'Kalma' thrice," said Maulana Qasmi.
Nawab, a former Samajwadi Party MP, who had joined the BJP last year, had offered prayers and gifted a huge brass bell to a famous Hanuman temple in Hazratganj on Tuesday after he was nominated by the BJP to the Upper House.
Earlier, he had advocated the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and had offered a golden crown worth Rs 10 lakhs to Lord Ram. Reacting to the fatwa issued by Deoband, Nawab said that he was not bothered.
"Besides being a Muslim, I am a devout Hanuman bhakt, too. Like Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman is also our ancestor. As per the Constitution of India, we are free to practice any religion. I am not worried about any fatwa aimed at dividing members of the two communities," the MLC said.
Earlier, a similar fatwa was issued from Deoband against BJP Minister Mohsin Raza for offering prayers at a Hanuman temple on March 31, along with his family members. Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid was also ostracized from Islam by the Deoband fatwa factory after he was caught offering prayers to a Hindu God.
