‘Regrettable and Un-Islamic’: Religious Bodies on Murder of Udaipur Tailor

The Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

(Photo: PTI)

Ajmer Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan on Tuesday, 28 June, condemned the murder of a tailor in Udaipur and said that Muslims of India will never allow 'Talibanisation' mindset to surface in the country.

“No religion promotes violence against humanity. Especially, in the religion of Islam, all the teachings act as sources of peace,” Khan said in a statement.

Kanhaiya Lal allegedly expressed support to former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remarks against Prophet Muhammad via a social media post. He was killed in Udaipur city's Dhan Mandi area by two men who said that they are avenging an insult to Islam.

“In the gruesome video that surfaced on the internet, some non-ethical minds committed a brutal attack on a poor man which is received as a punishable sin in the Islamic world,” Khan said, adding that the accused were part of certain radical groups that find solution only via the path of violence.

“I strongly discourage this act and plead the government to take a strict action against them. Muslims of India will never allow Talibanisation mindset to surface in our motherland,” he said.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Condemns Incident 

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind General Secretary Maulana Hakimuddin Qasmi also condemned the murder.

"Whoever carried out this incident cannot be justified in any way, it is against the law of the land and our religion," Qasmi said in a statement.

“There is a rule of law in our country, no one has the right to take the law in their hands,” he added.

‘Condemnable, Regrettable, and Un-Islamic,’ Says AIMPLB

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board also reacted to the murder and in a statement said, “Taking the law into your own hands is highly condemnable, regrettable, and un-Islamic,” The Times of India reported.

“The insults spoken by (former) BJP spokesperson, Nupur Sharma against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are very painful for the Muslim community. The inaction of the government against this crime is nothing but rubbing salts on our wounds.”

General Secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani quoted by The Times of India

“The All India Muslim Personal Law Board strongly condemns the incident of brutal killing in Udaipur,” he said.

He further maintained that “nobody can be allowed to take the law into their hands and declaring someone a criminal and then murdering them is a highly condemnable act."

He added that neither the law, nor the Islamic Sharia allows such incidents.

The Board further appealed to the Muslim community to not take law into their own hands and indulge in actions that might cause disturbances in communal harmony and social cohesion.

'It's an Act Against Islam': Shahi Iman of Jama Masjid in Delhi

Condemning the Udaipur murder, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, called it "heartbreaking, heinous and an act against Islam."

Stating that the murder has shaken the humanity, Bukhari said, "The inhumane incident of the murder of a man named Kanhaiya Lal by two persons named Riaz and Ghous, and that too in the name of the Holy Prophet, is not only an act of cowardice but an act against Islam, unlawful and inhuman. I, myself and on behalf of the Muslims of India, with all the vehemence at our disposal, condemn this act,"

"Islam is a religion of peace and tranquillity. The life of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) is full of numerous examples of compassion, tolerance, generosity, and humanitarianism. Had the persons who committed this barbaric act studied the life and character of the Holy Prophet and had they been well versed with the spirit of Quran and shariah, they would not have committed the heinous crime," he added.

What Was the Incident?

On 17 June, one of the men who claimed responsibility for the murder published a video indicating that he would be committing the crime. In that video, the alleged killer had said that his video would go viral on the day he commits the murder.

On Tuesday, 28 June, the video of the brutal act also surfaced on social media. After the incident occurred, the two men who claimed to be the murderers, namely Gaus Mohammad and Mohammad Riyaz Akhtari, posted a video message later in the day and sent out a threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team was dispatched by the Union Home Ministry to probe the killing.

Meanwhile, a statewide alert was issued to all superintendents of police and inspectors general to increase the mobility of police forces and ensure the heavy presence of officers on the ground.

(With inputs from PTI and The Times of India)