Delhi: Police complaint against cleric for fatwa against Muslim BJP supporters

A BJP leader has got a police complaint filed in Delhi against Islamic cleric Maulana Sajjad Nomani, alleging that he has issued a fatwa calling for the social boycott of Muslims supporting the BJP government at the Centre.

BJP's minority morcha president Jamal Siddiqui got the complaint filed at Tughlak Road police station. According to the complaint, Nomani, who lives in Lucknow and enjoys significant influence within the Muslim community, issued the controversial fatwa (decree) during the Maharashtra assembly polls.

Siddiqui has told police that in a widely-circulated video, Nomani reportedly said Muslims who support the BJP should be shunned, denied greetings and subjected to a complete social boycott. Nomani has also allegedly said that such individuals should be considered outside the fold of Islam.

In the video, the cleric has allegedly mocked the BJP's Muslim supporters, saying they should rename themselves as 'Ghanshyam', signalling their exclusion from the community.

Siddiqui has claimed that this fatwa has led to severe consequences for Muslims associated with the saffron party, including threats, social isolation and abuses.

"After the fatwa, people have stopped talking to me during Friday prayers and at public places like Nizamuddin Dargah. I have faced abuse on social media and people are boycotting me," Siddiqui has said in his complaint.

He has also said that he is being followed and receiving death threats, making his life and that of other BJP workers increasingly difficult.

The complainant has urged authorities to take strict action against Nomani for his statements. He has also attached a link to the video clip to his complaint.