Fatwa declares India ‘Dar al-Aman’

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Challenged by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to issue a fatwa (religious edict) declaring India a Dar al-Aman (country friendly to Islam), where jihad (holy war) is meaningless, the country’s top Islamic seminary, the Darul Uloom at Deoband, on Sunday did just that.

The fatwa was read out at a large rally in Bhubaneshwar organised by the Orissa unit of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, attended by Chief Minister Navneen Patnaik and numerous other bigwigs.

“The Indian Constitution guarantees equal protection and rights for all communities. Therefore, for Muslims, India is Dar al-Aman or a Muslim-friendly country,” the fatwa said.

The VHP had also urged the Darul Uloom to spell out whether Muslims should regard Hindus as kafirs (non-believers). The fatwa came from the hand and seal of Mufti Mahmood Hasan Bulandsheri of Darul Uloom’s fatwa department, in response to questions posed by Mahmood Madani, who heads the Jamiat.