'Faith is beyond attire': Nusrat Jahan slams religious 'hardliners' criticising her for sporting 'un-Islamic' look; Shazia Ilmi supports TMC MP

After being trolled for her attire on her maiden visit to the Parliament, newly-elected TMC MP Nusrat Jahan is caught in yet another controversy for marrying a Jain businessman and her choice to wear sindoor (vermilion) during the oath-taking ceremony in Parliament on 25 June. Muslim clerics have called-out Jahan over her “un-Islamic” practices. In response to an Uttar Pradesh-based cleric criticising her for marrying outside her religion, Jahan said she would not pay heed to “hardliners of any religion”. Jahan tweeted that she was a representative of an “inclusive India”, which is “beyond the barriers of caste, creed and religion,” adding, “As much as I respect all religions, I still remain a Muslim and no one should comment on what I choose to wear.”

Paying heed or reacting to comments made by hardliners of any religion only breeds hatred and violence, and history bears testimony to that.. #NJforInclusiveIndia #Youthquake #secularIndia pic.twitter.com/mHmINQiYzj

— Nussrat Jahan (@nusratchirps) June 29, 2019

After a fatwa was issued to Jahan, Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, Shahi Imam, Fatehpuri Masjid on Sunday claimed that her marriage was not valid as per Islamic norms. Speaking to ANI, Mukarram said, “I don’t know what is mentioned in the fatwa, but Islam does not allow sindoor. It’s not Muslim culture… It’s not a marriage. It looks more like a relation to show off. Both Muslims and Jains won’t consider it a marriage. She is no more a Jain or a Muslim. She has done a big crime and she should not have done it.” Another Muslim cleric  Mufti Asad Quasmi of Madrasa Jamia Sheikh-ul-Hind castigated the actor-turned-politician and said that “people in the film industry do not care about religious practices”. “After investigation, we got to know that she married into the Jain religion, Islam says that a Muslim can only marry a Muslim. Second, I want to say that Nusrat Jahan is an actor and these actors do not care about religion. They do what they feel like doing. This is what she showcased in Parliament,” he said. Quasmi further said: “She came to Parliament with sindoor and mangalsutra, so it is a waste of time to talk about this. We cannot interfere in her life. I just told her what Shariat says with the help of media.” However, to Jahan’s defense BJP leader Shazia Ilmi said, “Every woman has the right to wear clothes and to follow the ritual of her choice irrespective of any religion. Whether Nusrat Jahan wants to wear sindoor or not is her choice.” Fellow TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty also extended support to Jahan, saying that being an Indian is their only identification. “We are Indian and that’s our only identification, proud Indian and will be,” she tweeted, reacting to Nusrat Jahan’s tweet. Sadhvi Prachi also slammed the cleric for his statement and welcomed the lawmaker into her “community”. “This is a good thing. A woman like Nusrat coming into our community is because their future is secure in our religion. She understands that the Hindu religion respects women,” she told media in Muzaffarnagar. Calling the cleric “cut piece”, she said: “These are cut pieces. Their thoughts are dirty. They only talk to make headlines.” Former politician and journalist Ashutosh also came out in support of Jahan.

⁦Great Nusrat. That is how clerics should be replied. Who the hell are these clerics to tell how to dress and what to do in life. Enough is enough. Respect for Religion, but not such clerics. pic.twitter.com/eKHIBGJSFm

— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) June 30, 2019

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Jahan was seen sporting sindoor – traditionally worn by Hindu and Jain women – and a pink and white saree during her oath-taking ceremony in Parliament on 25 June. She also wore bangles and had her hands covered in henna designs. The TMC lawmaker had touched the feet of Speaker Om Birla and sought his blessings. She had skipped oath-taking for Lok Sabha members on 17-18 June owing to her wedding festivities in Turkey. Earlier in May,  Mimi Chakraborty and Jahan created a buzz on social media after they posted their pictures in front of Parliament, with netizens trolling them for their “casual outfit”, even as a section of them also came out in support of the two MPs who won by huge margins from West Bengal’s Jadavpur and Basirhat seats respectively in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election. With inputs from ANI