Sharif is welcome, not Modi: PM never reached out to Muslims, says Shahi Imam

New Delhi: Delhi’s Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari created a political storm on Thursday by extending an invitation to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leaving out Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the anointment ceremony of his 19-year-old son Shaban Bukhari as his successor.

Shaban, a student of social work at a private university here, will be anointed as Naib Shahi Imam (deputy of the chief cleric) of the grand Mughal-era mosque in a ceremony on 22 November, which will be attended by head of states like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Egypt, including others, and around 1,000 religious leaders from India and abroad.

Although Bukhari chose not to invite Prime Minister Modi (who is alleged to have played a role in the 2002 Gujarat riots but has been exonerated by a court of law) to the event, he sent out invites to several BJP leaders, including Rajnath Singh, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and Shahnawaz Hussain.

Asked why he left out Prime Minister Modi, Bukhari told Firstpost, “It is my personal function and who is to be invited is up to me. I cannot relate to him as he has never made attempt to reach out to Muslims.”

When asked if he thinks that inviting PM Nawaz Sharif and ignoring PM Modi will help build a wrong perception about Indian Muslims, he said, “It is my personal choice and the issue must not be politicised.”

Reacting sharply to “the political position” taken by the Shahi Imam, Asifa Khan of the BJP said, “There is no provision in Islam that allows a father to pass on imamat (the position of a divinely- appointed leader) to his son. It is nepotism, which has no place in the religion. All I would say it is jihalat (ignorance).”

“Indian Muslims believe in Modi, not Nawaz Sharif,” she claimed.

Although Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) general secretary Nusrat Ali rejected the concept of janashinin (succession), he indirectly supported Bukhari’s decision. “In principle, there is no justification of succession and Islam does not allow it. But it is true that Modi has so far not made a serious attempt to reach out to Muslims, who are still skeptical of the prime minister,” he said.

“In addition to being a cleric, the Shahi Imam has also political affiliations. Perhaps, by not inviting the prime minister, he has tried to give Modi a message,” he added.

Eminent Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) appears to have backed Bukhari’s decision. “It is clear message for Modi that Muslims of the country still do not have faith in him. On one hand he talks about inclusiveness and says that Muslims live and die for the country, while on the other hand, he keeps mum on a series of hate speeches and contentious issues like ‘Love Jihad’ to please his political bosses,” says Abdul Hameed Noumani of the JUH.

“As I personally know Shahi Imam, he has ideological differences with Modi and therefore, he invited other BJP leaders except the prime minister,” he further added.

When asked does not he think that passing on succession is “nepotism” and against Islamic laws, he said if the wakf deed says that the position will be passed on in the same family as he himself was coroneted by his father as Shahi Imam by his father, it is permissible in Islam as well.

Syed Ahmed Bukhari was anointed as the Shahi Imam by his father Maulana Syed Abdulla Bukhari in an investiture ceremony on 14 October 2000.

Maulana Anisur Rahman Qasmi, general secretary of Imarat-e-Shariah (Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha), had a little different view on this controversy. “Although it is Maulana Bukhari’s personal choice, but according to me, Modi should have been invited and the complaints of the community should have been lodged with him,” he said. He added such platforms should be used to promote communal harmony in the country especially at a time when there is shard divide on religious ground across the country.

Dr Zafar-ul Islam Khan, president, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, declined to comment on the issue.

Shaban was selected for the influential post because of his “strong inclination toward humanities besides his religious capabilities”. He will be groomed under his father, who will remain the “Shahi Imam” for his life. Shaban will then take over the mantle from his father.

From nearly 400 years, Imamat of the Jama Masjid has been continuing in the same family from generation to generation. On the request of Mughal emperor Shahjahan, the Shah of Bukhara sent Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari, (who was descendant of Muhammad from both of his parents) from Bukhara in Samarkand to accept the post of the Shahi Imam for the Delhi’s grand mosque.

The Shahi Imam’s post is considered influential. Bukhari’s endorsement of Congress in the run-up to the 2014 general elections had triggered criticism against the party. The Muslim cleric had also extended his support to SP before the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.