The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) served a notice to the former Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board Waseem Rizvi on Monday after he called for the removal of certain verses from the Quran. The notice reportedly directs him to withdraw his comments and tender an unconditional apology.
The NCM’s notice to Rizvi which was issued on the direction of the minority panel’s Vice Chairman Atif Rasheed termed Rizvi’s remarks as “highly provocative, objectionable and malicious, prejudicial to maintenance of peace and harmony, with intent to outrage the religious feelings of a particular community and to insult the particular religion”. The notice was served in response to the complaints filed by four persons named Abdul Majid Nizami, Ali Raza Zaidi, Mohd Faizan Chaudhary and Maulana Sayed Nazar Abbas.
“The NCM directs you to withdraw your comments and tender an unconditional apology within 21 days, failing which the Commission will be constrained to hold a hearing under section 9 of the National Commission of Minorities Act, 1992 and direct appropriate authorities to take legal action as deemed fit”, the notice stated.
Waseem Rizvi approached SC seeking removal of 26 verses from the Quran that allegedly promote terrorism and jihad
Waseem Rizvi had moved the Apex Court on March 11 requesting the removal of 26 from the Quran. In his petition Rizvi stated that the Quran, the holy book of Muslims, had some verses that are used to promote terrorism, violence and jihad. He claimed that these verses were added to the Quran later by the first three Caliphs to facilitate the expansion of Islam through war. “After Mohammad, the first Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakr, the second Caliph Hazrat Umar and the third Caliph Hazrat Usman released the Quran as a book on the oral preaching of Mohammad”, Rizvi stated in the petition.
Rizvi alleged that these verses are used by terrorists to promote jihad and to mislead young Muslims by provoking and radicalising them.
Demands of Waseem Rizvi’s arrest
Following the Rizvi’s petition in the Supreme Court, many Shia as well as Sunni clerics have been demanding Rizvi’s arrest. Muslim cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid has demanded his arrest. Another Muslim cleric Kalbe Jawad Naqvi went on to declare Rizvi a descendant of Yazidis, a sect that is generally considered non-Muslims by orthodox Muslims. A joint protest rally will reportedly be organised by both Shia and Sunni communities on March 19 following the prayers at the Jama Masjid in Delhi against Rizvi.
