Shaukat Ali, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president for Uttar Pradesh, has made derogatory remarks towards Hindus while addressing a gathering in Sambhal in the state. Defending polygamy in Islam, Shaukat Ali said that if Hindus marry more than one woman, they become their mistress, however, this is not the case with Muslims.
Addressing the rally in the state, Shaukat Ali said, “People say we have three marriages. Even if we have two marriages, we give respect to both wives in society, but you (Hindus) marry one and have three mistresses without informing anyone and you neither respect your wife nor the mistress. But if we have two weddings, we keep them with respect and our children’s names are also on the ration card.”
The UP AIMIM State President also spewed venom on the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Hijab controversy. He said, “Hindutva will not decide who will wear what in the country, but the constitution will. Shaukat Ali further said that “the BJP is working to break the country by raising such issues.”
Shaukat Ali said that Muslims have been targeted by the BJP. “Because it is so simple to attack Muslims, issues like as madrassa, mob lynching, waqf, and hijab are being discussed,” Ali said. He claimed that when the BJP is weak, it promotes Muslim-related concerns.
Further spewing venom on Hindus, Ali said, “we ruled on India for 832 for years, and you were forced to say ji hujur by keeping your hands behind yours back in front of our Badshahs”, referring to Muslim rules from Sultans to Mughals in India.
This comes after AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi compared the hijab to a bikini, and asserted that while other women may wear bikinis, Muslim women will not remove their hijab. Asaduddin Owaisi said, “If not hijab, should we wear a bikini? If you want, you can wear it. Why are you bent upon finishing off our religion, culture and traditions like hijab and beard.”
These politicians’ remarks follow after a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court issued a divided ruling on Thursday while hearing petitions challenging a Karnataka High Court verdict that declined to overturn a ban on hijabs in state educational institutions. The Karnataka High Court ruling, however, is not being stayed by the Supreme Court. The issue has now been submitted to Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit for the appointment of a new bench to listen to the matter.
