Nerve Endings Firing Away

This might be one of the rare few moments when I have heard the Islamic intellectuals, scholars, and leaders speak out against something that benefits them tremendously – the infamous Haj Subsidy. In spite of being a ‘secular democracy’, the Indian government has openly flouted its own rules by offering this subsidy [almost 180 crores]. It is an open secret that it was pure vote bank politics at work and now even the beneficiaries are calling it that. Strangely enough not even the hardcore Islamic states like Pakistan offer such a subsidy.

To add to it, Maulana Mehmood Madani, Rajya Sabha member and general secretary of the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, says “It is against the Shariat to be under any kind of obligation while undertaking Haj. According to the Quran, only those Muslims who can afford the expenses should perform Haj. It’s recommended only for adult, financially able and sane Muslims.” So it is effectively un-Islamic to accept the Haj subsidy and the government was effectively sending the Muslims on a holy pilgrimage by making them violate the Shariat. Priceless! Now that such a call to expose vote-bank politics has come from within the Muslim community, it won’t be labeled as communal.

The Islamic community even asks for more control for any Haj program and effectively is asking the government to back off and interfere in religious matters. I couldn’t have said it better.