Lucknow, 3 Sept: Deoband Mufti Arshad Farooqui has issued a fatwa on BJP politician Ruby Asif Khan of Aligarh for worshipping and installing a Ganesha idol in her home during Ganesh Chaturthi. Ruby Asifa’s behaviour, according to the Mufti, was unIslamic. She is the Mahila Morcha Aligarh Mandal Vice-President of the BJP.
Ruby Asifa Khan set an example of religious tolerance by installing the statue in her home and performing Lord Ganesha Puja, attracting the attention of Islamic clergy. According to Mufti Arshad Farooqui of Deoband, Lord Ganesha is widely loved by Hindus and is considered to offer pleasure and wealth via knowledge, yet idol worship is prohibited in Islam.
“In Islam, only Allah is worshipped. Those who do this are opposed to Islam. Those who worship an idol face the same punishment as those who violate Islam,” stated the Mufti. In response to the fatwa, Ruby Khan refused to budge, accusing individuals like as the Deoband Mufti for sowing dissension in society. Ruby Khan argued that such clerics and muftis were not authentic Muslims and were only interested in religiously dividing society. Ruby stated that she has faced numerous such fatwas in the past and that the fatwa did not bother her.
Ruby went on to say that such Muftis and Maulana were extremists who didn’t care for Hindustan when in India, and that if he was a sincere Muslim, he would not have spoken in this manner. Ruby stated that she had always and would continue to celebrate Hindu festivities. According to Ruby, the cleric had posters up against her in the past, but she merely sought to preserve Hindu-Muslim unity.
Ruby Asif Khan, a resident of ADA colony within the Rorawar police circle, has been preparing a Ganesha idol at her home for seven days and has performed all rituals. “On September 6, we will immerse the idol in water after keeping it for seven days. Every day, my family and I do puja according to traditions and offer ‘modaks’ to the Lord,” Ruby explained.
