Sanatan Prabhat > Post Type > News > National News > We Will Accept Death but will not Recite ‘Vande Mataram’ : Maulana Arshad Madani, President ‘Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’

We Will Accept Death but will not Recite ‘Vande Mataram’ : Maulana Arshad Madani, President ‘Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’

Deoband (Uttar Pradesh) – We will accept death but will not recite ‘Vande Mataram’. We have no objection to other people reading or singing this national song but Muslims cannot accept it, stated Maulana Arshad Madani, the President of ‘Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JuH)’.

Points raised by Madani –

1. Some parts in ‘Vande Mataram’ song are based on beliefs that conflict with Islamic teachings. In the fourth stanza of this song there are words that compare the nation to a Goddess and are worshipful of the Goddess. This is not in accordance with the fundamental religious beliefs of Muslims.

2. Love for one’s nation is different from worshipping it. Muslims can worship only Allah; therefore, “We may accept death, but we cannot accept anyone being equated with Allah.”

3. The meaning of ‘Vande Mataram’ is “O Mother, I worship You,” but this does not align with the faith of Muslims. Therefore, nobody can be compelled to raise a slogan or recite a song that goes against the principles of their religion.

4. Invoking Article 25, which guarantees freedom of religion, and Article 19, which ensures freedom of expression, he argued that compelling citizens to recite any slogan or song against their conscience would breach constitutional rights.

5. Muslims do not need a certificate to prove their patriotism. JuH had already made its stand clear during the freedom struggle and also opposed the partition of India.

6. In 1937, Rabindranath Tagore advised Nehru to adopt only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ as the national song, since followers of other religions might have objections to the remaining stanzas. The Congress Working Committee approved the first two stanzas based on this recommendation. Therefore, the demand to recite the entire song today in Tagore’s name is contrary to historical facts.

Editorial Perspectives

  • What else can one expect of Jamiat’s President ?
  • India was divided on the basis of religion and Muslims were given a nation called Pakistan; but those who demanded Pakistan, did not go there. Most of those people are opposing ‘Vande Mataram’ today ! Therefore, it is now time to declare India a Hindu Rashtra and make reciting ‘Vande Mataram’ mandatory.

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