Muslim law board opposes govt order on ‘Surya Namaskar’

Opposing the Central Government’s directive to organize “Surya Namaskar” programme in schools on the 75th anniversary of Independence Day, the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has said that it is a form of “Surya puja which is not allowed in Islam”.

The programme has been launched in line with a tribute to 75 years of India’s independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” between January 1 to January 7. In a letter, the Board’s general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani on Monday asked Muslim students to stay away from the Surya Namaskar programme. “India is a secular, multi-religious and multi-cultural country. On the basis of these principles, our constitution has been written, instructions have been given to take care of it in the school curriculum and non-curriculars also. Here the customs and rituals of the majority community cannot be imposed on all religions,” the statement read.

“The Constitution does not allow us to teach teachings of a particular religion in government educational institutions or to organize celebrations based on the beliefs of a particular group,” the statement further said. Rahmani said that the present government is “deviating from the principle of secularism”. “As it is clear that on the occasion of 75th Independence Day, the Ministry of Education has decided to run a project of Surya Namaskar in the states, in which 30,000 schools will be covered in the first phase. This program is proposed from January 1 to January 7. A concert on Surya Namaskar is also planned on 26 January. This is unconstitutional and false propaganda of patriotism,” he added.