The Sufi Islamic Board has announced a nationwide campaign to counter the spread of the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogan in India. This decision follows recent attacks on board members, allegedly carried out by individuals linked to a Bareilly-based faction. The campaign aims to address and eradicate ideologies promoting violence and division, according to Mansoor Khan, president of the Sufi Islamic Board. Khan has also written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking intervention against groups promoting this slogan.
The announcement came after the Sufi Islamic Board had agreed to host a religious debate in Bangalore between Sufi clerics and the Bareilly-based group, Maslake Aala Hazrat. The debate, titled ‘Munafeqat E Mavia,’ aims to discuss ideological differences between the groups. Sufis argue that Mavia—based on the figure of Mauwaiya, who took over the Caliphate after the assassination of the fourth Caliph, Ali—represents the founder of political Islam, an interpretation the Sufi board considers divergent from its spiritual beliefs. However, tensions surrounding the debate have led to recent confrontations, including attacks on Sufi leaders in Bareilly and Goa.
The board claims that the groups involved in the attacks are influenced by radical ideologies imported from outside India, particularly Pakistan. Mansoor Khan highlighted that the upcoming campaign seeks to raise awareness and promote peace, aiming to curb the influence of violent slogans like ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ across the nation.
