Nusrat Jahan in firing line of Muslim cleric for celebrating Durga puja

Kolkata: TMC Lok Sabha member Nusrat Jahan once again finds herself in the line of fire for attending Durga puja celebrations. A prominent Muslim cleric has slammed her for participating in Hindu rituals and said the actor should change her name and religion because she is defaming Islam and Muslims by her actions.

Nusrat Jahan, the first-time MP from Bashirhat, has been in the line of fire of the Muslim clergy for sporting symbols of Hindu matrimony like mangalsutra and sindur’ since her marriage to a Hindu entrepreneur Nikhil Jain earlier this year.

This is nothing new. She has been offering puja to Hindu Gods despite the fact that Islam orders its followers to pray only to Allah’. What she has done is Haram’ (sinful).

She had also married outside religion. She should change her name and religion. Islam doesn’t need people who assume Muslim names and defame Islam and Muslims, Mufti Asad Qasmi, a cleric associated with Darul Uloom Deoband, told media.

Clad in a saree and sporting sindur, Nusrat Jahan had attended Durga puja celebrations of Suruchi Sangha with her husband on Sunday.

TV channels showed her lip-syncing to hymns being recited by a priest, her eyes closed and hands folded in solemn prayer. She also beat a drum and danced joyously.

The TMC MP had later told journalists that she had prayed for peace and prosperity of all.

In Bengal we all celebrate all festivals together. I always enjoy being part of the celebration, she said.

I don’t bother about controversies. Controversies touch me? No, the doughty actress, who has often insisted she represents an inclusive India, said, when asked about whether her celebrating Durga puja will set off a fresh row.

Commenting on the Deoband cleric's objection to Nusrat Jahan's attire and conduct at Durga Puja, Vishwa Hindu Parishad's executive president Alok Kumar said that there is nothing wrong in a Muslim enjoying Durga Puja or a Hindu throwing Iftar.

"The comment shows how one-sided are their claims regarding Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb and tolerance. We believe that the ancestors of the Indian Muslims were Hindus," the VHP leader said.

There is nothing wrong in a Muslim dancing in Durga Pandal, the same way it is not wrong for a Hindu to throw Iftar. It does not mean they have converted their religion," Alok Kumar said.

Deoband cleric’s remarks were not only slammed by the VHP but also by Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board. The chairman of the board, , Waseem Rizvi, said Jahan was free to wear emblems of Hindu marriage like sindur, bindi or mangalsutra.

Islam does not bar her from wearing these things.... there is no problem. If any follower of Islam wants to convert to another religion, they can do so, but nobody can be thrown out of Islam, he told a TV channel.