Shia board chief delinks green flag from Islam

Lucknow: Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Syed Waseem Rizvi has said that green flags with a star and a crescent had no religious significance and should not be linked to Islam.

Talking to reporters a day after the Shia Waqf Board filed a petition in Supreme Court seeking a ban on hoisting of green flags with crescent and star at buildings and religious places,  Mr Rizvi said that the flag belonged to Pakistan and some vested interest were linking it to Islam.

He said that during his visit to Mumbai and other places in the country, he saw flags on several buildings and religious structures, which were allegedly a cause of tension between Hindu and Muslim communities.

“These flags resemble the flags of the Pakistan Muslim League, which belongs to the “enemy country”.

The crescent- star flag in green colour owes its origins to the erstwhile political party, Muslim League, founded by Nawaz Waqar Ul-Malik and Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1906, but in the present day, it was being used by Indian Muslims who were treating it as an Islamic flag”, he explained.

He further pointed out that such flags are being hoisted in Muslim-dominated areas with “utmost impunity”. The flag has never been part of any Islamic practice and does not have any role or significance in Islam.

He stated that Pakistan, as an “enemy country”, has been responsible for a series of terror attacks on our country and promoting and propagating cross border terrorism.

“Our country remains vulnerable to the hidden attacks by the Pakistani intelligence agencies through their militant network which is very active in our country. Hoisting of enemy flags and linking it to Islam is a dangerous trend in the country”, he said.