At a time when Muslim residents of a village in Assam are taking care of a 1000-year-old Kali Temple, Trinamool Congress MP Nusrat Jahan has been slammed by a Muslim cleric for attending Durga Puja celebrations.
According to reports, a prominent Muslim cleric, while slamming Nusrat Jahan, on Monday said the popular Bengali film actor should change her name and religion because she is “defaming Islam and Muslims” by her actions.
Also read: Muslim villagers take care of 1000-year-old Kali temple in Kokrajhar
Bashirhat MP Jahan for the first time was elected to the Lok Sabha in the last parliamentary polls.
She has come under fire of the Muslim clergy for sporting symbols of Hindu matrimony like ‘mangalsutra and sindur‘ after her marriage with Nikhil Jain, a Hindu entrepreneur earlier this year.
Media reports quoted Mufti Asad Qasmi, a cleric associated with Darul Uloom Deoband as saying: “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).
The cleric told a TV news channel: “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,” added Qasmi.
Jahan was seen attending Durga Puja celebrations of Suruchi Sangha with her husband on Sunday.
She was wearing a saree and sporting sindur.
Parliamentarian Jahan told media persons after attending the celebrations that she had prayed for peace and prosperity for all.
A media report quoted Jahan as saying: “In Bengal, we all celebrate all festivals together. I always enjoy being part of the celebration.”
The actor, who insisted that she represents an inclusive India, when asked about her celebrating Durga Puja despite being a Muslim, Jahan said, “I don’t bother about controversies. Controversies touch me? No.”
It may be mentioned that the residents of Boruapara village belonging to Muslim community in Lower Assam’s Kokrajhar district have drawn attention of many for setting an example of communal harmony.
The residents of the village have been taking care of the temple in the village for past several years.
The villagers said they find peace of mind while taking care of the temple and their works have been appreciated by devotees who visit the temple.