By IANS,
New Delhi: Acting on reports that a Uttar Pradesh school text book carried the picture of Prophet Mohammed, which is against the tenet of Islam, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Monday said the authorities have been instructed to remove the publication.
“The ministry taking cognizance of reports, requested the chairman, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE), as also secretary, Basic Education, and Principal Secretary, department Of home, in the government of Uttar Pradesh, to take urgent measures to ensure that all necessary corrective measures are taken immediately to remove the offending publication,” Sibal said in an official statement.
The HRD minister said the CISCE in its response has said the copies of the text book will be withdrawn from the market and also retrieved from the students.
“CISCE has informed that the publisher of the book (Active Publishers, Garh Road, Meerut, UP) has tendered a public apology and the same has been published in the local newspapers in Lucknow. The publisher has also conveyed to the CISCE that he has met the concerned complainants and personally apologised to them,” Sibal said.
“CISCE has further informed this ministry that the publisher has withdrawn the book from the market and also that books in hand will be withdrawn once the school reopens after summer vacation.”
Muslim community leaders have condemned the publication of a picture of the Prophet.
“It is very sad, condemnable and intolerable. Everyone knows that it is not allowed in Islam to draw a sketch or picture of Prophet Muhammad. I don’t know it willingly or unwillingly, but anyhow it is highly condemnable. Government should take strict action against the guilty people,” Mufti Mukarram, Shahi Imam of historic Fatehpuri Mosque, told IANS.
“The whole world knows and several times it has been cleared that according to Islam it is a crime to draw the Prophet,” Syed Jalaluddin Umari, president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, told IANS.
“Repeated acts like these hurt the sentiments of Muslims,” he said.
Mufti Mukarram, meanwhile, urged the government to issue guidelines to the media and publishers to avoid such kind of incidents.