Fatwa, HS exams and Urs of Pir reasons behind cancellation
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata/Malda: A women’s football match organised by a local club in Malda district was stopped after objections by the villagers allegedly after a local Imam passed strictures, prompting the Kolkata media to go overboard writing about the controversy. But an investigation by TwoCircles.net has revealed, apart from the Imam’s comments, higher secondary examination and an Urs of the Pir at Chandipur village were also equally the reasons, unlike the hype about it.
The match was organised at Chandipur village under the Harishchandrapur police station of the Malda district. Biplab Roy, block development officer (BDO) of Harishchandrapur I, cancelled the permission given to the women’s football match reportedly due to law and order problem. But apparently, the media went berserk blaming the local imam. Locals also blamed Trinamool Congress leader’s hand in the incident.
Chandipur High School under the Harishchandrapur Police station of Malda.
As part of its golden jubilee celebration, Progressive Youth Club of Chandipur village under the Rashidabad Gram Panchayat of Harishchandrapur police station, oraganised the women’s football match between Kolkata XI and North Bengal XI on March 14 at Chandipur High School Ground.
Chandipur village is mostly Muslim-dominated with 11 out of 12 gram panchayat members being Muslims. There is only one Gram Panchayat member belonging to Trinamul Congress, Shammi Akhter, who is elected from Chandipur village.
Reza Razi, an AMU alumni and a retired teacher of Chadipur High School, is the president of the Progressive Youth Club. The club was started as ‘Azad Sporting Club’ in 1944, but in 1963, its name was changed to ‘Progressive Youth Club’.
The Club organised few progammes to celebrate golden jubilee year on March 13-14. “Besides eye testing camp, talent search of children, we organised a women’s football match to encourage girls of this area. BDO Roy had called a meeting on March 11, wherein he had given oral permission for this match. But after the Juma Khutbah on Friday by the Imam Mufti Maqsud Alam, some people went to meet him on March 12 and urged him to stop the match,” Razi told TwoCircles.net.
“Without any discussion with us, the BDO withdrew the permission for the women’s football match,” he added.
Chandipur High School Ground under the Harishchandrapur Police station of Malda, where The Women Football Match stopped by WB Government Block Level Administration.
Razi claimed he has no connection with state level women’s football team or any organisation but he shared good relations with Malda District Sports Association. “Local doctor and a social worker Piyushkanti Das assured me if I want, they can arrange a women’s football match. He took all the initiative to bring the state level women footballers, including an Arjuna awardee. Then we planned an exhibition match between Kolkata XI and North Bengal XI,” he added.
Why did local people object? What was the role of local Imam?
Twocircles.net talked to several local activists and also with the Imam.
Activist Abid Anjum blamed the media for not focusing on facts. Elaborating the background, Anjum said the women football match was oraganised at the Chandipur School Ground. This ground and the land of the school was donated by Pir Hazrat Abid Hussain (R.A) in 1910. Barely 300 metres away from the school is the Khankah-e-Mazar of Pir Hazrat Abid Hussain (R.A) and the village mosque. His yearly Urs was held on March 6-7.
In this Urs, more than a lakh people, including several of them from Bihar, participate every year as this area is very nearer to Bihar border area. “The devotees regularly come to the Mazar, so if they know that a women’s football match will be held on the land donated by the Pir, it would have very unfortunate,” he said.
“Earlier too, a local club had taken the initiative to organise women football match. But most of the people told them that they should not arrange women’s football match on the land donated by the Pir due to respect for the Pir. It can be arranged in a stadium or elsewhere,” he said.
Mazar (Shrine) of Pir Hazrat Abid Hussain (RA) and Chandipur Mosque very nearer to Chandipur High School.
This time too, it was unfortunately decided to hold the match, which sent the villagers into panic mode. “During the March 6 Friday prayer, Musalli demanded a clarification over the women’s football match according to Shariat and the Imam of Chandipur mosque delivered his speech regarding the matter,” Anjum said.
TwoCircles.net contacted Mufti Maqsud Alam, the Imam of the Chandipur mosque. “As an Imam, I have some responsibility. I have not issued any Fatwa. I was asked something, I clarified as per what is the justified in Islam about women related to sports. I gave my opinion that Islam never permits ‘uncovered or short dresses of women’.”
The Imam also went on to describe the brief life history of Pir Hazrat Abid Hussain (R.A) and his ambition.
The Imam also advised that the Musalli should remember “the heritage and dignity of Islam to protect the society from degenerating culture.”
A local youth, Mohammad Kabir said after the Friday prayer, most of the villagers, at least 1,000 of them, sat together to discuss the matter. “On behalf of the New Knight Riders Committee convenor, young activist Iftiqar Hossain (Regan) conducted the meeting on March 11. On March 12, a delegation met the BDO Biplab Roy and appealed to cancel the women’s football match.”
Sources from the local offices said the delegation had given several reasons, including the ongoing Higher Secondary (XII) examination and second, more important, the respect to be shown for Pir Hazrat Abid Hussain (R.A) in continuation of the tradition to not conduct any un-Islamic programme.
Locals also blamed the “media campaigning propaganda” against the madrassa and Muslims in the state and asked: “If any untoward incidents would have happened, that would have shown fingers on to the Muslim community.”
Kabir said, they had said there would be no objection if the match was held in the stadium or other than the land donated by the respected Pir Saheb.
Regan, convener of the New Knight Riders Committee, told TCN that the media tried to put the blame squarely on the Imam Maqsud Alam. “But he had just given his opinion in the light of Quran, Hadith and Shariah, nothing more than that. Most of the villagers decided to cancel the match to keep the heritage of this Muslim dominated village. If we are trying to maintain the Shariah, is that our fault?”
But Reza Razi did not agree with Kabir and Alam. Reza first blamed, “The Imam that during Friday khutbah, delivered the speech in this regards. So after the Friday prayer, villagers are motivated and lodged the complaint with the BDO.”
BDO Biplab Roy told reporters, “Due to law and order problem, we have given order to stop the women’s football match. There is no other reason behind it.”
Sharad Dwibedi, Malda District Magistrate, told reporters at Malda: “I heard the matter. There was no fatwa or any threat to stop the women’s football match. There is this ongoing Higher Secondary Examination, so we have not permitted the loudspeakers, which is needed to conduct any such match. Then, may be the match would have created law and order problem. In this regards, Block level administration ordered to stop the match with the help of district police official.”