By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Darul Uloom Deoband, the most respected Islamic seminary in India, has taken a landmark stand on punishment for blasphemy in the Indian context.
The seminary has issued a fatwa that punishing a slanderer to Prophet Muhammad is not the responsibility of an individual or group, rather it is the responsibility of the government. In Indian context it is the Government of India that can punish the culprits within the framework of the Constitution of India. The fatwa said that punishment to slanderer will be in tune with the law of the land. The fatwa further clarifies that as India is not ruled by Islamic government, the punishment will be meted out according to the law in force here. In those countries where Islamic Shariah is in force, punishment for a slanderer of the Prophet is death penalty.
The fatwa has come amidst protests by the Muslim world over the republication of some blasphemous cartoons in Denmark. In the past, some Danish cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad had caused worldwide protests in which dozens of people were killed. Former Uttar Pradesh Minister Haji Yaqoob Qureshi came into limelight by announcing a prize of Rs 50 crore for any person who would behead the cartoonist.
However, Maulana Khalid Rashid of Firangi Mahal says it is meaningless to repeatedly issue a fatwa on the same issue. Advocate Zafaryab Jilani said a slanderer of the Prophet will be punished in India only as per Indian laws.