ANI Does What It Does Best: Shami, Fasting And Maulanas
Asian News International (ANI) recently took an interview with a Muslim cleric, who lambasted Indian cricketer Muhammad Shami for opting out of Ramadan fasting during the ongoing match, leading to many outlets carrying the news igniting controversies and debates.
In the interview, the President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, was seen criticising the cricketer, calling him a “criminal” as per Islamic law. Speaking to ANI, the Maulana said that Roza fasting is one of the compulsory duties and if any healthy man or woman doesn’t observe ‘Roza’, they will be “a big criminal.”
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“A famous cricket personality of India, Mohammed Shami, had water or some other beverage during a match. People were watching him. If he is playing, it means he is healthy. “In such a condition, he did not observe ‘Roza’ and even had water,” the Maulana remarked. Stating that Shami sends a wrong message to people, the Maulana added that by not keeping ‘Roza’, he has committed a crime.
The sharp criticism against the Indian pacer who is in Dubai for ICC Champions Trophy, who has the option not to fast according to Islamic scholars has forced many clerics to respond to Shahabuddin’s remark against Shami. Several blamed the news agency for creating unnecessary controversies quoting the chief of a relatively new foundation, All India Muslim Jamaat which was established in 2022 and is known for its open support to the ruling BJP government’s several policies including the introduction of controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
However, when the news grabbed headlines, the ANI later quoted Executive Member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahli, justifying the bowler skipping fasting during the match, stating that he had the option not to fast as he was on tour.
“It is compulsory for all Muslims to observe Roza, especially in the month of Ramazan. However, Allah has clearly mentioned in the Quran that if a person is on a journey or not well, they have the option not to observe Roza. In the case of Mohammed Shami, he is on a tour, so he has the option not to observe Roza. Nobody has a right to raise a finger on him…” The news agency quoted Farangi Mahli,
The News agency also quoted Shami’s cousin, Dr Mumtaz, responding to the debate by indicating that he is playing for the country and that many Pakistani players have not kept ‘Roza’ and are playing matches. “So this is nothing new. It is very shameful that such things are being said about him. “We will tell Mohammed Shami not to pay attention to these things and prepare for the match on March 9,” the news agency quoted.
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Notably, All India Muslim Jamaat President Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi is not a new figure who finds himself with views not in synch with mainstream Muslim organisations creating headlines in the media.
Earlier, Shahabuddin Razvi had welcomed the CAA law, echoing the government’s claim that the law is not going to take away the citizenship of any Muslim and stating that all the protests were because of misunderstandings. “I welcome this law. This should have been done much earlier but better late than never… There are a lot of misunderstandings among Muslims regarding this law. “This law has nothing to do with Muslims,” he said. The controversial law, which is alleged to have discriminated against Muslims, is being opposed by the Muslim community and opposition as well.
However, several netizens have reacted to the ‘Shami-fasting’ debate calling it an attempt to create a controversy for which the news agency is allegedly known. Currently, ANI has a defamation suit against the Wikimedia Foundation and three Wikipedia administrators for its description of the news agency as a ‘propaganda tool for the government, alleged ‘amplification of fake news website’ and ‘quoting fabricated sources.’
