As many as 46 Muslim clerics have got together in Assam and issued a ‘fatwa’ against a 16-year-old singer, asking her to stop performing in public as it is ‘anti-Sharia’.
The fatwa, circulated on leaflets bearing the name of the 46 organisations, claimed that the singer, Nahid Afrin, was violating the Sharia by performing music in places surrounding mosques and other holy places of Islam.
As per reports, the leaflet, printed in Assamese, reads: “Magic, Dance, Drama, Theatre etc. are against Sharia laws. Events like musical shows are against the Sharia law and future generations will be corrupted.”
It also says that future generations shall incur the ‘wrath of Allah’ due to such misconduct, The Times of India reported.
The fatwa additionally asks the singer and others to boycott her music performance at a college in Lanka, Assam.
Organisers of the show, however, have refused to obey the fatwa. The performance, scheduled for March 25, is still part of the show.
Afrin, the teenage singer who became a well-known face after becoming the runners-up in a musical reality TV show in 2015, had recently performed songs against terrorism and the Islamic State, as per reports. Police are currently investigating whether the fatwa is related to her choice of songs.
Reacting to the issue, the teenage singer has expressed shock at the fatwa and has claimed that she will not quit music.
“My singing is gift of God. I believe it must be properly utilised, not doing so is ignoring God,” Afrin told India Today.
Many were in support of Afrin.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reacted strongly to the fatwa. He personally called up the teenager and assured her of protection after reports of threats being made to her surfaced, and also posted the following on Twitter:
The fatwa also drew sharp reactions from others, with many condemning the fatwa, including singer Vishal Dadlani:
Many, including noted writers Taslima Nasreen and Shobha De applauded the young girl for her bravery in standing up to the fatwa:
According to a report in CNN News-18, after CM Sonowal’s reponse, the clerics have clarified that that the fatwa was issued not against her in particular but against loud music in the vicinity of Islamic religious places.
Feature Image Source: Twitter