UP: Hardoi Maulana threatens Centre over UCC, apologises later

A cleric of Lal Pir Mosque of Gopamau, Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh named Maulana Abdurrahman Jamai was caught spewing venom in his Independence speech on the momentous day of 15 August. He can be seen delivering a venomous address dressed in white attire and a skull cap while he is surrounded by children holding the national flag. However, he apologised for his provocative utterances afterwards.

#Hardoi : मौलाना अब्दुर्रहमान जामई की 15 अगस्त पर दी गई जहरीली तकरीर वायरल, गोपामाऊ की लाल पीर मस्जिद के मदरसे में माइक पर पढ़ा विवादित बयान हुआ वायरल, मौलाना ने कहा “ऐसी आजादी पर हम कल भी लात मारते थे आज भी लात मारते हैं”
‘@hardoipolice pic.twitter.com/07D6buZCDX

— TV9 Uttar Pradesh (@TV9UttarPradesh) August 18, 2023

He said, “Muslims are being harassed. The act of Qurbani (sacrifice) is forbidden. Our cemeteries are being occupied illegally. Azaan (Muslim prayer) broadcast through loudspeakers is contested. The law of God, the Quranic traditions and Muslim personal law are under attack and attempted to be modified,” from a piece of paper.

“What type of democracy is this and what type of freedom is this,” he asked and charged, “There is a continuous intrusion on the religious matter of Muslims. If this is what liberty means, then we don’t want it. We rejected it yesterday and we would do the same today.”

He further added, “We want religious freedom. We seek the right to practise the Quran openly. We desire to have our lives and our possessions protected. We want our honour and dignity to be safeguarded. We wish to keep our houses of worship safe. We want to preserve Islam.”

“My young friends aren’t this interference in a community’s religious affairs an assault on liberty, a parody of secularism and the assassination of democracy,” he questioned. “This is what is taking place in India right now. Our right to follow our religion is snatched. Muslim personal law is being modified,” he alleged.

He threatened, “We want the government to be aware of this and be forewarned that Muslims can withstand anything except for even a slight alteration to their personal law. We will give our lives in order to prevent any tampering with the unchangeable divine law, Quranic norms and our personal law.”

“The law of the Quran, Muslim personal law, cannot be revised notwithstanding the possibility of the earth breaking, the sky shattering and the sun diminishing,” the maulana added. He ended with poetry which claimed that the word of Prophet Muhammed and his directives cannot be tweaked. The world can change multiple times but not the Quran.

OpIndia called Tadiyawan Police Station to enquire about the issue and was informed that the cleric has offered a written apology. Additionally, the mosque was contacted and they acknowledged that he had made the controversial speech but declined to elaborate on it.