Vande Mataram doesn't agree with Islamic teachings

In 1876, notable Bengali poet, Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, composed the Vande Mataram to motivate Indians to join the the freedom struggle against British rule. It was later accepted as the country’s national song for its inspiring lyrics and for the patriotic feeling it evoked. But, now, the song is in the middle of a controversy with a fatwa being issued against it for being ‘un-Islamic’. Mohamed Azad Hussain Qasmi, Imam-o-Khateeb, Jamia Masjid, spoke to DNA on the issue.

Vande Mataram was written way back in 1876. Why has a fatwa been issued now?
Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind (JUH), an organisation that has the largest congregation of Islamic scholars, meets annually and discusses relevant issues from around the world. They must have noticed the discrepancies in the Vande Mataram song now and made the announcement.

But it is a patriotic song. It was written to inspire every
community to come together for the motherland. What is wrong with that?
We have nothing against patriotic songs. However, the song should have been written keeping the sentiments of the Muslims in mind. See, as Muslims, we only bow to Allah. Khudha ke saath kisiko sharik nahin kar sakate. (Allah, is the ultimate. We can’t consider anyone/anything at par with him.) In fact, in a sura (verse) it has been said Allah is eternal, absolute and the one and only God. There is none like Him. According to this sura, we believe in the oneness of God and a true Muslim can pray only to this omnipresent God and none other. We accept the contents of Vande Mataram which praise the beauty of the land, except bowing to the motherland. According to the tenets of Islam, we cannot bow to anyone but Allah.

But do you think this fatwa is politically motivated?
I do not think it is politically motivated. Only those present at the meet would know.
 
Wouldn’t such a fatwa divide the people of the country?
We hope that people of other communities understand that just as each religion has its rules and regulations, so does Islam and as a secular country we are free to follow our religion. Singing the song will not make us more patriotic, in any manner.

Even if we don’t sing the song, we will be as faithful and patriotic to the nation as those who sing it. We have nothing against any other patriotic songs and would sing them with as much enthusiasm as people from other communities. Be it Sare Jahan Se Achcha, Hindustan Hamara or the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, we will sing them but not Vande Mataram as it doesn’t concur with Islamic preachings.