‘Remove kids from schools that make Vande Mataram compulsory’:Imam calls it an attack on religious freedom, urges govt to roll back order

The central government on January 28 issued new guidelines regarding the national song Vande Mataram. Under the revised instructions, the song will now be played at government functions, schools and other formal events, and all attendees will be required to stand during its rendition. In response, Ujjain’s Imam, Mufti Sayyid Nasir Ali Nadvi, described the order as anti-Islamic. He stated that the directive amounts to an attack on religious freedom. According to him, the lyrics of Vande Mataram suggest reverence for the land of Hindustan, and from an Islamic perspective, it is not permissible for Muslims to associate anyone or anything else with Allah in worship. He further said that Muslims should consider withdrawing their children from schools where Vande Mataram is made mandatory. “We cannot permit our children to worship any other deity while following Islam,” he said, adding that the decision is against the law. He urged the government to reconsider and withdraw the order. Congress MLA Arif Masood has also voiced his opposition to Centre’s decision. Earlier, on February 12, the Bhopal-based Congress legislator stated that India is a democratic nation where citizens are guaranteed the right to religious freedom under Article 25 of the Constitution. He clarified that there is no disagreement over showing respect to Vande Mataram, but the objection pertains to certain lines in the song which, he argued, conflict with religious beliefs and restrict religious freedom. Masood further remarked that those currently debating the issue are often the same people who, he claimed, disregard the spirit of the Constitution. He added that similar objections to specific portions of Vande Mataram have been raised in the past. The Muslim Personal Law Board, he said, is examining the new directive, and no final decision will be taken until the board arrives at a considered opinion. Responding to Masood’s statement, School Education Minister Rao Uday Pratap Singh asserted that every citizen must abide by the law of the land. He said that whether it is a madrasa or any other educational institution, compliance with the government’s directive regarding Vande Mataram will be mandatory. Muslim Community’s Objection to Vande Mataram Until now, only the first part of Vande Mataram was commonly sung at official events. However, the government has now made all six verses mandatory. Some leaders from the Muslim community argue that certain later verses, which describe the motherland in a devotional form, conflict with the Islamic principle of monotheism. They maintain that worship, in their faith, is reserved solely for one God. Origins of the National Song Vande Mataram was composed on November 7, 1875, by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. It was later published in 1882 in his journal Bangdarshan as part of his novel Anandmath. The song gained national prominence in 1896 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress, when Rabindranath Tagore sang it publicly for the first time at a national platform. The performance reportedly moved many in the audience to tears. The phrase Vande Mataram is derived from Sanskrit and translates to “O Mother, I bow to you.” During India’s freedom struggle, it became a powerful slogan for revolutionaries fighting against colonial rule. Why Four Verses Were Dropped According to Sabyasachi Bhattacharya’s book Vande Mataram: The Biography of a Song, on October 20, 1937, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to Subhas Chandra Bose expressing concern that the song’s background and language made some Muslims uncomfortable. At the time, communal tensions were rising over the song. Nehru believed the controversy may have been part of a broader organised campaign and mentioned seeking advice from Rabindranath Tagore on the matter. Subsequently, on October 22, 1937, the Congress Working Committee decided to retain only the first two verses of the original six. The meeting was attended by prominent leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and Sarojini Naidu.