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| Singers ask Grand Mufti to apologize | | Bashir-u-din under fire | |
Bashir Assad
SRINAGAR, July 30: The demand for withdrawal of fatwa (decree) against the Praagaash Girl rock-band is gaining momentum as the Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Bashir-ud-din Ahmad is under fire from singers and artists in Kashmir who want him to apologize for allegedly forcing young girls to disband their rock-band, Praagaash, five months ago.
Mufti Bashir was caught on video enjoying music at a public function despite issuing fatwa calling music an un-Islamic practice. The video, which has gone viral, has put the Mufti in an embarrassing situation.
"Mufti sahib should apologize and withdraw his decree against the innocent young girls of Pragaash who were forced to abandon the music which he himself is enjoying in functions" renowned Singer Waheed Jeelani told ET Plus over telephone.
Jeelani said the Mufti was seen enjoying music - the same activity for which he imposed ban on these girls. "It is hypocrisy. It's high time he apologize to those girls," said he.
Praagaash was disbanded in February after the Grand Mufti, issued a fatwa (decree) against the band saying music is un-Islamic and asking the girls to stop their activities. His fatwa against the girl band was wrong. The issue got so much hype that the girls have refused to rejoin the field. He has demolished their career," Waheed said.
Another noted Kashmiri singer, Muneer Ahmad Mir told ET Plus that instead of issuing decree against the Pragaash band the girls should have been told to take training from Sufi Ustaads and utilize their potential in promoting and preserving rich Sufi ethos.
"I personally feel that we have a rich culture and efforts should be made to preserve that culture. The Pragaash band girls should have been advised to learn singing and playing Sufi music instead of forcing them to abondone the music" Muneer said.
We have Kailash Mehra, Shamima Dev and Raj Begum like great sufi artists who have contributed and continue to contribute enormously in promoting and preserving our Sufi ethos and it would have been in the fitness of things if the Pragaash band should have been encouraged to take training from our great legendaries like Kailash Mehra and Raj Begum, said Muneer.
Qaiser Nizami, another noted singer who sang gazals and Sufi kalams during the function attended by the Grand Mufti, said he asked the Mufti Bashir about the fatwa and he replied that "he had opposed the way the girls were performing because it was not acceptable to the society".
"If the Mufti issues fatwa that music is haram (forbidden) then people like me who have no other source of income than singing will die of hunger," Nizami said.
However, a spokesman for the Mufti said there would be no compromise regarding the verdict against Praagaash.
"There will be no compromise with regard to the fatwa announced regarding the rock band. The conference (Mufti attended) was purely of religious nature. There was neither any kind of rock band nor musical programme during the conference," the spokesman said. |
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