Sufi Islamic Board condemns threats against OpIndia’s Nupur J Sharma for statement on Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti
The Board said that after going through the statement, Sufi Raj Jain the President of Sarv Dharm Khawaja Mandir and the Punjab President of Sufi Islamic Board had issued a statement saying that everyone in the country has freedom of expression.
New Delhi: The Sufi Islamic Board on Thursday issued a statement condemning the death threats made against OpIndia’s Editor-in-Chief Nupur J Sharma after she made certain comments about the history of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti and the Ajmer Dargah during her interview of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas founder who worked for Israeli intelligence.
The Board said that after going through the statement, Sufi Raj Jain the President of Sarv Dharm Khawaja Mandir and the Punjab President of Sufi Islamic Board had issued a statement saying that everyone in the country has freedom of expression. The suggestion made was that Sharma should sit across the table to discuss Sufism and visit the Ajmer Dargah.
After the statement from Sufi Raj Jain, Sufi Islamic Board President Mansoor Khan was asked by the Police if they wished to take further action against Sharma. Khan refused the same, saying that to judge and punish a person ignorant of Sufism was not in their tradition which forgives all.
Mansoor Khan also condemned those threatening Nupur J Sharma as they do not understand Sufism either. A statement from Khan said that any person who does not practice Sufi Parampara has no right to say what is right or wrong.
“It has come to our notice that the name of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was removed from the video before it went viral because Nupur J Sharma believed it could be misinterpreted. Every citizen of the country has the right to express views and discuss history and we condemn the threats against her. Nupur J Sharma and her publication were the only ones standing by Sufi Islamic Board when it was getting threats from radicals of PFI and Al Massari of Al Qaeda. We know her intention is to protect Hindus and Indians from radicals. In fact, Nupur J Sharma had helped us in our campaign against PFI with her reportage which is why we wish to end the matter here,” the statement from the Sufi Islamic Board said.
Earlier Nupur J Sharma found herself in the middle of a controversy after a video clip of her went viral where it was alleged that she had used objectionable comments against the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. She started receiving threats and some organizations called for her arrest.
The original clip was part of an interview with Mosab Hasan Yousef, the son of one of the founders of Hamas. The interview was later updated by Sharma where she removed the mention of the individual causing the confusion. She clarified that during the interview, she was referring to the Ajmer Dargah rape scandal of 1992 and verifiable history about Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti.