The Supreme Court on Monday will hear the plea against some verses in the Holy Quran alleging those verses violates the law of land, promote extremism and terrorism, and pose a serious threat to the sovereignty, unity & integrity of the Country. The petitioner seeks directions to declare those verses to be unconstitutional, non-effective, and non-functional.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman, B.R. Gavai & Hrishikesh Roy will hear the plea which also seeks directions to appoint a committee of experts/ religious experts to get the opinion on the subject matter of the petition.
The petition is filed by Syed Wasim Rizvi, former Chairman U.P. Central Waqf Board, President All India Shia Yateem Khana, alleging that few of the messages of God-the Almighty (Allah) written in the Holy Quran, are negative and promote violence and hatred. Like Verse 9 Surah 5, is negative and promotes violence and hatred. The verse reads, “But once the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists ˹who violated their treaties˺ wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way. But if they repent, perform prayers, and pay alms-tax, then set them free. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
The petitioner submits that the message written in (a) to (e) of number 42(1) makes it clear that Allah is giving a message to every human being not to fight among themselves, not to quarrel with each other, not to kill anyone and not to disagree with followers of other religions, as preached in the 109.1 Holy Quran which mentions “LakumDeenakumWaliyaDeen” or “To you , your religion, to me mine” as the basic tenet of Islam based on the concept of tolerance and brotherhood amongst people coming from different religions.
Whereas, the same number of verses written in (a) to (z) of number 42(2) is contrary to the notes of verses written in number 1. why such differences in the messages of Allah?, says the plea.
The plea states, “that it is nobody’s case that the fundamentalist mindset is increasing among Muslims all over the world and the number of terrorist organizations of Muslims is also increasing which are killing innocent people in the world. Unfortunately, the Islamic Madarsaas are making a big contribution to these Muslim terrorist activities. There are many Muslim madrassas all over the world where young children are taught Islam and the Qur’an is explained to the Islamic students who are working for terrorist activities, in the Quranicsurahs as detailed in the preceding paragraphs.”
The plea avers, “What is being taught in the madrasas all over the world, including India, is in furtherance of the disputed verses and suras in the name of the message of Allah and misreading and explaining the message of Allah that is against humanity, due to which terror and extremist thoughts were imbibed in Muslims all over the world including India.”
It says, this is not a matter of religious faith but of promoting a radical mindset and giving an incorrect and unintended education aiming at radicalizing the muslim youth, to fight against their own brethren and promoting terrorism referring to the said incorrect verses of the Holy Book alleged to conveying the messages of Allah.
The plea states that the matter involves the entire muslim community at large, which is subject to ridicule worldwide on account of the interpretation of the said verses, which have no basis or nexus with the objects which the Holy book aimed to achieve.
“it is the fundamental duty of all the citizens as per Article 51A part e to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women,” the plea further states.