Rajasthan: Muslim Groups Urge Citizens Not to Take Part in Govt Schools' Surya Namaskar Programmes
Jaipur: After the Rajasthan government’s directions to all government schools in the state to organise collective performances of the Surya Namaskar on the occasion of Surya Saptami on February 15, Muslim organisations in the state on Wednesday have appealed to all monotheistic teachers, parents and students from the community to not attend the Surya Namaskar events.
The Muslim Forum – an umbrella body representing various organisations including Jamaat e Islami Rajasthan, Milli Council Rajasthan, Jamiat-E-Ulema Rajasthan and Mansoori Samaj Rajasthan – on Sunday issued a statement on Wednesday saying that in Islam, there is a clear order of the Quran to worship only one god (Allah), and the act of Surya Namaskar amounts to worshipping the Sun God according to Hindu customs.
“As a result, according to the directions of the Quran, no Muslim can do Surya Namaskar, worshipping the sun at any cost,” says the statement issued by the Rajasthan Muslim Forum.
The Rajasthan Muslim Forum issued the statement hours after the Rajasthan high court on Wednesday dismissed its petition challenging the order issued by the Rajasthan Secondary Education Department, Bikaner last month.
“Learned Senior Counsel for the petitioners wants to withdraw this writ petition with liberty to file a fresh writ petition. The petition is dismissed accordingly with liberty as aforesaid,” said the court of Justice Mahendar Kumar Goyal in its order.
In its statement on Wednesday, the Muslim forum also cited an order of the secondary education department dating back to 2015, when it had clarified that the Surya Namaskar is part of Yoga and it is up to the free will of the student to decide which Yoga is to be practiced.
“The Rajasthan Muslim Forum, which is an umbrella organisation for more than 20 Muslim organisations in the state, has appealed to Muslim teachers, students and parents not to take part in the Surya Namaskar event, exercising their right of religious independence as given by the Constitution,” said Naeem Rabbani, member of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum.
In its order issued in January, the Rajasthan Secondary Education Department, Bikaner had directed all district education officials to hold practice sessions of the Surya Namaskar during school prayers everyday to prepare for the February 15 event. The order added that data pertaining to those who will take part in the event for a ‘world record’ is also to be collected.
The order had said that the participants will include students, teachers/staff, parents and local villagers.
Earlier, Rajasthan school education minister Madan Dilawar – a firebrand Hindutva face in the Rajasthan BJP – had told reporters that all government schools will celebrate Surya Saptami on a large scale, with attempts to make it the biggest such programme in the country.
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