Srinagar: The administration in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district has directed all schools to recite the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ during morning assemblies, prompting outrage from religious leaders and clerics.

J&K's Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam and Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who also heads the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, termed it a “direct attack” on the religious beliefs of Muslims while calling on the administration to roll back the “blasphemous” order.

The order was issued in a circular released by Doda's chief education officer on Saturday (November 1), which directed the heads of all schools in the district to ensure the recitation of the national song during the morning assembly session every Monday.

The circular, which was marked to Doda's deputy commissioner Harvinder Singh and Jammu's director of school education Naseen Javaid Chowdhary, called on school heads to consult “experts who are well versed with Vande Mataram/YouTube, so that the students may recite it currently without any embarrassing position during any event”.

The circular has been issued at a time when the mandatory recitation of the national song is being viewed by some as an attempt to impose the cultural agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, on the country's Muslim population.

The Wire has reached out to Singh and Chowdhary for comment. This story will be updated as and when any response is received.

The recitation of ‘Vande Mataram’ is considered blasphemous or idolatrous by monotheistic religions such as Islam and Sikhism due to its lyrics, which call for bowing before the country which is described as “mother” in the song.

Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz told The Wire that Vande Mataram contains “expressions of devotion that contradict the Islamic belief in the absolute oneness of Allah”.

“Islam does not permit any act that involves worship or reverence directed to anyone or anything other than the Creator. While Muslims are urged to deeply love and serve their homeland, that devotion should be expressed through service, compassion and contribution to society – not through acts conflicting with faith,” he said.

The moderate Hurriyat chief said that the "deeply concerning” directive issued by the Doda administration was being “deliberately imposed on the Muslim-majority community” of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Such coercion reflects an attempt to enforce a particular RSS-driven Hindutva ideology rather than promote genuine unity. It should not be enforced. True patriotism does not demand violating one's religious principles; it lies in respecting diversity and upholding justice for all,” he said.

J&K's Grand Mufti said that Islam prohibits Muslims from worshipping idols and that the lyrics of the national song – which refer to the Hindu deities Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati and also call for bowing before the country – undermine the basic tenets of Islam.

“The circular is an attempt to develop hatred between communities. Reverence is one thing but we have nothing to do with these deities. It is an arbitrary decision. The officers responsible for this should be held to account and the order should be rescinded at the earliest,” he said.

Islam added: “Were the chief minister [Omar Abdullah] and the education minister [Sakina Itoo] taken into confidence? What is the purpose of this diktat? If anyone objects to this order, there are chances that the situation could turn volatile. Who would be responsible in that case?”

J&K's school education department, which has issued the controversial circular, is headed by IAS officer Ram Nivas.

In the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, IAS officers don't report to the chief minister's office as they work directly under the command of the lieutenant governor.

However, the chief education officer is a lower-ranked official who works under the orders of the elected government.

J&K's education minister Itoo could not be reached for comment.

In recent years, Doda district, which falls in the Chenab valley of Jammu division, has witnessed a spurt in activities linked to the RSS, with the administration facing accusations of promoting the political agenda of the BJP.

Earlier this year, an order by the Doda district youth services and sports officer urged officials to conduct kabaddi and wrestling championships organised by the RSS-linked Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, prompting backlash against the government led by Abdullah.

Mehraj-ud-Din Malik, who represents the Doda constituency in the J&K assembly, was arrested and booked under the controversial Public Safety Act after he took on the local administration over alleged corruption, nepotism and mis-governance.

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