The War within Islam
Soul-searching among Muslims: Is the beard really so vital a part of our faith?
By V. M. Khaleelur Rahman, Chennai
The student’s counsel Mr. B.A. Khan argued before the bench that sporting a beard was an indispensable part of Islam. The Judge expressed his surprise on this clearly false statement, as although a Muslim himself, Mr. Khan did not have any beard. Anyone even a Maulana would have reacted in the same manner. The Judge actually gave importance to the views of the student by saying that if he was not interested in following the rules of the school, particularly on beard, he had the option of joining some other institution of his choice but could not ask a minority institution which has its own rights under Article 30 (1) of the Constitution to change its rules and regulations. Even his remarks on burqa were not against burqa. He only gave an example by saying that a girl student cannot say that she will wear only a burqa and not a uniform prescribed by a school. His observations were meant to emphasize that the constitutionally guaranteed rights of a minority institution should not be tampered with.
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5:03 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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