Hundreds of Muslims from both Shia and Sunni sects gathered outside the Bara Imambara ralying against Waseem Rizvi.
Rizvi has raked up a controversy by moving a plea before the Supreme Court (SC) to remove 26 Quranic verses.
Call to the ‘Tahaffuz-e-Quran’ (In protection of the Quran) protest was given by Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Hind general secretary Maulana Kalbe Jawad and was attended by both Shia and Sunni clerics, including former All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Salman Nadwi, Imam of thr Teeley Wali Masjid Maulana Fazley Mannan Rahmani, SC lawyer Mahmood Pracha among others, Times of India reported.
As slogans against Rizvi were made asking people to shelve his surname and replace it with some expletive, the angry crowd demanded that SC should scrap Rizvi’s petition and the government must arrest him for blasphemy and attempt to breach peace.
Maulana Kalbe Jawad in his address also said that if action was not taken against Rizvi, it would be considered that the government was supporting him. A similar Shia-Sunni protest is scheduled to be held at Delhi’s Jama Masjid next Friday after Juma prayers.
Meanwhile, Rizvi’s brother released a video message stating his family — mother, sister and brothers — have got nothing to do with him and his nonsensical antics. He also said that his brother was committing grave sin.
Suggesting a solution to Rizvi’s offences against the Quran, Maulana Salman Nadwi said, “Ramzan is approaching — the month in which the Quran was bestowed upon us. We should have Quranic recitations at all mosques in the city all through the day and night in Ramzan. It is very important that Shias and Sunnis keep their differences at bay as we are all but one Ummah.”
Echoing the same sentiments, Imam of Teeley Wali Masjid, Maulana Fazley Mannan said, “He is trying to create a rift between us but that has only brought us together as one Ummah, one book and one Prophet. We should hold on to Allah stronger than ever and the government should put him behind bars.”
Kalbe Sibtain Noori, son of senior cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq added that since Rizvi’s own family was tagging him to be a kafir, he should not be buried in a Muslim cemetry.
“Mutawwali of the Talkatora Imambara where he has reserved a grave for himself, should take a decision to cancel his grave as a Muslim cemetery can only bury Muslims,” he said.
“Rizvi is not a Muslim so he should not be made a member of any Muslim organisation in the future. He should be arrested for disturbing peace, his petition be scraped by SC and legal action taken against him,” he said.
