Bengaluru: The Karnataka wing of the Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind of Karnataka has urged Muslims to not heed to the messages calling for the boycott of non-Muslim traders during the month of Ramadan. Issuing an appeal, a century-old religious organisation and the largest Muslim body in India observes “There is a message on social media also doing rounds calling for Muslims to purchase only from Muslim traders in the month of Ramadan, as if it’s a response from Muslims [to the boycott of Muslim traders at temples].” It clarified that these messages are not the reflection of popular Muslim sentiments.
The appeal came at a time when Hindutva groups are campaigning for ban on Muslim traders at temples and temple festivals and also to halal cut meat.
The appeal adds “Do not, these messages are not issued by any Muslim organisation or religious leadership, and not reflect the popular sentiments of the Muslim community. These types of malicious messages are not part of our culture and religion, and cannot be done or promoted by any sane Muslim”.
The Muslim body opined that the message could be part of miscreants’ conspiracy.
The note pointed out that it is against the spirit of Islam. Islam asks its followers to deal with everyone with the best of manners and not differentiate between Muslims and non-Muslims.
The circular appeals Muslims not to fall for the communal agenda and discriminate between people on the basis of religion. The letter concludes, “We as responsible citizens need to investigate the authenticity of any/all messages prior to forwarding and also avoid sharing provocative messages that are being circulated on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.”
