Islamic Revival

The following is part of the motivating Friday Speech delivered in Urdu on 27th March, 2009 in one of the largest mosques of Hyderabad, India. The Khateeb passionately highlights the difficulties Muslims face in the absence of the Islamic Khilafah state and encourages the Muslims to study the political system of Islam and to work for it.

Recently Mohammad Salim, a Muslim student studying at the Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School in Madhya Pradesh, India petitioned the Indian Supreme Court that he be allowed to sport a beard, contrary to his school’s rules. The Supreme Court dismissed Salim’s petition and upheld the ruling of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had ruled that Salim has no right to wear a beard if forbidden by his school rules. On 30th March 2009 on behalf of the entire division bench of the Supreme Court, Justice Markandeya Katju commented as follows: “We should strike a balance between rights and personal beliefs. We cannot overstretch secularism. We don't want to have Talibans in the country. Tomorrow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it?” Why can’t we apply the same logic to the adherents of other religions? Shouldn’t the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh be forced to remove his Sikh Turban whilst on state duty and during official functions? S

On 17th June 2007 Pratibha Devsing Patil made a remark on the Purdah system, while addressing a congregation of Rajputs in Udaipur : “Women have always been respected in the Indian culture. The purdah system was introduced to protect them from the Muslim invaders." However, times have changed, she said. “India is now independent and hence, the systems should also change. Now that women are progressing in every field, we should morally support and encourage them by leaving such practices behind”, she advised. On 30th March 2009 Justice Markandeya Katju speaking for a bench headed by Justice Raveendran observed while rejecting the plea of a Muslim student that he should be permitted to sport a beard in his convent school, “Secularism cannot be overstretched and that ‘Talibanisation’ of the country cannot be permitted. We don't want to have Talibans in the country. Tomorrow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it". The former is