Posted by S.Khurshid A.

at 10/24/2009 0 comments
Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Fight for your Rights.

Rejecting the plea of a Muslim student that he should be permitted to sport beard in
his convent school, the Supreme Court on Monday observed secularism cannot be
overstretched and that "Talibanisation" of the country cannot be permitted.

"We don't want to have talibans in the country. Tommorow a girl student may come
and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it," Justice Markandeya Katju
speaking for a bench headed by Justice Raveendran observed.

Justice Katju passed the obsesrvation while dismsissing the petition of the student.
Mohammad Salim of Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School , a government-
recognised minority institution in Madhya Pradesh, has sought quashing of the school
regulation requiring students to be clean-shaven.

Salim's counsel Justice (retd) B A Khan argued before the bench that sporting beard
was an indispensable part of Islam.

But Justice Katju was apparently not impressed with the argument and quipped "But
you (Khan) don't sport a beard?" the judge asked the counsel.

I don’t know exactly what arguments were placed by the Counsel for petitioner
before the learned Bench but I know this much that the Counsel, Justice (retd)
B.A.Khan did not practice what he preached. As already mentioned above that the
Counsel argued that the beard is an indispensible part of Islam but did Justice (retd)
B.A.Khan himself adhere to that indispensible part of Islam? Had Justice (retd)
B.A.Khan himself practiced what he preached then chances were there that the
Hon’ble Justice Katju would have considered this argument and not be forced to say,
“But you don’t sport a beard.”

Alhamdulillah, I am a beard sporting Muslim Student of Law. I face similar questions

by my dear Non-Muslim friends and elders – “Khurshid, why do you sport a beard at
such a young age when MOST of the Muslims are clean-shaved, are they not
Muslims?

I become inarticulate at such questions. It is not that I can’t answer them but I am
confused at what to answer! If I say that I sport a beard because I love my
Prophet(s.a.w) then it would mean that the clean-shaved Muslims don’t love their
Prophet(s.a.w), which would be wrong to say. If I say that the Holy Quran instructs
us to follow the Prophet(s.a.w) in all walks of life as he is the best example, then it
would mean that the clean-shaved Muslims are ignoring the teachings of the Holy
Quran, which I don’t want to claim. If I say that I sport a beard because I am proud
to look like a Muslim then it would mean that the clean-shaved Muslims are ashamed
to look like a Muslim, which would be wrong again.

We Muslims place everyone in our line of firing for our present miserable conditions.
We blame the Government, the Media, the Political Parties, the Administration and
every Tom, Dick and Harry for our backwardness. What we forget is the Teachings of
The Holy Quran and the Prohet(s.a.w).

Surely Allah does not change the condition of a Nation until they change themselves.
Quran (13:11)

Today anywhere in the world, it’s a matter of harassment to sport a beard or adopt a
Hijab in Schools, Colleges, Universities, Offices, Working places and anywhere in the
society. The Muslims in India are a Minority class of people and Muslims sporting
beards and adopting Hijab are a minority in the Minority Class. It frustrates me to
hear comments like ‘When the majority Muslims don’t sport beard and adopt Hijab
why do some boys and girls want it!’

Will such frustrating comments not end when the Majority Muslims start sporting
beard and Hijab? It will definitely end. O, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, on
behalf of the beard-sporting Muslim and Hijabi Muslimah students, with tear in my
eyes and frustration in my heart for the present miserable condition of the Muslims, I
request those for whom we have to hear the taunts like ‘others don’t do it, why
you?’, please, for Allah and His Prophet’s sake let’s change ourselves to change the
condition of the Nation. O, clean-shaved and non-Hijabi Muslim brothers and sisters,
your own people are being denied the right to follow the teachings of our beloved
Prophet(s.a.w) only because the majority does not do it. Come, let’s become the
majority to follow the teachings of our beloved Prophet(s.a.w). Let’s pray to Allah to
make us wise and understanding. Ameen.

Sheikh Khurshid Alam,

B.A.LL.B, IVth Year