Bukhari Tells Muslims to Keep Distance From Anna

The Shahi Imama of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari has called upon Muslims to stay away from Anna movement saying his war cry - Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai - are against Islam. "Islam does not condone the worship of the nation or land. It does not even condone worship of the mother who nurtures a child in her womb for nine months. How can Muslims then join his stir with a war cry that is against the basic tenets of their religion. I have advised them to stay away from it," Bukhari told.

Bukhari, who is not perceived to be close to the Congress, may have inadvertently voiced the very concerns that Congress leaders have been expressing off record about how Anna's stir has isolated Muslims. The call has also reignited the debate of Vande Mataram being anti-Muslim which had surfaced when it had become the war cry in 1905 for protesters agitating against the partition of Bengal.

The Shahi Imam is critical of the movement also because he feels that communalism and not corruption is the bane of the country. "If Anna had included communalism in his agenda, I would have felt more convinced about his intentions," he said.