Muslim Leaders Call Out Madani’s ‘Double Politics’ On Vande Mataram

A fresh controversy erupted after Maulana Mahmood Madani once again claimed that “Vande Mataram is anti-Islam.” His remark immediately triggered a nationwide debate. But this time, the strongest response did not come from outside the community; it came from within.

Prominent Muslim intellectuals, social organisations and religious figures openly criticised the statement, saying such remarks harm the community’s image and misguide the youth. They stressed that India’s Muslims no longer want politics of fear; they want education, employment, equality and security.

MRM’s national spokesperson Shahid Saeed said Maulana Madani’s comment distances Muslims from the mainstream. He emphasised that Indian Muslims are among the safest and most respected Muslim populations globally. Muslim youth are excelling in the armed forces, civil services, judiciary, sports, science and the arts.

Repeated narratives of fear and isolation, he said, only create more division.

Saeed stated clearly that questioning Vande Mataram is equal to rejecting the freedom struggle and disrespecting Bharat Mata.

He added that the phrase contains no contradiction with Islam; it merely expresses respect for the motherland, the same kind of reverence Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) showed for the land of Madinah.

Community Rejects Fear

Dr Shalini Ali, the national coordinator of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch and a leading voice in women’s leadership, said the community needs progress through education, healthcare, skill development and employment, not conflicts that push Muslims into unnecessary confrontation.

She asserted that those who increase the distance between Muslims and Hindus are the biggest enemies of harmony. Indian Muslims, she said, have a long-standing tradition of peace, hard work and loyalty to the nation, and no extreme statement can break that tradition.

NCMEI’s acting chairperson, Dr Shahid Akhtar, said Islam and patriotism are not opposites but complement each other.

Islam stands for justice, peace and brotherhood. He warned that controversies around Vande Mataram are attempts to divert the community. The real challenges, he said, are terrorism, extremism, poverty and backwardness, not the national song.

Renowned scholar Maulana Qari Abrar Jamal Qasmi of Jamiat Himayatul Islam raised an even sharper question.

If Madani genuinely cares for Muslims, he said, then he should speak boldly against terrorism. “Terrorism maligns Islam the most,” he said. “Silence on terrorism and noise over Vande Mataram — why this double standard?” He added that hurting the sentiments of crores of Hindus only creates distance, never goodwill.

Sufi saint and Sajjadanashin Shah Syed Ziarat Ali Malang Haqqani concluded the debate by saying that Islamic culture, identity and message stand on love, humanity and compassion. Religion connects, it does not divide.

He said the real struggle of Muslims is against poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and social backwardness, not against any national symbol. Statements that divide society, he said, represent neither Islam nor India nor the interests of Indian Muslims.

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