LUCKNOW Facing the community’s wrath regarding the new citizenship law, Lucknow-based Shia cleric Kalbe Jawwad has made a U-turn.
In a video message to the community on Sunday, he said he never supported the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and was against it and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also claimed that his earlier statement was distorted.
In a ten-minute long video, he said, “I never supported CAA or NRC. If CAA is about religious persecution, then citizenship should be granted to all minorities who are facing oppression in neighbouring countries and that definitely includes Shias”.
He said, “Many Muslims will be at the receiving end if NRC is implemented, like Assam. Hence there is no question of endorsing it.”
Earlier on December 21, he was quoted in different media reports that CAA and NRC were two different things. He had said that NRC as of now was implemented only in Assam and not across India, “also we don’t yet know what rules are going to be included it. Parties are misleading on this and I appeal to Muslims to show restraint.”
But in the new video message on social media on Sunday, he said, “All should come out to fight against the atrocity. In the first five years of BJP rule, Muslims did not have any complaints but recently there have been some issues.”
{{/usCountry}}But in the new video message on social media on Sunday, he said, “All should come out to fight against the atrocity. In the first five years of BJP rule, Muslims did not have any complaints but recently there have been some issues.”
{{/usCountry}}Jawad also claimed that he met Mohammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi, chancellor of Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama and urged him to lead the community. But according to him, Nadwi refused.
Jawad slammed the Congress for the community’s backwardness and urged the religious leaders to lead the community properly and move forward through the civil disobedience movement, the tool given by Mahatma Gandhi.
According to the earlier statement, which went around the media, Jawad had supported the CAA. He was defended by Anjuman Haideri.