Fatwa is correct With reference to the article “Hard-line ideology cannot succeed in a secular India” (Nov. 8), I must say that Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has rightly supported the fatwa by Darul Uloom Deoband suggesting Muslims not to sing Vande Matram on religious grounds. To Tagore, the mothers in Bande Matram are the Hindu goddesses and therefore it is foolish to force people of other religions to sing their praises. Vande Matram, has been taken from the novel Anand Math written by Chatterjee, a fierce anti-Muslim and pro-British fundamentalist. His novel is replete with anti-Muslim slogans and praises for British rule.
