False note

There is an old story of a fat man who was sentenced to death by a king as the real perpetrator was too thin for the hangman’s noose. The recent fatwa against composer AR Rahman is just as bizarre.

Irked by a film made on Prophet Muhammad by acclaimed Iranian director Majid Majidi, Raza Academy — a Mumbai-based Sunni group — issued a fatwa against Rahman.

Though Majidi and the film are also named in the fatwa, Rahman’s inclusion in it is clearly a case of attacking an individual just because he happens to be a more convenient target than the makers of the film in Iran.

Among other things, Raza Academy and its chief Saeed Noori want Rahman to apologise and recite again the Kalima — the Islamic profession on faith — indicating that Rahman has become a disbeliever.

As a consequence, they demanded that he remarry his wife after that. And all this, just for composing music for a film on the Prophet with, as Rahman clarified, the best of intentions.

While it is arguable if the film should invite such a stern ruling — the film does not show the face of the Prophet, according to reports — what is funny is that a musician is being punished for a ‘visual crime’. Those backing the fatwa need to be clear if they are troubled by the music or the visuals. The visuals will work just as well — and possibly offend — even if one were to watch the film on mute.

But more importantly, Noori and his crew, as Muslims, should know the significance of having the right intention in Islam. Every time a Muslim prays, it is compulsory to proclaim the right niyat (intention) to do so. Without it, the prayer is not complete.

Further, in a Hadith classified authentic by both Bukhari and Muslim — the two most important sources of the Prophet’s sayings in Sunni Islam — Umar ibn al-Khattab relates that he heard the Messenger of Allah, say, “Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is what he intended...”

This is why Muslims around the world protested against the Danish cartoons. Surely, the intentions of a man who proclaimed that all praises are only for God at the time of receiving his Oscars cannot be that suspect.

But even if the Raza Academy and it chief are not sure of Rahman’s intentions, they would again do well to take the advice of the Prophet who asked Muslims to avoid suspicions unnecessarily.

But the larger issue here is the way forward for a community that is being attacked from within and without. Faced with daily reports of violence and extremism from misguided Muslims, what does one do to dispel misconceptions about the religion and the Prophet? Shouldn’t one try and take advantage of powerful communication media such as cinema and highlight the true nature of the religion?

Or should one indulge in playing up passions of gullible Muslims and bring them out to the streets, further damaging the image of the community.

The Muslims have a lot to worry about — they are among the poorest and most illiterate in the country; some of the youth have fallen prey to extremism.

Organisations such as the Raza Academy would do better if they worked on such issues, rather than targeting those who try to improve the community’s image.

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