Melbourne, February 14: Australian Sheikh, Mohamad Tawhidi is currently visiting India but has stirred controversy within Australia.
According to Mohamed Ainullah, the Sheikh is “fake” and is issuing “inflammatory comments against Muslims in general and Pakistan in particular”.
Ainullah of AMUST, an Australian Muslim organisation, commented that he is “receiving red carpet treatment by Islamophobic media personalities and leadership of the Hindu nationalists party BJP”.
Sheikh Tawhidi had been invited to visit India by Zee TV network to attend ‘Arth’, a cultural festival attended by more than 250 writers, scholars, artisans and artists from India and abroad.
The Sheikh also met with BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy in New Delhi.
India’s peak Muslim body representing Sunni and Shia Muslims – Majlis Ulama-e-Hind’s general secretary, Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi expressed disapproval over Tawhidi’s visit and wrote to the Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh that the Sheikh is masquerading as a scholar although not related to Shi’ism or Islam, because his photos, videos, books and speeches all preach against the teachings of Islam and Shi’ite belief.
He further noted that that inviting such a person is like disrupting the peace of India and urged the government of India to ban the Sheikh in making any appearances in India.
The organisation had also slammed Zee TV network for inviting Sheikh Tawhidi for ‘Arth’.
Shujaat Ali Quadri, National President of Muslim Students Organisation of India tweeted: “We oppose and reject Imam Tawhidi ‘s arrival in India. He is nothing but a puppet of the West and Israel.”
Sheikh Tawhidi, is a “self-proclaimed” Imam, according to Ainullah, had already been a subject of contention, even before he landed in India.
“Tawhidi’s remarks have found favour with the Hindutva brigade and right-wingers in India. The ideological Right have showered him with praise promoting his views on ‘Islam’ considering him as self hating Muslim.
“He has been spewing hatred against Pakistan,” Ainullah said.
In a recent interview with The Times of India, Tawhidi has claimed that Pakistan’s version of Islam has been amended “to fit the narrative of the government and justify its wrongdoings.”
Tawhidi’s ideology has earlier found favour with right-leaning American author David Frawley and controversial Indian Muslim media anchor, Tarek Fatah.
Ramakrishna VenuGopal