Muslim organisations condemn tailor's killing in Udaipur, call it 'un-Islamic'
New Delhi(PTI): Prominent Muslim organisations have condemned the the brutal killing of a tailor in Udaipur, calling it "un-Islamic" and asserting that no person has the right to take law into one's hands.
Bodies like All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind issued statements condemning the murder of Kanhaiya Lal by two men who had posted videos online that claimed they were avenging an insult to Islam.
Delhi Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari called the killing an "act of cowardice" and "an act against Islam". Islam is a religion of "peace and tranquillity," be said.
In its statement, the AIMPLB said such acts were against the principles of Islam and no one should take law in their hands.
"Insulting holy personalities of any religion is a serious crime. BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made derogatory remarks about the holy Prophet of Islam, which is very sad for Muslims. The government not taking any action against Nupur Sharma is like rubbing salt on the wounds. But despite this, taking the law into one's own hands and killing a person by declaring him a criminal is a condemnable act," the statement issued on behalf of AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani.
"Neither the law allows it nor does the Islamic Shariah justify it. Therefore, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board strongly condemns the incident in Udaipur (Rajasthan)," the statement said.
The board also urged the government to make stringent laws regarding disrespectful comments against holy personalities and take immediate action in such cases.
The board also appealed to the Muslim community to act patiently and not take law into their own hands as well as not indulge in any such action that might disturb communal harmony in the country.
In a statement, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind general secretary Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi condemned the "brutal killing in Udaipur apparently on the pretext of the insult to the Prophet" and called it against the law of land as well as "against the religion of Islam".
He said whoever has perpetrated this incident cannot be justified in any way and the act was against the law of the land and "our religion".
"In our country, there is a system of law, no one has the right to take the law into his own hands," Qasmi said.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said the Udaipur incident is "barbaric, uncivilised" and there is no room for justification of violence in Islam.
"We strongly condemn it. No citizen should take law in his own hands. Let the law prevail. The culprits should be dealt with according to the law of the land. In any case, peace should not be disturbed. Nobody should try to take the advantage of this ugly crime," it said.
Bukhari issued a statement saying the "heartbreaking, heinous murder committed in Udaipur has shaken the humanity".
"Islam is a religion of peace and tranquillity. The life of the Prophet of Allah is full of numerous examples of compassion, tolerance, generosity and humanitarianism," the Shahi Imam of the 17th century mosque here said.
"I, myself and on behalf of the Muslims of India, with all the vehemence at our disposal, condemn this act," Bukhari said.
"Had the persons who committed this barbaric act studied the life and character of the Holy Prophet and had they been well versed with the spirit of Quran and shariah, they would not have committed the heinous crime," he said.
Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, have been arrested for the murder.
In a video clip, Akhtari declared that they had beheaded the man and went on to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well.
Indirectly, the assailants also referred to Nupur Sharma, the BJP leader who was suspended from the party over a controversial remark on Prophet Mohammad. Lal, the tailor, was recently arrested by the local police over some remarks made on social media by him.
Lal's killing triggered stray cases of violence in Udaipur and the curfew was clamped in seven police station areas of the city. The curfew remained imposed in seven police station areas of the city on Wednesday and mobile internet services were suspended across all 33 districts of the state, officials said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
