On March 6 news agency ANI posted a picture of an Islamic wedding from their official Twitter account. The peg was that this wedding took place inside a temple premise run by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The event was presented as one propagating the message of harmony between Hindus and Muslims.
Soon it received massive backlash on social media as many find it hurtful towards their religious sentiments. The said event took place at the Thakur Satyanarayan temple complex in Shimla.
The VHP, Himachal Pradesh issued a statement relating to the matter and cleared their stand. As per the note, the temple is run by VHP but a local body looks after the wedding and other such events which are organised for a nominal fee.
The statement further says that VHP believes any wedding organised inside a temple should follow Sanatan rituals only. They have instructed the local body to inspect the matter and make sure nothing like this repeats in future. A committee has also been organised under the regional VHP head to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Thakur Satyanarayan Temple Trust Rampur General Secretary Vinay Sharma told news agency ANI, “VHP runs the temple and the district office of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). VHP and RSS are often accused of being anti-Muslim. But here a Muslim couple got married on the Hindu temple premises. This is an example in itself that Sanatan Dharma always inspires everyone to move forward by including everyone.”
Notably, an Islamic wedding allows two Muslim couples to marry each other but in this case, the bride was a Hindu girl, the daughter of Mahendra Singh Malik. She did not convert to Islam for the wedding. Whereas the groom performed all the rituals in front of a Hindu deity (an idol which is Haram in Islam).
The anger on social media
A user wrote, “Give the message of Harmony by organising Ramayana from a Mosque,
Why it’s always that Hindu Temples are Used for Propaganda in the name of spreading Religious harmony ?”
Give the message of Harmony by organising Ramayana from a Mosque,
Why it's always that Hindu Temples are Used for Propaganda in the name of spreading Religious harmony ?— Ankit Mishra (@Ankitt_tt) March 6, 2023
A user wrote, “Girl’s father name is Mahendra Singh Malik. What kind of religious harmony is that when a Hindu girl needs to convert to Islam before marriage. What kind of hideous coverage is this ANI”
Girl's father name is Mahendra Singh Malik. What kind of religious harmony is that when a Hindu girl needs to convert to Islam before marriage. What kind of hideous coverage is this @ANI
— Nisha (@Nisha_NPU) March 6, 2023
A user with a verified Twitter account wrote, “Will a Mosque ever allow a Hindu wedding inside its premises. Don’t pollute our holy temples by allowing beef eaters inside it”
क्या मस्जिद में भी हिंदुओं को कभी शादी करने की इजाजत मिल सकती है, मेरे ख्याल से कभी नही।। गौ मांस खाने वालों को हमारे पवित्र मंदिरों में बुलाकर अपवित्र मत करो #SaveTemples
— WORLD NEWS ANALYST (@TIgerNS3) March 6, 2023
Another user wrote, “Imagine the outrage if a Hindu had done the same in a mosque!”
A user wrote, “why we dont see one case for other way around ? just one to start with ? why not hindu couple perform wedding with all rituals in any known mazjid ?”
why we dont see one case for other way around ? just one to start with ? why not hindu couple perform wedding with all rituals in any known mazjid ? @Dr_RizwanAhmed
— Mi Marathi 🇮🇳🚩 (@MiMarathiBhau) March 6, 2023
A user wrote, “Where is the religious harmony ?
It is clear case of land jihaad
Tomorrow the same people will oust the caretaker and declare the temple as waqf property as a Muslim marriage was conducted there”
Where is the religious harmony ?
It is clear case of land jihaad
Tomorrow the same people will oust the caretaker and declare the temple as waqf property as a Muslim marriage was conducted there
— S M (@SM01102017) March 6, 2023
The result of the investigations held into the matter are yet to come, Organiser Weekly will update the story in case of any development. With the above responses, the netizens have made their stand very clear and that is, “they find no message of harmony in this wedding, instead, they find it an attempt to hurt their religious feelings”.
