On June 5, the Allahabad High Court rejected anticipatory bail for Muslim scholar Maulana Syed Mohammad Shabibul Husaini, accused of issuing a fatwa against the former Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board chairman Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi (formerly Waseem Rizvi) after he converted to Sanatan Dharma after renouncing Islam.
Waseem Rizvi filed a complaint against Husaini on March 18, 2023. The complainant informed the police that the accused said, ‘As the killing of Salman Rushdie is necessary; similarly, the killing of Rizvi is also necessary.’ Moreover, it was reported that the Muslim scholar had stated that killing Waseem Rizvi on his YouTube channel was desirable, uttering the words – Katl Wajib Hai.
The complainant alleged that the Maulana had issued the fatwa inciting Muslims against him, conspiring to kill him as he accepted Sanatan Dharma and renounced Islam. Furthermore, he submitted that he has received death threats since Husaini uploaded the video on YouTube.
Husaini was booked u/s 115, 120B, 153A, 153B, 386, 504, 505 (2), 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66 of the Information Technology Act (IT Act). The accused had sought anticipatory bail in the case contending that he is innocent and is being falsely implicated.
Waseem Rizvi Renounces Islam
On December 6, 2021, Waseem Rizvi renounced Islam and accepted Sanatan Dharma at Devi Dasna Temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. He had also said that his body must be handed over to his friend Mahant Narsinghanand Saraswati of Dasna temple, and he should light his pyre. Before quitting Islam, Rizvi made many attempts to reform the religion. However, this infuriated the Islamists, and prize money was declared for beheading him.
It is pertinent to note that, in 2021, Congress leader Rashed Khan offered a bounty of Rs 50 lakh for beheading Rizvi after he renounced Islam. Rashed Khan had also offered legal help for one who beheads Rizvi. Another Congress leader from Hyderabad, Feroze Khan, had also offered a bounty of 50 lakh rupees for beheading Rizvi.
In January 2018, Rizvi wrote letters to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting them to abolish madrasas. He had said some madrasas act as breeding grounds for terrorists. This infuriated Bareilly-based Islamist outfit All India Faizan-e-Madina Council (AIFMC) so much that it announced a bounty of Rs 10,00,786 and a free Haj trip for anyone who brings them Rizvi’s head.
“He (Wasim Rizvi) poses a danger and could ruin the communal harmony and social fabric of the country. We demand the state government immediately terminate his services as Shia Waqf Board president. If he doesn’t apologise for his statement, our organisation will behead him and we will award the person responsible with a cash prize as well as a free Haj trip,” Moeen Siddiqui Noori, head of the AIFMC, had said.
In January 2020, Rizvi advocated a population control law, “Some people believe that childbirth is a natural process and should not be interfered with. To give birth to more children like animals is harmful to society and country. It will be good for the country if a law is implemented for population control.”
In March 2021, Rizvi filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting the court to remove 26 verses from the Quran, which he said promoted violence and terrorism. He argued that these 26 verses were not in the original Quran and were added later. However, the Supreme Court had dismissed his petition. Earlier, he had released a Quran without these 26 verses.
He had also requested the government to make teaching the new Quran compulsory in madrasas. He has supported many progressive ideas, like the abolition of Triple Talaq, which infuriated the maulanas. Multiple fatwas were issued against him.
