Muslims to protest naming of Haj House after Maulana Ali Miyan

Varanasi, Dec 7 (UNI) Over 50,000 Muslims, including 500 ulemas from Varanasi, Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Chandauli districts will stage a massive demonstration here on December 10 against the naming of Haj House in Lucknow after Islamic scholar Maulana Ali Mian Nadwi.

''Over 50,000 Muslims from all sects will stage a massive demonstration at the Reori Talao ground on December 10 against the Uttar Pradesh government's decision of naming the newly inaugurated Haj House in Lucknow after Maulana Ali Mian, who represents not more than 15 per cent of people from the minority community in UP,'' Kazi-e-Banaras Maulana Ghulam Yasin told newspersons here today.

Objecting to the naming of Haj House after Maulana Ali Mian, the cleric said ''the house is a public property belonging to every Muslim and should not be named after any scholar, who represents a particular sect of the community. The Maulana was a scholar representing the Deoband sect, which has miniscule representation among Muslims.'' He further termed the naming of the Haj House in Maulana Ali Mian's name as the result of ill advice to Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav by his close associates and suggested the House be instead named as 'UP Haj House' much like similar houses are named in other states.

''We have already formed a committee mainly comprising Sunni Muslims, forming 85 per cent of the minority community, which will spearhead the protest over the UP government's move, through weekly demonstrations across the state.

The protest started with demonstration at Faizabad on December 2 and will be carried forward at Gorakhpur, Basti and other parts of UP after the massive demonstration at Varanasi on December 10,'' Maulana Ghulam Yasin maintained.

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