PIL filed to ban flag with crescent claiming it to be of Muslim League

Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Syed Wasim Rizvi has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the court demanding ban on raising the flag of Pakistan Muslim League across the country on mosque, madarsa and even Muslim majority areas of the country. The flag of Pakistan Muslim League that has crescent and star on green background is being raised in the Muslim majority areas, which has got nothing to do with Islam.

Syed Wasim Rizvi told One India that flag with crescent and star on the green background was not a religious flag but a political flag that was used by Muslim League in 1906 in Dhaka. This was used politically during the freedom struggle by the Muslim League. "So we must not allow this flag to be used in the country," Rizvi said.

Junaid Harish, an Islamic scholar, told One India, "It was a wrong notion to say that crescent and star on the flag was introduced by the Muslim League. Hilal (the moon appearing on the first night) was used during the time of Prophet and it was widely used as a symbol during Caliphate movement which was supported by Mahatma Gandhi. Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali were leading the movement. However, Harish said in the same breath that none of the symbol including Moon, star and green colour is Islamic. Since Mahatma Gandhi and many other leaders of freedom struggle supported Khilafat movement so it gradually became cultural symbol with the Muslims of the country. But if anyone really wants to do something then instead of banning flag, Muslim League in India should be banned.

Rizvi said that when partition took place Muslim league had gone to Pakistan and Indian Muslim League was formed separately. Indian Muslim league has a small crescent and star on the upper part of the flag. The original flag was adopted by Muslim league of Pakistan and national flag of Pakistan was made by adding a white strip in the Muslim League's flag while the original one remained with Muslim League and got registered with the Muslim League Kayde Azam of Pakistan.

He said, "I requested the court that why we are promoting political flag of an enemy country while this is not at all an Islamic flag. As per Rizvi, Islam has nothing to do with crescent and star. When this flag has got nothing to do with Islam and country was partitioned still people having love for Pakistan are using this flag as Islamic flag.

The case is filed and registrar listed it. You can find those flags in Mumbai, Gujarat, Muslim dominated area and areas with hardliners. They are raised on mosques, mausoleums and roads. Roads are dumped with such flags in many areas of the country.