The imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has created a buzz by inviting Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ignoring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his son’s anointment as the next imam of the historic mosque.
Bukhari’s decision has left many astonished in India. Many analysts consider it an unwise move on part of the cleric. They believe that if he did not wish to invite Modi who is the premier of the country where the mosque is situated, Bukhari should not have invited Sharif. As a matter of fact, the Pakistani premier will not violate the protocol by attending a private function in India, the host of which has boycotted his own country’s premier.
If media reports are to be believed, Sonia Gandhi has already declined the invitation to attend the function. Bukhari is a self-appointed person and the function is absolutely a private affair and it has nothing to do with the Indian Muslim community as a whole.
With all due respect to the scholar, I believe he has unnecessary created a controversy. —
S.H. Moulana, Riyad
Bukhari’s controversial move
