A Hindu cleric has agreed: it’s an English custom that should not be picked up in India as a matter of cultural integrity. For Maulana Mufti Tariq Quasmi, however, it is part of the disdain for all the activities of the unbelievers, who are the “most vile of created beings” (Qur’an 98:6).
“Cutting cakes is un-Islamic, says Muslim cleric on New Year celebration; Hindu cleric agrees,” by Rajat Rai, India Today, December 23, 2017:
Rarely do Hindu and Muslim leaders agree. This time, Deoband in Uttar Pradesh has thrown up a surprise as Muslim clerics from the Darul Uloom and a pandit from the same city have expressed concern over celebrating New Year on January 1.
Cutting cake and rejoicing is part of celebrating New Year. However, Maulana Mufti Tariq Quasmi has said the practice of cutting cakes is unIslamic. “This is not legitimate in Islam,” he said.
Quasmi feels Muslims and those practising should stay away from such practices and abide by the practices of Islam.
“Our new year begins in the month of Moharram. We have no objection to people of other religion following such practices but Muslims, especially the youth, should avoid such things,” added Quasmi.
Recently, the Darul Ulum in Deoband had banned the use of smart phones in their campus. According to the clerics, smart phones were hindering studies and made students less attentive….
Surprisingly, Quasmi’s observations and suggestions have also been seconded by Hindu priests in the same area in Uttar Pradesh….
“Our youths should not follow English customs blindly. They should have basic knowledge of their religion,” added Sharma.
lebel says
“For Maulana Mufti Tariq Quasmi, ”
Finally, Mr. Spencer does not generalize to all Muslims or Islam but makes it clear that this is one person’s opinion.
Was that so hard?
Lydia Church says
We realize that ‘muslims’ have diverse opinions. What is being addressed on here is the general belief structure of overall islam, which can be found in the koran. When muslims wage jihad, that can be found in the koran, and that is the issue. If certain individuals like cutting cakes or not, and that is not found in the koran, that is another matter.
BC says
Many Hindus are vehement nationalists and in their way are almost as bigoted as Muslims.
gravenimage says
Right–all Infidels are just as bad as Muslims. Please ignore the mushrooming Jihad…
Philip Copson says
How this pandit from Uttar Rubbish work out that celebrating New Year and eating cake are “English customs” ?
Philip Copson says
Should read “How does this etc…”
Sharyati says
Actually there is no single new year celebration in India with each region having different times and calendars depending on its geography The western kind of new year celebrations is more found in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, chennai and Bangalore etc where people are more Westernized(These cities are jocularly called India a name given by the west, against the other parts being called Bharat Indias old name). The real reason is people in this “India” have lost touch with their ancient tradiitons, sometimes feel ashamed of these traditions. Also india being a primarily agrarian country, calendars and almanacs are adjusted for local weather patterns like when does it rain and when is it good to sow the seeds and new year celebrations are adjusted to that. The southern parts of the country like Kerala and Tamil Nadu celebrate it around Apr which is the mango season. The Gujaratis , most of them being businessmen celebrate new year during deepavali which is rainy season when no agrarian activity can take place due to heavy rains. Thus many people come shopping for clothes etc and there is a brisk business. So you see some event natural or otherwise is the reason for the new year. But the western new year does not coincide with any event in India and has no big significance, agriculturally or economically. This pandit is right in that way. Atleast he offered an opinion and not create a fatwa
BC says
Thanks for that
Chand says
This is the result of the rise of Hinduist nationalism, espousing a concocted version of the religion, trying to counter ‘western’ influences. Recently Hindu right wingers warned Christian missionary schools not to ‘force’ their students to celebrate Christmas although most Indian Hindus, at least in modern urban areas, spontaneously share in the joys of Christmas.
Sharyati says
Dear Chand,
Let me tell you one thing. I studied in one of those missionary schools and i tell you there is nothing spontaneous there. In bible classes there is a constant derision of sanatana dharma and criticizing festivals. Many of the schools make you sign a sheet saying you accept Jesus as your saviour and if you dont your test marks are wantonly reduced. And nobody can complain about all this because of our stupid sickular government.
And what is wrong with Hindu nationalism? It is that nationalism that has saved us from head banging for 5 times a day. But for kings like Krishna Devaraya, Shivaji, Baji Rao this country would be part of the Ummah like Indoaneia, Malaysia etc. It is the very fabric of this nation. And despite the Hindu nationalism we have had early Christians and Jewish communities among us. What happened to them? Were they exterminated? But on the other hand what happened to Kafirs in other Islamic nations?
As i always say, Urban “Indians” are a very different set of people, who despise everything Hindu and native. Those brown sahibs accept anything Indian as valid only if the white man accepts it. Yoga for example. These “Indians” practice it as an exercise and not a spiritual discipline because the west does so. Whereas Bharata vaasis practice yoga as a spiritual discipline without their Lululemons and the like. When these “Indians” come to the places where Bharat Vaasis practice yoga and see their practice, they roll their eyes in horror at what these Bharat Vaasis talk. Just an example of how lost and disconnected urban “India” is from the rest of Bharat. I belong to the country of Bharat, eventhough being educated. I just dont identify myself with these condescending urban brown sahibs, who carry on from where their British colonial masters left off
CRUSADER says
” nationalism that has saved us from head banging for 5 times a day. ”
Love that phrase as a reference!
Jolly good !
++++++++
Cicero says
Bravo Sharyati for such a civilised response/s to both fellow in -Indian Chand and arrogant BC.
You have presented theDharmic point of view most eloquently without using a derogatory tone or abusive language.
There is a serious problem with the Indians educated in Macaulay inspired schools and colleges who, through persistent brain washing from a very early age in such educational institutions hold very anti – Hindu views against their own land and community.
Your responses reflect positively on the land and culture of Bharatvarsha,
Chand says
Sharyati says: “Just an example of how lost and disconnected urban “India” is from the rest of Bharat.”
Now you are being judgemental, Sharyati. Just because you despise the ‘brown sahibs’ doesn’t suddenly make modern education and culture inferior to your ideas of the untouched, pristine Bharatvarsha. What about the oppressive culture of the dark ages that many Indians live in? The caste oppression, dowry killings, poverty, corruption, semi literacy and illiteracy, the grip of religious superstition and mumbo jumbo, class oppression, lawlessness, robbers on highways, etc, etc?
A good dose of modernism, scientific education, rule of law and other liberal, democratic ideals of the modern world would do India a world of good.
Rural people would love to live a modern life.
George Joseph says
Sharyati
You lied with your mouth wide open. Bible classes are NOT held for non-Christians in missionary schools in India. For them, moral science classes are held. You really know this but chose to tell a lie. If your life in the missionary school was so stifling why did you not just quit the school? Did anyone force you to continue? That you remain a Hindu, and a very zealous one at that, even after spending years in such a missionary school proves my point.
gravenimage says
Uh…right. Even though this is a Muslim, it must be the fault of Hindus or some other “filthy Infidels”…
IQ al Rassooli says
Dear readers
NOTHING Good, Decent, Happy or Useful is allowed under Islamic SHARIA
That is WHY, in 57 Muslim majority states and around the world reside 1,500,000,000 of the most Unhappy, Retrograde, Hatemongerig, Warmongering, Racist, Duplicitous, Intolerant, Hypocritical and Destructive creatures on Earth called Muslims.
This is also WHY in the next 3-5 years Sharia will be OUTLAWED in any country outside Dar al Islam and imams like this utter retard will be sent packing to any Sharia compliant Muslim states that would accept him
IQ al Rassooli
Kafir & Proud!
LeftisruiningCanada says
Hope you’re right 🙂
I also hope that there are still plenty of western countries outside of dar al islam in 5 years time….
Eddie dee says
Cutting cake is not islamic, but cutting head is islamic. Who does the cutting
determines which is cut. I like cake myself!
Alice says
Big deal, They need to get over themselves.
Shmoovie says
Cutting cake is an ‘English’ custom, and will damage cultural integrity? How do the over-sensitive among Hindu priests suggest people divide this food item into portions? Hope it’s only cake they’re fussing over.
Some ways are cultural, others are basic and done by most humans– as opposed to animals who generally don’t bother with utensils, among other things.
I get ‘different cultures, different ideas’, but this seems to be steering into the dictatorial, the way strict islam sets rules for everyday human behaviour.
gravenimage says
This Muslim is not Hindu.
MFritz says
You don’t have to integrate into our culture. Just go back from where you came and it will never ever disturb your “house of Allah” again.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Sadly, we disturb them
by existing.
Z says
Being human isn’t legitimate in Islam
Timothy says
Cut the Qur’an.
StellaSaidSo says
No, Abdul, ‘cutting cake is un-Islamic’. The knife is for the necks, Abdul. Cutting heads is Islamic.
LeftisruiningCanada says
This is fine. No one needs to celebrate western new year.
If muslims were like Jehovahs Witnesses, who despise new year, birthdays etc, then there would be no problem.
Sadly, islam cannot stay within itself, so likely some people will have to die over this.
Jayell says
OK, they just want to assert themselves and their identity (whatever that is), and if they apparently can’t find much that’s positive, constructive or original to assert they simply have to go for negatives and concoct any excuse to justify themselves. So they ban ‘cutting the cake’ for the sake of something to do because they think it will make some sort of impact at a festive occasion and then everyone will sit up and notice how important they are. Very impressive – to the locals at least. And their justification – to make themselves look even bigger – is to say that it is an ‘English custom’ because they’re slapping down their nasty former colonial masters. Yes, that’s REALLY impressive! Unfortunately, there are just a couple of problems there. Firstly, all the ‘colonial’ business is irrelevant past history to us in the UK and most of the world, although the average Brit is probably more aware of it now than ever before due to the fact that there is something like ten times the number of persons of Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi extraction living in the UK now than ever there were Brits in India. We quite happily intended to leave these lovely people to their brave new future over 70 years ago (with the Commonwealth and infrastructure backup, of course) because we could no longer afford the increasing drain on our time and economy that they represented after WW2; so something obviously went sadly wrong there! Secondly, I’m English and I’ve never ever been aware of any cake-cutting custom at New Year. Perhaps we have Christmas cakes, but we just eat them and never make a ‘thing’ out of ‘cutting’ them. So I think some people a few thousand miles away from these offshore European islands ought to check their facts a bit more carefully before they start getting too inventive.
sharyati says
Probably he meant western custom, which is sort of for us synonymous with English customs. Or it is just the usage of the western birthday custom of cake cutting by our “Indian Brown Sahibs” for thenew year too. This makes us think that it is a English custom . Some of these Indian brown sahibs have not yet recovered from the colonial hangover and consider us Bharat vaasis, people to be civilized. Yes they undertake their erstwhile colonial masters maxim of “The whitemans burden” seriously.
Chand says
I think people cut and eat cakes for the simple reason of celebrating something joyful and hopeful with family and friends……………which is the beginning of a new year. No need to read too much into it, IMHO. You know, trying to find some joy in our miserable existences.
Sharyati says
Well well, personally i dont care for the new year and how it is celebrated. But what i say is about Bharat Vaasis who still value their culture Of course everybody is free to do what they want. As i say i am a Bharat Vaasi and i stay away from the so called rootless educated “Indians” and by the way i too am educated. The very reason Europe is being screwed up because they have become rootless and faceles.
gravenimage says
Muslims don’t want us to have any joy–they just want to make our lives miserable.
Chand says
Sharyati says: “………….rootless educated “Indians”
It is okay to be ‘rootless’ in some situations instead of living in a false paradise. Many Indians live miserable, difficult, terrifying lives in today’s India, fooled by their politicians and religious leaders. They need new avenues to a better life. Their religion and culture has failed miserably and have let them down. Their so-called glorious culture might have given benefits in the glorious past but now it is a hindrance. They need to adopt science, modern ideas and uproot old, redundant ways of thinking.
Firstly all Indians need to treat each other as equal human beings, uprooting the caste system. That would be the first step to modern humanity.
Chand says
I don’t think most Indians bother about what these clerics, whether Hindus or Muslims, say anyway. At least not the educated ones. They have low opinions of clerics, godmen, priests and the like.
Mockingjay says
– Muslims not allowed to celebrate New Year’s – Hey – I am ALL FOR it !
– It would mean that they’d stay OFF of the streets and not spoil the party for everyone else.
– It would mean no more harassing people with fireworks, sexual assaults, car burnings and MASSIVE riots.
– It’s the best suggestion a muslim cleric has ever made, as far as I’m concerned.
– Unfortunately, I have a feeling we won’t be so lucky on New Year’s Eve in Europe this year.
– Watch out for ALL of the things mentioned above taking place, and probably, likely, it will even intensify and be more destructive than it already has been in the past years…
Lydia Church says
I have that gut feeling too…
Lydia Church says
Cakes, why waste precious knives on cakes?!?!
They are too busy cutting up people, cutting off heads, female genitalia, hands, other body parts, etc. to waste their precious blades on something as benign as cakes!
James says
One can see their point, but what is there in Hinduism, or in Islam, that makes cake-cutting taboo ? One would very much like to know the answer. What is it, exactly, that makes the cutting of cake so intolerable ?
gravenimage says
You are not supposed to celebrate anything that is not specifically Islamic.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Muslims should not take up western habits, i agree.
One western habit they should be encouraged to reject is
living in the west.
CRUSADER says
Aye
Aye
Islam sure as hell “cuts the cheese” !!!
Here’s to a warm and merry Season of Joy
to everyone ~
LeftisruiningCanada says
Warm on the inside, cold on the outside.
Just as i like it 🙂
Merry Christmas
Carolyne says
Cultural integrity??? Cultural integrity??? when did these people have integrity of any kind? In fact,the only civilized culture they ever had came from the English when they were in control. Remember suttee? Remember untouchables? Remember murdering a daughter-in-law so they could get another dowry?
Charlie Martel says
Not having your cake and not eating it, is consistent with Islam. OK.