Religious Objections To Recitation Of India's National Song

Saturday's Daily India.com reports that a clash is brewing between the Indian government and Muslim clerics in the state of Uttar Pradesh over the singing of India’s national song, "Vande Mataram". India’s Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, has called on all schools in the country to recite the first two stanzas of the song on Sept. 7, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the song as India’s national anthem. Maulana Khalid Rasheed, who heads the Firangi Mahal and is a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, announced that the recitation of the song by Muslim students is un-Islamic. He explained that "the song tends to equate the nation to god and Islam does not permit this. Even Prophet Mohammad cannot be placed on an equal pedestal with Allah, the almighty."