First time MP Nusrat Jahan's marriage not valid under Islam, Jainism, says cleric

Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, Shahi Imam, Fatehpuri Masjid on Sunday said TMC MP Nusrat Jahan's marriage with a Jain businessman is not valid as per Islamic norms.

This comes after a fatwa was issued to Jahan after she appeared in Parliament wearing 'sindoor'.

READ | Cleric Slams, Sadhvi Prachi Hails MP Nusrat Jahan For Wearing Sindoor, Saree

Speaking to ANI, Mukarram said, "I don't know what is mentioned in the fatwa, but Islam does not allow 'Sindoor'. It's not Muslim culture... It's not a marriage. It looks more like a relation to show off. Both Muslims and Jains won't consider it a marriage. She is no more a Jain or a Muslim. She has done a big crime and she should not have done it."

The newly-elected TMC MP's marriage with a Jain businessman and her wearing a sindoor and bangles became a subject matter of controversy on Saturday, with a Muslim cleric calling out Jahan over "un-Islamic" practices.

"Islam says a Muslim can marry only a Muslim. I have got to know that Nusrat is a film actor and people in the cinema do not care about religious practices. They do what they have to," said Mufti Asad Quasmi of Madrasa Jamia Sheikh-ul-Hind.

However, BJP leader Shazia Ilmi came out in support of the actor-turned-politician and said, "Every woman has the right to wear clothes and to follow the ritual of her choice irrespective of any religion. Whether Nusrat Jahan wants to wear sindoor or not is her choice."

Sadhvi Prachi also slammed the cleric for his statement and welcomed the lawmaker into her "community".

"This is a good thing. A woman like Nusrat coming into our community is because their future is secure in our religion. She understands that the Hindu religion respects women," she told media in Muzaffarnagar.

Calling the cleric "cut piece", she said: "These are cut pieces. Their thoughts are dirty. They only talk to make headlines."

Jahan was seen sporting 'sindoor' - traditionally worn by Hindu and Jain women -and a pink and white saree during her oath-taking ceremony in Parliament on June 25.

She also wore bangles and had her hands covered in beautiful curls and swirls of henna designs. The TMC lawmaker had touched the feet of Speaker Om Birla and sought his blessings.

She had skipped oath-taking for Lok Sabha members on June 17 and 18 owing to her wedding festivities in Turkey.