Board okays Nadvi’s resignation

Hyderabad: The AIMPLB on Sunday approved Maulana Syed Salman Husain Nadvi's "decision to quit" as its executive member, days after he met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over the Ayodhya dispute and said at the board's meeting that shifting of a mosque is possible according to the Sharia. 

"Moulana Salman Nadwi is no longer a board member. Sub- committee of the board accepts Nadwi's (sic) decision to quit the organization," the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) today said in its official Twitter account. However, AIMPLB member Qasim Rasool Ilyas said "action" was taken against Nadvi after he disagreed with the board's views on the matter. 

Nadvi had last week met Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is exploring an out-of-court settlement in the long-pending Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, and had said that shifting of a mosque is possible in the Sharia.

Asserting that Nadvi had himself "disassociated" with the board's views, Ilyas told reporters today, "The board has taken a stand and took the action... This is the Board's unanimous decision. Now he is a free man." 

Referring to Nadvi's remarks that a mosque can be shifted as per the Sharia (Islamic law), he said the AIMPLB had made its stand clear that masjid is the "home for Allah". "Masjid always remains like that. It cannot be shifted or gifted or sold.

This is Sharia. Salman Nadvi's stand is opposite to this. He made it clear that he did not want to change his stand," Ilyas said. AIMPLB Secretary Zafaryab Jeelani and board member Kamal Faruqui told reporters that Nadvi had given statements against the board's stand.

"He (Nadvi) said he did not agree with the board's stand. He made allegations against the board and he himself said he wanted to leave the AIMPLB," Jeelani said, adding that Nadvi had said that he wanted to form a new board.