I am a Muslim by birth and I am still a Muslim: Nusrat

Nusrat joins celebrations with husband

Sending a clear message to her detractors, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and actor-turned-politician Nusrat Jahan said on Thursday that she is a Muslim by birth and still remains Muslim.

Nusrat, who was heavily trolled for wearing a sari and mangalsutra during her oath-taking at Parliament and criticised by a Muslim cleric, donned the same outfit at the Rath Yatra program arranged by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kolkata, where she shared the dais with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“I know my religion. I am a Muslim by birth and I am still a Muslim. It is about faith. You have to feel it inside your heart and not in your head,” Jahan told reporters on the sidelines of the event.

Jahan also said that she does not bother much about “hardliners”. Emphasising on unity and inclusiveness, she also pointed put how the chief minister always attends the namaz at Red Road in central Kolkata during Eid.

“Didi is always present at Red Road during the namaz on Eid. So I think we all should come together hand-in-hand and move towards a better tomorrow,” said Jahan

As for her message to the country, the first-time MP said that she wants to urge the people to maintain peace and secularism.

“My message to India is please maintain peace and secularism. I don’t pay heed to hardliners. I am glad that God has given me this opportunity to bring about a change where I stand on behalf of all the young Indian who think the way I am thinking today. We stand for inclusive India, we stand for secularism, we stand for humanity,” said Jahan.

Addressing the gathering, Banerjee said that “tolerance for all faiths is the true religion.”