UP cleric issues fatwa against actor Vijay, asks Muslims to distance themselves from him

Razvi warned Muslims against supporting actor Vijay as he has portrayed Muslims as terrorists in some of his movies and invited "gamblers and liquor consumers" to his Iftar party.

National president of the All Indian Muslim Jamaat (AIMJ) Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi on Wednesday issued a fatwa against actor-turned-politician Vijay, president of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

Razvi warned Muslims against supporting Vijay as he has portrayed Muslims as terrorists in some of his movies and invited "gamblers and liquor consumers" to his Iftar party.

A fatwa is a ruling or opinion on a point of Islamic law by a recognised religious authority, religious leader or qualified council of scholars.

In an interview to news agency ANI Razvi said, "he has formed a political party and maintained cordial relations with Muslims. However, he has portrayed Muslims in a negative way as those who spread terrorism in his films...In his Iftar party, gamblers and liquor consumers were invited."

"Due to all this, Sunni Muslims of Tamil Nadu are angry with him. They asked for a fatwa. So, in my answer, I have issued a fatwa mentioning that Muslims should not stand with Vijay," he said.

Vijay is the latest in the long list of actors who have joined politics in Tamil Nadu starting from M G Ramachandran (MGR) to J Jayalalithaa to Sivaji Ganesan to Vijayakanth, and Kamal Haasan.

MGR and Jayalalithaa made it big in politics, the latter three couldn’t register much success, though Vijayakanth briefly altered the bipolar politics in the state. Superstar Rajinikanth didn’t enter politics citing his ill-health after promising to launch a party and contest the 2021 elections. 

Vijay’s political plunge is gutsy as no actor could recreate the MGR magic in about four decades in a state where over 75 per cent of the vote share is controlled by DMK and AIADMK, the Dravidian majors who have been ruling the state alternatively since 1967.

(With DHNS inputs)