Maharashtra: Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi meets Mufti Salman Azhari, the Islamist cleric demands strict blasphemy laws

SP’s candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Abu Asim Azmi also told Mufti Azhari that in his poll manifesto, he mentioned that if voted to power, he would ensure that those accused of making ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Muhammad be booked under the stringent UAPA.

On 18^th November, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi met Islamist hate preacher Mufti Salman Azhari ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections. During the meeting, the President of Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit and Mufti Azhari, the latter demanded that a strict law be passed to punish those who ‘insult’ Prophet Muhammad.

SP’s candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Abu Asim Azmi also told Mufti Azhari that in his poll manifesto, he mentioned that if voted to power, he would ensure that those accused of making ‘blasphemous’ remarks against Prophet Muhammad be booked under the stringent UAPA. Other than this, the duo discussed how it is crucial that the Muslim vote does not get divided which may benefit the BJP.

“I only want that…my mission is to protect the Namoos-e-Risalat (honour of Prophet Muhammad). I want that no one dares to raise a finger against the Prophet’s honour or does any Gustakhi…If you [Abu Azmi) win the election and move ahead, give me the assurance about what you will do in this respect?” Azhari asked.

Responding to this, Abu Azmi said, “I have for at least a hundred times demanded from the government and on the road that if someone has insulted Prophet Muhammad, then these [laws] like 153a are useless and at least UAPA be invoked against such people. Even in my manifesto released 20 days ago, I have said that whoever indulges in insulting Prophet Muhammad, must be charged under UAPA since this is the biggest form of terrorism.”

Taking to X, Abu Azmi shared a video of his meeting with Mufti Salman Azhari and said, “Today, I had a special meeting with Mufti Salman Azhari and discussed the issues of Govandi. Namoos-e-Risalat is our mission, our demand is that an anti-terror law should be made against anyone who disrespects the evening of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and we will not rest until this law is made.”

It is pertinent to recall that Mufti Azhari has a long history of making derogatory remarks towards Hindus. In February 2024, Mufti Salman Azhari made headlines for his provocative speech in Junagadh. An FIR was registered against him, along with two organisers, for his comments. The speech was given on 31st January during a programme attended by a large number of Muslims on the grounds of Narayan Vidya Mandir near the Junagadh court. In the video, Azhari is heard saying, “Abhi to Karbala ka akhiri maidan baqi hai… Kuch der ki khamoshi hai, fir shore ayega… Aaj kutton ka waqt hai, kal hamara daur ayega.” (The final battle of Karbala is yet to come… a moment of silence, then there will be noise again. Today is the time of the dogs, tomorrow will be our time).” After saying this, he chants, “Labbek Ya Rasulullah” and the crowd in front repeats it.

In another provocative speech, Mufti Azhari was heard using casteist and derogatory slurs against Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. Azhari asserted that CM Yogi was bulldozing houses and shops of poor Muslims and while doing this he was heard using highly derogatory slurs against Uttar Pradesh CM. This video was shared by a YouTube channel named ‘Barakati Network’ on 5^th November 2023.

Multiple cases have been registered against Azhari after several videos of his incendiary speeches went viral. It also came to light that Mufti Salman Azhari withdrew ₹27.75 lakh from a charitable trust account within 1 year. The matter came to light during a probe by the Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Junagadh district police into the financial dealings and foreign trips of Salman Azhari.

In addition to Mufti Azhari, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi also has a record of making controversial statements. Earlier this year, Abu Asim Azmi said that Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is against Islam. Speaking at the annual conference of Shikalgar Jamaat Trust, Azmi advised Muslims to ensure they have all their valid government documents ready. In December last year, Abu Azmi demanded the withdrawal of a police case filed against 11 Muslims in Dharangaon, Jalgaon, Maharashtra for allegedly raising Hamas and Palestine flags and raising anti-India slogans on 8th November 2023.  Back then, OpIndia obtained the FIR registered in the case and reported that slogans like “Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek hi saja, Sar Tan Se Juda Sar Tan Se Juda,” “Hinduo ka raja, Mera Khwaja,” “Hamas Jindabad, Bharat Murdabad,” and “Hamas tera naam roshan hoga, insha allah insha Allah”, were raised by the Muslim mob.