Amethi (Uttar Pradesh): Shabnam Sheikh's unwavering faith in Lord Shri Ram since childhood is exemplary.
Wearing a burqa and waving saffron, the Mumbaikaer left for Ayodhya on foot on December 21, 2023. She was greeted with flowers when she reached Amethi on Saturday via Fatehpur.
During the course of her yatra, she minced no words when it came to lambasting any attempt to communalise politics. The Constitution gives us the right to go to the temple as well as the church, she added.
The country is run by the Constitution, not by fatwas, she said.
A first-year B.Com. student, she is accompanied by friends Raman Raj Sharma, Vineet Pandey, and another boy.
Starting the conversation with the chant, "Jai Shri Ram', she said, "I have had faith in Ram Ji since childhood. I consider myself an Indian Sanatani Muslim. The entire area where I live in Mumbai belongs to Hindus. I have grown up among them. I have also heard bhajans along with Azaan, so they have a great influence on me. I am a regular in Hindu festivals, including Ganesh Chaturthi. And it's not just me, but my entire family which participates in the enshrinement and immersion of Ganpati Bappa Ji."
On quizzed about Muslim gurus, Shabnam Shaikh said that the country is run by the Constitution and not by fatwas. "Maulanas should have a straight talk with me. am ready to answer."
A friend of Shabnam told the media that while they were on their way, a white-coloured car stopped next to them, one kilometre to Amethi. Tow burqa-clad women and a man confronted them saying that Shabnam was insulting Islam.
Shabnam also shared this on her Instagram account. She wrote, "Jai Shri Ram friends! As soon as we entered Ayodhya, our protest started."
In the video, some women in the car are seen protesting against people taking off their masks and going to the temple. Shabnam says that one does not need to be a Hindu to worship Ram; it is enough to be a human being.
Cops have arrested the intruders for disturbing communal peace. The police showed alacrity when the video surfaced, took a young man into custody, and the car has also been seized.
Inspector in Charge Jagdishpur Rakesh Singh said that the police had detained Rasid's son, Liaqat, a resident of village Bhikhanpur, police station Jagdishpur.
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