Prominent Muslim organisations on Wednesday condemned the brutal killing of a tailor in Udaipur, calling it "un-Islamic" and asserting that no person has the right to take law into one's hands.
Bodies like All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind issued statements condemning the murder of Kanhaiya Lal by two men who had posted videos online that claimed they were avenging an insult to Islam.
Delhi Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari called the killing an "act of cowardice" and "an act against Islam".
Islam is a religion of "peace and tranquillity," be said.
In its statement, the AIMPLB said such acts were against the principles of Islam and no one should take law in their hands.
"Insulting holy personalities of any religion is a serious crime. BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made derogatory remarks about the holy Prophet of Islam, which is very sad for Muslims. The government not taking any action against Nupur Sharma is like rubbing salt on the wounds. But despite this, taking the law into one's own hands and killing a person by declaring him a criminal is a condemnable act," the statement issued on behalf of AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani.
"Neither the law allows it nor does the Islamic Shariah justify it. Therefore, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board strongly condemns the incident in Udaipur (Rajasthan)," the statement said.
The board also urged the government to make stringent laws regarding disrespectful comments against holy personalities and take immediate action in such cases.
The board also appealed to the Muslim community to act patiently and not take law into their own hands as well as not indulge in any such action that might disturb communal harmony in the country.
Both the Arshad Madani and Mahmood Madani factions of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind condemned the incident and called it "un-Islamic".
In a statement, Maulana Arshad Madani said that just as "we had opposed mob-lynching in many places, we also consider this an inhumane act".
"We are always against anyone taking the law into their own hands. The Udaipur incident is a very tragic, un-Islamic and inhumane act, it is highly condemnable. The law of the state would work accordingly in this case as well," he said.
Madani also said that whatever happened "due to derogatory words" was bad, but in order to maintain law and order and communal harmony in the country, it is necessary to show tolerance and patience.
"Just as we oppose this incident, we are strongly opposing insulting the dignity of any religious figure," Arshad Madani said.
"We once again demand the government to immediately arrest those who have insulted the Prophet and punish them severely according to the law so that no one will dare to do so again in the future," he said.
In his statement, Maulana Mahmood Madani strongly condemned the killing of the tailor and called it a "disgrace to humanity" and an act of defaming the religion of Islam.
"No matter whosoever is a killer, no one has the authority to take the law and order into his own hands," Mahmood Madani said.
Jamiat is against all forms of extremism and demands that strict action be taken against such persons irrespective of their religion, caste and ethnicity, he said.
It is very important that whether it is this incident or that of insulting the Holy Prophet, the governments should be vigilant and take stringent action against the perpetrators of such "heinous crimes", he said.
Mahmood Madani appealed to the people of the country to maintain law and order and also said all citizens should unitedly stand against communalism and extremism.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said the Udaipur incident is "barbaric, uncivilised" and there is no room for justification of violence in Islam.
"We strongly condemn it. No citizen should take law in his own hands. Let the law prevail. The culprits should be dealt with according to the law of the land. In any case, peace should not be disturbed. Nobody should try to take the advantage of this ugly crime," it said.
Bukhari issued a statement saying the "heartbreaking, heinous murder committed in Udaipur has shaken the humanity".
"Islam is a religion of peace and tranquillity. The life of the Prophet of Allah is full of numerous examples of compassion, tolerance, generosity and humanitarianism," the Shahi Imam of the 17th century mosque here said.
"I, myself and on behalf of the Muslims of India, with all the vehemence at our disposal, condemn this act," Bukhari said.
"Had the persons who committed this barbaric act studied the life and character of the Holy Prophet and had they been well versed with the spirit of Quran and shariah, they would not have committed the heinous crime," he said.
Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, have been arrested for the murder.
In one of the video clips, Akhtari declared that they had beheaded Lal and went on to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well.
Indirectly, the assailants also referred to Nupur Sharma, the BJP leader who was suspended from the party over a controversial remark on Prophet Mohammad. Lal, the tailor, was recently arrested by the b local police over some remarks made on social media by him.
