New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) All India Imam Association President, Maulana Sajid Rashidi, on Saturday faced backlash following his alleged objectionable statement over women opting to marry at a later age in Indian society now.

During a public interaction, Maulana Sajid Rashidi allegedly said on Friday, “Rapes are occurring because marriages are being delayed. If you want to ensure your daughters’ safety, get them married early.”

Strong reactions poured in after Maulana Rashidi’s statement sparked a controversy.

Launching a harsh critique against the cleric, Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission Chairperson, Babita Chauhan said Maulana Rashidi’s remarks reflects his “narrow mindset”.

“Today, India’s women have made the country proud across various fields, even at the global level. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also talks about women empowerment and wants to brings them at par with men because women comprise half of the nation’s population. If we are still lagging behind, it is because of people having this kind of mentality,” she told IANS.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Vinod Bansal said: “Such a statement reflects the bigoted mentality of leaders.”

“All women have equal rights in India. Clerics like him (Rashid) should abstain from such narrow and anti-women approach. He should immediately apologise to women,” Bansal asserted.

Further, he urged the National Commission for Women (NCW) to take action against Maulana Rashidi over his controversial remarks.

BJP leader Ram Kadam alleged that “some maulanas make such statements to come into the headlines”, while maintaining that the appropriate age to get married is a girl’s personal choice.

“It is a baseless opinion,” he added.

BJP leader Pratul Shahdeo lashed out at the cleric, asking, “Is he attempting to justify rape?”

“People with such perverted mentality should be immediately arrested and thrown into prison. This shows his anti-women mindset, we totally condemn such statements,” he told IANS.

Echoing similar view, Hanuman Garhi priest Debesh Acharya said: “This reflects the thoughts and the objectionable views of this Maulana. It shows how some people can have such a low and disturbing thought process that they can even think in this manner about a young girl.”

“People, irrespective of their religion, should refrain from such kind of a mentality,” he added.

–IANS

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