Cleric calls Prophet ‘bhai’, FIR registered

An FIR was registered against a maulvi from Saras-pur in Gujarat, for calling the Prophet ‘bhai’ and urging others to do so.

According to a report, the Gujarat High Court cleared the grounds to charge the maulvi Kari Ahmedali Hussainali Battiwala with attempt to hurt religious sentiments, after he appealed the court to quash an FIR registered against him in this regard.

The incident occurred in 2009, when Battiwala addressed several gatherings, where he encouraged followers to call the prophet as ‘bhai’ only, and allegedly equated himself with the Prophet. He is also accused of inciting people against sufi saints, and urging them to destroy their shrines.

An FIR was registered against Battiwala by the Secretary of Sunni Awami Forum in 2010 and he was briefly arrested before being let out on bail.

He later challenged the case against him in the Gujarat HC, citing freedom of speech and freedom to propagate one’s faith. He also claimed that he made the statement on the basis of the Hadiths, where Prophet purportedly terms his followers as brothers, and added that the charges did not stand no one in the gathering raised any objection.