MMU alleges government using ‘Vande Mataram’ in schools for Hindutva push

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Hurriyat leaderand Kashmir’ chief cleric, who heads the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of various religious groups in the Valley, on Wednesday urged the government to immediately revoke the “coercive order” mandating the recitation of Vande Mataram in schools across Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the national song contained passages that were “un-Islamic.”

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Ina statement issued from Srinagar, the MMU expressed “seriousconcern’ overthe recent directive by the Union Territory's Department ofCultureinstructing schools across the region to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram by organizing musical and cultural programmes ensuring the participation ofall students and staff.