Masjlis-e-Shura declares Zaheera an outcast

Masjlis-e-Shura, one of the apex decision-making bodies of Muslims, on Friday declared Zaheera Sheikh, the prime witness in the Best Bakery carnage case, a 'dissembler' and ousted her from the minority community for 'tarnishing its image by making false statements', All India Muslim Tehwar Committee said in Bhopal.

"Zaheera was declared munafiq (dissembler) and ousted from the Muslim community," committee chairman Ousaf Shahmiri Khurram said. The decision has the consent of the Muslim Personal Law Board.

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"The decision to outcast Zaheera from the Muslim community was taken unanimously, in view of the expose by Tehelka, at a meeting of over 500 representatives from different organisations, including Muslim Personal Law Board member Maulana Yaseen Usmani and Ulema Council member Maulana Abdul Sattar," Khurram said.

"It was found that Zaheera had been acting against the preaching of Koran by continuously making false statements about the Best Bakery carnage case," he said adding. "Her actions had tarnished the image of Muslims before the people of this country.

"Muslim clerics and the office-bearers of different organisations were of the belief that Zaheera had not followed the principles of Islam and Koran. She had insulted it by lying on different platforms," the committee chairman said.

Representatives from Muslim League, National Secularism Front, Jameeyat Faroq-e-Islam, Ahle Sunnat Jamat, Anjuman-e-Muslemin and Jamat-e-Asna Ashri also attended the Majlis-e-Shura, held under the banner of All India Muslim Tehwar Committee at Islami Markaj mosque in Bhopal .

Others included representatives from Muslim Makrani Jamat, Darul Usloom Tahfeem-ul-Quran, Madrasa Yaseen-ul-Uloom, Muslim Manjoori Jamant, Tanjeem Imam-e-Moajjanin, Tanjeem-e-Abbasia, Anjuman-e-Mominin Tanjeem Khuddam-e-Vatan and Anjuman-e-Chistia among others, were also present at the meeting, Khurram said.