On a day when the head of the influential Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, Maulana Gulam Mohammed Vastanvi said that he hasn’t resigned from his post as yet, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Qari Mohammed Usman Mansoorpuri said that it was up to Darul Uloom’s Majlis-e-shoora (governing council) to accept Maulana Vastanvi’s resignation or maintain status quo.
Maulana Mansoorpuri was forced to issue a statement here on Thursday in the wake of swirling rumours that he has quit as the JUH president and has been appointed the new rector of Darul Uloom. He said, “Only majlis-e-shoora of the seminary is authorised and responsible for appointing any mohtamim.” He also said that the on-going row is “painful” for him.
Maulana Vastanvi, who was appointed mohtamim (vice-chancellor) of the powerful Darul Uloom, told reporters in Baroda that he had not resigned from the post and that a decision on the matter will be taken by the governing council when it meets on February 23.
Amidst reports that the criticism of Maulana Vastanvi is being fuelled by the conciliatory moves being made by two rival JUH factions, headed by Mualana Arshad Madani and his nephew, Maulan Mahmood Madani, the JUH president told this newspaper, “It will be the shoora that will decide on the next vice-chancellor in Deoband. The shoora appointed him and the shoora will consider his haalat (situation).”
The shoora is a 21-member body, though currently it has some two or three vacancies. Though normally, the vice-chancellor does not have to face an election, Maulana Vastanvi was part of the three-cornered contest getting eight votes. Maulana Arshad Madani came second obtaining eight votes while two votes went to the person in third position.