PROPHET’S PHOTOGRAPH IN TEXTBOOK IRKS MUSLIMS

A locally-published kindergarten book used across private schools in Manipur shows the Prophet with flowing beard and turban and holding a book-like object. He features on page 51 with five other ‘Indian deities’ - Ganesh, Vishnu, Saraswati, Jesus and Mary. “Mohammed was against portraits of himself and not creating his picture has become kind of a rule since then. According to Islam, there is no picture or photo of the Prophet. How can he be depicted when no one in the world knows how he looked like? This is against Islam,” Md Burhanuddin, advisor of Pangal Students’ Organisation, said. Manipuri Muslims are called Pangals. Members of PSO and other organisations such as Popular Front of India (PFI, Manipur unit) and Pangal Political Forum burnt copies of the contentious kindergarten book on June 24. Some copies, collected from schools and shops were also burnt a day earlier.