Syedna Taher Fakhruddin: They use fear as a tool of suppression

Taher Fakhruddin was anointed the 54th Syedna last month by his followersLess than a fortnight after his faction coronated him the 54th Syedna spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community Taher Fakhruddin spoke exclusively to midday about the growing rift with Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin the 53rd Darsquoi alMutlaq condemned the communityrsquos practice of female genital mutilation and revealed what went on behind closed doors when the title of Syedna was ldquousurpedrdquoAlso read Bohra succession row As court battle rages the rebel syedna ascendsSyedna Taher Fakhruddin says his sermons are followed by thousands of followersOn January 23 the Fakhruddin faction had kicked off a threeday celebration to mark his 50th birthday by formally crowning him Syedna The TakhteNashini ceremony was seen as an official challenge to Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddinrsquos ascension as the 53rd Darsquoi alMutlaq The succession battle has been fought in courts for the last three yearsExcerpts from an interview with Fakhruddin at his Thane residence on SundayIs the rift between the two factions Saifuddin and Fakhruddin becoming stronger by the dayYes there is a rift but stronger is a relative term It exists because of the dispute regarding the wrongful usurping of the Syednarsquos seat of assets and other community property and misguiding the community the very same things for which my father late Khuzaima Qutbuddin had to go to court The rift will get wider with time the sooner it gets resolved the betterWhy do you believe that the title of Syedna was wrongfully usurpedMy father was anointed by Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin who died in Jan 2014 to be his successor right from the beginning He was appointed secondincommand when he was only 27 Syedna Burhanuddin saw the light in him at an early age and put him in that position For 25 years all of Syedna Burhanuddinrsquos sons prostrated in front of my father showing allegiance loyalty and respect to his position until they finally grew up They the sons took advantage of his the then Syednarsquos ill health and were speaking on his behalf They even attacked my brothers in a place of worshipAlso read Bohra succession row How can you claim to be a Dawoodi BohraWhy is the Bohra community dividedThe reason this community is divided is because of fear mdash a vicious tool that they the opposing faction have continuously used in the community be it to control financial institutions or other services They constantly monitor the lives of people from scanning cards for attendance at mosques to sending teams to homes to ensure compliance Are we a communist regime that we need to do this The tool of fear mdash of social boycott mdash is an invisible threat to the people They make it such that if you do not comply with their rules you will be socially boycotted People wonrsquot attend your familyrsquos marriages Organising the funeral of loved ones will become a problem This is what you call practising death by society Why arenrsquot people speaking up against this socalled fear tacticPeople are afraid because if they do so they will be penalised at every step When people stand up to them the Saifuddin faction they are thrown into disarray which is apparent from many of my people who are going through this today when they are standing up to persecution extortion and bullyingWhat is your take on FGM female genital mutilationI have condemned FGM categorically It is unIslamic and horrific And I have prescribed that khafz be done as per the choice of the woman on reaching adulthood This guidance is out of caring and love for the community Those who want to instil fear in the community said this procedure must be done even on minor girls even if it means breaking the law They cracked down on these women for even raising the issue Religion is about freedom mdash let people make their own choice Forcing someone is wrongWhat is your strategy to attract more followersI am not worried about numbers My concern is for the goodness of the community its principles and for the truth Having said that the community is my community They see what is in front of them They see the fear being perpetrated by those currently usurping the administration and they also see the love understanding and openness based on principles of accountability and transparency in administration that we practiseAlso read Following Khuzaima Qutbuddins death battle for supremacy in Bohra community takes a new turnThey also see the institutions of civil society and social welfare that are being run for the people by us Seeing our vision hundreds of thousands are engaged with us a large proportion of the community who want change and positive forwardlooking leadership More and more people are coming to us to express not only their loyalty but also their support and service for the cause Hundreds of thousands of community members visited our website millions of times last year Hundreds of thousands view my sermons on YouTubeWhat is your message to the community and your followersAs a Muslim leader I would say drop the word lsquotolerancersquo from your vocabulary and replace it with lsquoacceptancersquo Donrsquot be afraid We live in a free country where all of us have equal rights Letrsquos not stick to legacy for legacyrsquos sake We know how politics worksmdashthe more you suppress the more the people will oppress To all the perpetrators of fear You will not succeed God is with us and we stand united