A case of two syednas

As the long and bitter battle for the title of Syedna enters the final stages of hearing the Dawoodi Bohras are eager to find out who the Bombay High Court will declare as the Dai alMutlaq Syedna the rightful supreme spiritual leader of the communityHow it startedFor the uninitiated on the death of Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin the 52nd Dai in 2014 his son Mufaddal Saifuddin and halfbrother Khuzaima Qutbuddin both staked claim to the post The former announced himself as the 53rd Dai alMutlaq basis a lsquonassrsquo being done on him in 2011 after his father suffered a debilitating stroke He assumed control of the Dawoodi Bohra administration and infrastructure The latter filed a lawsuit in the Bombay HC on the basis that he was secretly chosen as the successor in 1965 And thereby a peaceloving community that looks up to their Syedna for every aspect of their life was divided over two leaders with stark opposite viewsSyedna Mufaddal Saifuddin File picShadab KhanAccording to faith and Dawoodi Bohra doctrine nassmdashan appointment of successionmdashis done by divine inspiration on any member from the community who has achieved a station deserving of it and therefore it cannot be changed This was the position taken by Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin in court He was the mazoon second in command during the lifetime of the 52nd Dai When Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin passed away in 2016 his son Taher Fakhruddin continued the legal battle as a lsquonassrsquo was conferred on him before the demise of his father making him the 54th Dai alMutlaq as he claimsThe divideThe battle between the two syednas has led to uncertainty and disputes within the community Recalling the events that followed immediately after Syedna Burhanuddinrsquos death Mustafa Saifuddin Lokhandwala a 27yearold lawyer said ldquoIt showed me a side of our community that I had never seen before The cursing and violence that came against Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin and his followersmdashincluding my familymdashwere shocking There were threats divorces and hurdles in burial due to the divide The death of Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin was celebrated with the bursting of firecrackers and the burning of his effigiesrdquoDevotees pray inside MazaareQutbi the mausoleum of Khuzaima Qutbuddin in Thane West on Sunday PicAnurag AhireSakina Shabbir a 28yearold professor who had to move homes from Crawford Market to Thane due to the death threats to her brother recalled ldquoThe night after Syedna Burhanuddin passed away Syedna Qutbuddin put forth a statement that he was the rightful successor We as a family pledged our allegiance to him at his Thane residence The following morning somebody broadcast my brotherrsquos photo as the one responsible for spreading the message of the nass and declared that he should be beaten up We lived in Crawford Market all our lives but after these threats we couldnrsquot any more So we along with six other families stayed with Syedna Qutbuddin at his residence in Thane Thereafter we rented flatsrdquoBoth Shabbir and Lokhandwala are in awe of Syedna Taher Fakhruddinrsquos knowledge and his tendency to tie logic to religion ldquoI hope that those who are currently held back due to fear and control tactics will find the courage to follow their hearts when the truth comes out The repercussions of a split would be disastrous given Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddinrsquos radical and regressive policies against women and educationrdquo said Shabbir The admiration for Syedna Taher Fakhruddin comes from Bohras settled abroad as well Sakina Bhaigora a 25yearold Canadian resident said ldquo I understand that the community has already suffered a fracture but we believe Syedna Taher Fakhruddin will connect with everyone to try and heal the hurtrdquoThe other circleOn the other hand Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin has in the past adopted a conservative approach In one of his sermons he told girls to study only home science and to stay within the confines of their home He told men to throw their wives out if they donrsquot wear hijab And he appears to support female genital mutilation FGMmidday spoke to Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddinrsquos followers but they were hesitant One of them on condition of anonymity said ldquoWe cannot speak either good or bad about him as we fear being socially boycotted Everything from our birth to death marriage permission for honeymoon how we bring up our children and the way we do business is guided by our SyednardquoAnother added ldquoCorruption nurturing of fear ostracisation and divideandrule tactics may not necessarily come from the Syedna but from people on the admin level who instil this fearrdquo An entrepreneur who was all praise for Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin for the work he does for women entrepreneurs didnrsquot want to come on record either for the fear of being ostracised for talking to the media without raza consentlsquoPower play a key factorrsquoDr Amita Valmiki associate professor and head of Philosophy department Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala College Ghatkopar said that one thing thatrsquos common in politics and religion is power play ldquoIn the case of Dawoodi Bohras the community gives final authority to the lsquocommunity leaderrsquo They have the right to excommunicate the member if someone challenges the leadership For the excommunicated there is no entry in the mosque and no proper burial rites even though the constitutional laws are against itrdquoBesides control over the community another factor that is at stake is control over the vast resources including trusts properties and pilgrimage sites In a sermon delivered last month Syedna Taher Fakhruddin said that people accuse him and his followers of fighting for wealth and power ldquo I do this for the right guidance the wellbeing and future of the community that is my only concern and driving force for which I have dedicated my liferdquo he had saidThe court matterJustice Gautam Patel is presiding over the hearings to ascertain the succession of Dai alMutlaq Syedna Anand Desai of DSK Legal is arguing on behalf of Syedna Taher Fakhruddin and Senior Advocate Fredun DirsquoVitre along with senior counsels Iqbal Chagla and Janak Dwarkadas and others are representing Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin Desai told midday ldquo It will be for the losing party to decide whether to stay in the community or form his ownmdashas has happened in the past The court is concerned with the legal outcomerdquo Syedna Taher Fakhruddin told midday that he canrsquot comment on the merits of the case or its potential outcome since it is subjudiceldquoThe suit was filed by my father to fulfil his duty to guide the community along the same path as has been forged by his predecessors The very future of the community and its identity as a moral forwardlooking educated cohesive and prosperous community which is a force for spreading goodwill around the globe is at stake That is why my father risked everything including his safety to fight for the truth and justice for the community That is why the community is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the case waiting for us to bring about a muchneeded change in the communityrdquoNo of people in the Dawoodi Bohra community5LIn India1mnAcross the world