Women watching men playing football with bare knees against Islam: Darul Uloom Deoband

Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has yet again issued a bizarre statement concerning women. This time, it’s about a game of football and women watching the same.

Mufti Athar Kasmi of Darul Uloom Deoband on Monday said that it was against religious belief for women to watch men playing football games. His concern is about women watching men playing with bare knees.

“Football is played wearing shorts, so watching men playing with bare knees is forbidden for women, it’s against religious belief,” said Mufti Athar Kasmi.

This is not the first time that the Islamic seminary has come up with a bizarre stand on an issue. Earlier this month, it had issued a fatwa asking Muslims to avoid marriages in families whose members are in banking jobs.

Darul Uloom Deoband had issued a fatwa asking Muslims to avoid families that raise 'haram' (illegitimate) money earned from a banking job and instead look for a "pious" family while considering marriage proposals.

The seminary gave its diktat to a query from a person in which he had stated that he had a few proposals for marriage from families where the father earned money from a banking job in India.

"Obviously, the family is raised on 'haram' money. Is it preferable to marry in such families?" he had sought to know from the fatwa section of Darul Uloom (Darul Ifta).

In its reply, the seminary's fatwa had said, "Marrying in such a family is avoidable and not preferable. Those who are nourished with 'haram' (illegitimate) wealth usually they are not good in respect to instinct and morals. Hence, it should be avoided. One should find out a match in some pious family."

In Islam, money has no intrinsic value; money, therefore, cannot be sold at a profit and is permitted to be used as per Shariat only.

Islamic banks work on the principles of an interest-free banking. Riba or interest under Islamic law basically means anything in excess - the investor should not make an undue profit from the hard work of the other.