A viral video of Maulana Jarjis Ansari claiming Lord Krishna was Muslim and offered namaz five times a day has triggered protests, with Hindu groups demanding his arrest. The speech, delivered in Jharkhand on June 23, resurfaced amid the Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute.
Cleric cites Bhagavad Gita to justify claim
Ansari referenced Chapter 6, Verse 10 of the Bhagavad Gita, arguing it instructed devotees to worship with the "whole body" and implied Lord Krishna performed daily prayers. The verse, however, translates to a call for meditation in solitude, with no mention of namaz or Islam.
"If our brothers do not mind, then even Krishna ji used to offer prayers five times a day," Ansari said, urging Hindus to study their scriptures to "start loving Islam." He asserted Islam was a universal faith preached by Lord Ram and Lord Krishna as well.
Past controversies and legal convictions
Ansari has faced prior backlash. In 2022, a video surfaced where he stated a Muslim woman must not refuse her husband’s sexual advances, even during labor. He cited this as a "prophetic commandment."
That same year, a Varanasi court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for raping a woman in 2016 under the pretext of marriage. The court also imposed a Rs 10,000 fine. The complainant alleged repeated assaults, blackmail, and false promises of marriage, leading to an FIR in 2015.
