Register your religion “Muslim” as printed in Census form: Mushawarat

By TCN News,

New Delhi: All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat has appealed to Muslims to register their religion as “Muslim” – as it is printed in the Census 2011 form – and not insist on Islam as there is the word “Muslim” under religion section, not Islam.

“If you tell them your religion is Islam, not Muslim, it is most likely the illiterate Census workers will put your name in Other Religions section, and thus the actual number of Muslims will go down,” Dr Zafrul Islam Khan, Acting President of Mushawarat said in a statement today.

Commenting on the error in the Census form he said that the officials have erred to put Muslim as religion of Muslims. The religion of Muslims is Islam, not Muslim, he said. But he cautioned that correcting the error can be done only through court while the second and last part of the Census is going to start on 9th Feb 2011 so it is better to put your religion as Muslim for the greater interest of the community.

He appealed to the spread this message through statements and ads in newspapers, announcements from mosques and distributing handbills.