New Delhi: Reacting strongly to issuance of the fatwa by a Mufti in Agra excommunicating 54 Muslims after they reportedly expressed the view that singing of national song Vande Mataram was not un-Islamic, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today (March 10, 2004) said it reflected a "polluted mindset".

"The fatwa by fundamentalist Muslims against Vande Mataram is a reflection of their polluted mindset," VHP vice president Acharya Giriraj Kishore said.

"Worshipping the mother is not prohibited in any religion," he said, pointing out the song had inspired umpteen revolutionaries during the freedom struggle when many of them went to the gallows fearlessly chanting Vande Mataram," Kishore added.