Saturday, December 25 2004 17:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Lucknow: The All India Muslim Law Board (AIMPLB), an apex body of the Muslims in the country, today (Dec 25, 2004) distanced itself from the reported excommunication of the main witness in the best bakery case Zaheera Shiekh by a Bhopal based Majlis-e-Shura organisation, saying no one could be ostracised as long as he or she was faithful to Islam.

"No one can be ostracised from Islam so long he declares his faith in the tenets of Islam," AIMPLB assistant general secretary Abdul Rehman Qureshi told reporters in Lucknow.

Denying that the Board had accorded its approval to the Shura's decision, Qureshi said they were not aware of any such organisation.

He also said that the matter did not come up for discussion during the Board's executive committee meeting.

Qureshi said no one was authorised "to ostracise" any body from Islam as long as he adhered to the principles of the religion.

When asked whether Zaheera's actions were "unIslmaic", he merely said the matter was not under the jurisdiction of the Board.