Fatwa issued against actor-politician Joseph Vijay for ‘inviting drunkards and gamblers’ to iftar party, Maulana Razvi says his movies portray Muslims as terrorists
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilly, the National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat and Chief Mufti of Chashme Darul Ifta, has issued a fatwa against Tamil Nadu actor-politician Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, accusing him of being ‘anti-Muslim’. This comes after the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president hosted an Iftar party last month.
Shahabuddin Razvi claimed that Joseph Vijay invited alcoholics and gamblers to Iftar, which he deemed illicit and sinful from an Islamic perspective. The Sunni cleric went on to advise Tamil Nadu Muslims against trusting Vijay as he said that the latter is using Muslims to climb the political ladder, while in his movies, he presents Muslims as terrorists.
“Vijay Thalapathy is using Muslim sentiments to make his way into politics from the film world, when his history is full of anti-Muslim sentiment. In his film ‘The Beast’, he has linked Muslims and the entire Muslim community with terrorism and militancy. In the film, Thalapathy tries to show Muslims as ‘monsters’ and ‘devils’. And now, since he is entering politics and he wants votes, he is doing Muslim appeasement,” the Maulana said.
Further accusing the TVK leader of tarnishing the ‘sanctity’ of Ramzan by inviting troublemakers to his Iftar party who neither follow Islamic traditions nor observe Roza. He also advised Muslims to “distance themselves from Vijay Thalapathy, not attend his programmes and not invite him to their religious programmes.”
The maulana alleged that in the movie ‘Beast’, Vijay linked Muslims and the entire Muslim community with terrorism and militancy. “In the film, Thalapathy tries to show Muslims as ‘monsters’ and ‘devils’. And now since he is entering politics and he wants votes, he is doing Muslim appeasement,” he said.
Maulana Razvi stated that people invited to the iftar party hosted by Vijay were neither fasting nor following Islamic practices, and they were “drunkards and troublemakers”. The Fatwa stated that Sunni Muslims in Tamil Nadu have already filed a police complaint over the matter.
“…He has formed a political party and maintained cordial relations with Muslims. However, he has portrayed Muslims in a negative way as those who spread terrorism in his films…In his Iftar party, gamblers and liquor consumers were invited. Due to all this, Sunni Muslims of Tamil Nadu are angry with him. They asked for a fatwa. So, in my answer, I have issued a fatwa mentioning that Muslims should not stand with Vijay…” he continued.
Notably, on 11th March, the Tamil Nadu Sunnath Jamath filed a complaint against Joseph Vijay with the Chennai Police Commissioner, accusing the actor-politician of organising a “poorly managed” Iftar party on 8th March, where he invited drunkards who had nothing to do with Iftar and thus insulted Muslims.
“Muslims were insulted at the Iftar programme organised by Vijay. We believe the participation of drunkards and rowdies who had nothing to do with fasting or Iftar has insulted Muslims,” Sunnat Jamath’s treasurer Syed Kous said.
The actor had hosted the iftar party on 7th March at Chennai’s YMCA grounds. Vijay wore a skull cap at the event, and participated in the evening namaz before the feast.
Interestingly, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay recently filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025.
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