Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chief asks Muslim youth to avoid garba events

The chairperson of the Chhattisgarh Waqf Board, Salim Raj, on Tuesday appealed to Muslim youths to avoid participating in garba events during the ongoing Navratri festival, The Hindu reported.

Waqf boards are state-level bodies that manage charitable endowments made by Muslims for community and religious welfare.

In a statement shared on the board’s WhatsApp group, Raj said that garba was not “an ordinary dance event” but a devotional folk performance in worship of Hindu deity Durga.

“If the Muslim community does not believe in idol worship, they should stay away from religious events like garba,” the statement added.

Garba is a Gujarati folk dance, performed in a circular pattern around a lamp or an idol, symbolising Durga. It is performed during the Navratri festival, which beg