Prophets teaching vital than His hair: Pinaray

KOCHI: Downplaying the ‘holy hair’ row with AP Sunni faction leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliar, the CPM on Tuesday said the Prophet’s teaching needs to be given more importance than preserving his hair, nails or sweat, which become just ‘body wastes’ when they are being cut or removed from the body. “Instead of going after hair, skin or any other body parts, which are just human wastes, it is important that people follow the teaching and preaching of the Prophet,” CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.When asked about Kanthapuram’s statement that playing with religion would cause communal riots in the state, he said that nobody could dream of threatening the CPM in the name of religion, and that the party would never budge to such tactics.“We are not against any religion. I had mentioned the burning of the hair in context of the superstitions and evil practices that were prevalent in our society,” he explained. Stressing that the party had no intention to interfere in matters pertaining to any religion, he said that the stand taken by the party against factionalism was well known.At a seminar organised by the party, ahead of its 20th Congress, Vijayan had said that the Prophet Mohammed’s hair can also be burnt like any other person’s hair. Soon after this statement, the AP Sunni faction had warned the CPM of serious consequences if it interferes in religious matters.