Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed ignited controversy on Thursday by claiming that Mathematics was introduced to the world through Islam. Speaking to ANI, Mohamed described Islam as a “progressive and scientific religion that thinks about the future.”
Her comments were met with sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s IT Cell, reacted on X, saying, “I think she has decided that Rahul Gandhi alone cannot make all the absurd statements in the Congress.”
"Maths has come through Islam.."
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) March 6, 2025
Now this is new! Even the most staunch Islamic scholars haven't claimed this, yet here a doctor is saying it—despite the widely known fact that mathematics existed thousands of years before Islam. pic.twitter.com/vAvFrJha4O
This controversy follows backlash against Mohamed for a recent post where she termed Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma “fat” and “unfit to be captain.” The Congress party reprimanded her and instructed her to delete the post.
Her post read, “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had.”
During her interaction with ANI, Mohamed also addressed the uproar surrounding Muslim cleric Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi’s comments on Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami. The cleric had criticized Shami for not observing Roza during Ramzan, calling it a crime under Shariat law.
Defending Shami, Mohamed said, “…In Islam, there is a very important thing during Ramzan. When we are travelling, we don’t need to fast (Roza), so Mohammed Shami is travelling and he’s not at his own place. He’s playing a sport where he can be very thirsty. Nobody insists that when you’re playing a sport, you have to fast…It is your deeds which are very important. It (Islam) is a very scientific religion…”
Shia cleric Maulana Yassob Abbas also criticized Bareilvi’s remarks, saying, “Religion is not about compulsion. Many do not fast, but why single out Shami?”
The series of statements has sparked heated debates on religion, science, and freedom of choice, drawing mixed reactions across political and religious circles.
