Islamic seminaries in Andhra Pradesh have issued a 'fatwa' against the Andhra Pradesh government's move to provide reservations to Muslims in professional educational institutions and government jobs on the basis of caste system.

Pointing out that all are equal among Muslims and there is no caste system in Islam," six well-known seminaries issued a 'fatwa' against the government's proposal to divide the Muslims into various caste-based groups for the purpose of earmarking four percent reservations for them. They ruled this type of division on caste basis was unacceptable under Shariat Law.

Muslims constitute about nine percent of 76 million population of Andhra Pradesh. On May 18, the state government had appointed P S Krishnan, a retired bureaucrat, as Advisor on Backward Classes Welfare. In his voluminous report on identification of socially and educationally backward classes in Muslim community, submitted on June 11, the advisor recommended splitting the Muslim community into several distinct socially and educationally backward groups and providing four percent reservations to 14 such groups.

The AP Backward Classes Commission has put the Krishnan Report on the state government's website for inviting views and suggestions from Muslims and fixed public hearings at six places -- Kadapa, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Guntur, Ongole and Hyderabad -- from June 23 to 26.

"Muslims all over the world are equal. There is no distinction of caste, color or race among them. Therefore, creating distinction among them for reservations is improper under Shariat," Jamia Nizamia, the 125-year-old Islamic University based in Hyderabad, said in its fatwa or edict.

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi said backwardness should be the sole criterion for providing reservations to Muslims. "Andhra Pradesh government should follow the Karnataka model where reservations are provided to Muslims without creating any such distinctions," he said.

The State government had issued an order in 2004 providing five percent quota to Muslims. It enacted a legislation in 2005 after the high court struck down the government order. The legislation was also set aside by another division bench of the high court.