Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Nov 8 (IANS): Clerics in Deoband, the renowned Islamic seminary, have strongly disapproved of Muslim women in Lucknow and Agra for observing the Hindu ritual of 'Karva Chauth fast this year.

The clerics have termed the trend as "un-Islamic".

Aisha Ahmad, a Muslim woman who observed Karva Chauth this year for the first this year, said: "We want to celebrate all festivals as a symbol of communal harmony. There was no intention to show disrespect to Islam."

"Karva Chauth is not in Islam. And those who are adopting it have nothing to do with Islam. There is a provision of Roza for those who follow Islam. But, despite this, if someone observes Karva Chauth, it is her choice. Islam does not force anyone," said Mufti Asad Qasmi, a cleric in Deoband.

Another scholar of Islamic studies and patron of Jamiat Dawat Ul Muslimeen, Maulana Kari Ishaq Gora, said, "Every religion has its set of rules and regulations. Karva Chauth in not there in Islam."