The Darul Uloom Deoband has issued a fatwa banning female foeticide, pointing out that Islam doe not allow selective abortion, reported the Times of India. "It's the first fatwa against sex-selective abortions. The act is against Islam and there is no grace in the eye of Allah for those doing it," said Deoband spokesperson Maulana Ashraf Usmani.
In 2001, there were 950 girls up to age six for every 1,000 boys of the same age in the community. However, in 2011, the number of girls went down to 943. "We appeal to Muslims to refrain from any act which discriminates the girl child. Our vice chancellor has termed sex-selective abortions cold-blooded murders," Usmani added. Darul Uloom Deoband is the largest Islamic seminary in India. It is based out of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh
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