Wasim Rizvi, a former Shia Waqf Board chairman in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on Monday embraced Hinduism after Muslim groups sent him death threats for filing a plea in the Supreme Court to get some verses of the Quran removed.
He was converted by Swami Yati Narsinghanand, the head priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. His new name will be Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi, said Narsinghanand.
Sharing his new name, he tweeted in Hindi saying “Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi adopted Hinduism today. It feels like returning to the lap of one's own mother”.
In his will, Rizvi has stated that he wants his dead body to be cremated in accordance with Hindu rituals, not buried. He also mentioned that his funeral pyre should be lit by Hindu seer Narsinghanand of the Dasna temple in Ghaziabad.
Soon after he adopted Hinduism, people flooded Twitter with reactions - some approving of his move, others condemning his decision.
Meanwhile, many users from the Muslim community condemned his move.
Wasim Rizvi claimed in his public interest litigation that he received death threats after filing a petition in the top court, saying that some Quran verses "taught" or encouraged violence.
The petition was filed in March, but rejected in April, with the Supreme Court calling it “absolutely frivolous” and slapping him with an INR 50,000 ($663) fine.
He also received threats after he released a book on 4 November that allegedly portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in a bad light. The book, titled "Muhammad", sparked controversy, as several Muslim clerics said it had “objectionable comments” about the Islamic prophet.
Several complaints were also filed against Rizvi in various Indian states.