Lucknow, July 28 - Taking serious note of a picture of Prophet Mohammed published in an officially prescribed textbook, the Uttar Pradesh Minorities Commission Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to the state government.

This followed an uproar among Islamic scholars and the clergy, who consider publication of the Prophet's picture 'blasphemy'.

'We have asked the state higher education department to clarify how it could give its go-ahead to a textbook, prescribed for B.Ed courses, to carry the picture of the Prophet,' newly-appointed minorities commission chairman S.M.A. Kazmi told IANS here.

The textbook is prescribed for the B.Ed course run by the Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University based in Faizabad.

The book titled 'Udayimaan Bhartiya Samaj ke Shikshak' (Teachers in Emerging Indian Society) is authored by Karan Singh, a retired university professor, and published by Lakhimpur-based Govind Prakashan.

Earlier, a meeting of Islamic scholars and clerics was convened at the Islamic Centre of India here Monday evening.