Sun 12 February 2023:
People who are converting their religion voluntarily and without any force too are being arrested, Maulana Mahmood Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said in New Delhi Saturday.
“We are against religious conversion by force, fraud, and greed. But, today people who are converting their religion voluntarily are also being sent to jail on false charges”, he said.
“Freedom of religion is a fundamental right. (But) There are many examples of agencies targeting the Muslim community, such as ban on Namaz, police action on them, and demolition and bulldozing of their homes”, he said.
“In the current situation, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind appeals to the RSS and its leaders to take practical steps and convince their affiliate organisations to throw off the cloak of hatred and sectarianism.
‘No grudge against Santan Dharma’
Maulana Madani said Muslims are not opposed to Sanatan Dharma and BJP and RSS too should not hate promotion of Islam.
“We have no grudge against promotion of Santan Dharma, nor should you have any grudge against the promotion of Islam, as Swami Vivekananda had said I am firmly persuaded that without the help of practical Islam, theories of Vedantism, however fine and wonderful they may be, are entirely valueless to the vast mass of mankind. I see in my mind’s eye the future perfect India rising out of this chaos and strife, glorious and invincible, with Vedanta brain and Islam body.”
“India belongs to all”
Maulana Madani further said that India belongs to him as much as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.
“India is our country. This country belongs to Mahmood Madani as much as it belongs to Narendra Modi and Mohan Bhagwat. Neither Mahmood is an inch ahead of them, nor are they one inch ahead of Mahmood”, Maulana Madani said while speaking at the inaugural plenary session of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital.
“Rising hate against Muslims and Islam worrisome”
Maulana Madani expressed his concerns about the increasing incidents of Islamophobia and hate speech in the country, stressing that neither he nor his organization believe in nurturing hatred for anyone.
“But yes, we do not agree with the views of RSS or BJP”, he said.
Maulana Madani also said that the percentage of people spreading hatred in the country is very small.
“The majority of people in India are still secular and believe in tolerance”, he said.
“Mob lynching shameful for India”
He said that incidents of targetted attacks and mob lynching, especially of Dalits and Muslims, are undoubtedly very sad and shameful for the country.
He said, he invites RSS and its leader Mohan Bhagwat and his followers to eschew mutual hatred and enmity and embrace each other and make India the most developed and ideal country in the world.
He further said the efforts of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and its leaders are part of the golden history of India’s past and present, the ideals and philosophy of united nationalism and Hindu-Muslim unity is the legacy given by them. In contrast, the current interpretation of Hinduism and the aggressive sectarianism being promoted in the name of Hindutva do not match the basic ethos of this country.
“We want to make it clear that our differences with the BJP and RSS are ideological. We do not have any religious or ethnic enmity with them”, he said.
“In the current dark atmosphere of hatred, we welcome and support all those who are trying to initiate a dialogue and understand each other’s ideas in order to foster stronger mutual relations”, he said.
SOURCE: Ummid
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