'India Belongs to Modi, Bhagwat But...': Jamiat Chief Madani Flags 'Rise' in Islamophobia, Thanks PM for... | WATCH

During the three-day plenary session of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, President Maulana Mahmood Madani reiterated his stance on a rise in Islamophobia in the country and raised a demand for a separate law to punish those inciting violence against minorities. He said the country belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat, but also belongs to his ownself.

Addressing a gathering in the national capital, Madani said, “India is our country and it 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.” He also said he doesn’t have a problem with BJP or RSS.

During his address, Madani also thanked PM Modi for sending aid to Turkey which has been hit by massive earthquakes, killing hundreds of thousands of people. “The government’s efforts to help Turkey are not merely for optics. The Modi government is making all possible efforts to help Turkey — at this time of crisis. This is a good part of India’s foreign policy,” he said.

Jamiat’s 34th General Session began at the Ram Lila ground under the presidentship of its chief Maulana Mahmood Madani on Friday. The organization passed several resolutions including one on alleged rise in the hate campaign and Islamophobia in the country.

“Islam is Oldest Religion in Country”

Rubbishing claims that Islam came from outside India, Mahmood Madani said Islam is the oldest religion in this country. “This land is the first homeland of Muslims. Saying that Islam is a religion that came from outside is totally wrong and baseless. Islam is the oldest religion among all religions. India is the best country for Hindi Muslims.” Madani said.

“The rise in Islamophobia, besides cases of hatred and incitement against the Muslims community, has increased to an alarming level in our country, in the recent past,” he further alleged.

Centre’s “Ostrich-like” approach to Islamophobia

Madani alleged that the Central government is aware of the rise in Islamophobia yet chooses to have an “ostrich-like” approach The Jamiat said it wants to draw the attention of the government on how to ensure the integrity and build a positive image of the country, a PTI report said.

Talking about religious conversion, Madani said the Jamiat is against doing it forcefully. “Freedom of religion is a fundamental right. We are also against conversion by force, fraud and greed,” he said.

However, coming back to his claims of Islamophobia in India, Madani said, “There are many examples of agencies targeting the Muslim community, such as the ban on Namaz, police action on them, and bulldozer action.”

Madani on Child Marriage crackdown in Assam

Talking about arrests related to child marriages in Assam, Madani said the crackdown shouldn’t look aimed at one particular community. “The action being taken against parents of children in Assam should not happen and the crackdown against child marriage shouldn’t look as if the action is only being taken against one particular community. If something is being done against a particular community, then people will raise their voices,” said Madani while talking to ANI.

He further said that with the kind of atmosphere created in the country, efforts are being made to create distance among people in the name of religion, which is worrying.

According to Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Uniform Civil Code, religious freedom and Muslim personal law and autonomy of madrassas are among some issues that will be discussed in the convention. Further, it said a proposal can be brought to provide reservation for socio-economically backward Muslims.

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