Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 11: Mahmood Madani, the leader of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, sparked debate when he asserted that Islam is the world’s oldest religion. Speaking at the organization’s 34th General Session on Friday, he added that he and those like him belong to India just as much as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat do.
The leader of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind also said that Muslims originated in India. He added that it is unfounded and incorrect to claim that Islam is an immigrant religion. Madani referred to India as the ideal country for Muslim Hindus.
“India is our country. As much as this country belongs to Narendra Modi and Mohan Bhagwat, equally, this country belongs to Mahmood. Neither Mahmood is one inch ahead of them nor are they one inch ahead of Mahmood,” the Jamiat chief said at the session.
“This land is the first homeland of Muslims. Saying that Islam is a religion that came from outside is totally wrong & baseless. Islam is the oldest religion among all religions. India is the best country for Hindi Muslims,” he added.
Mahmood Madani also expressed worry over the country’s allegedly rising Islamophobia and hate speech. On Sunday, the gathering’s plenary session will take place.
A prominent Muslim organisation, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, raised the issue of an alleged rise in Islamophobia during the meeting and called for the enactment of a special law that would explicitly punish individuals who encourage violence against minorities. According to the news agency PTI, the organisation passed numerous resolutions, one of which addressed the purported escalation of hate crimes and Islamophobia in the nation.
“The rise in Islamophobia, besides cases of hatred and incitement against the Muslim community, has increased to an alarming level in our country in the recent past,” the Jaimiat alleged.
“The most regrettable point is that though the government is aware of these developments, it prefers to adopt an ostrich-like approach,” it alleged.
In an effort to uphold the integrity and promote a favourable perception of India, the Muslim organisation claimed it wanted to draw the attention of the government. Strict action against individuals and the media involved in propagating hatred was one of the measures the Jamiat suggested should be done.
