Community seeks action on ground, Minority leaders today welcomed Narendra Modi’s thumbs-up to Indian Muslims’ patriotism but added that the Prime Minister had woken up to it very late and should now follow his words up with action. “We welcome Modi’s statement,” said Zafarul Islam Khan, head of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of Muslim organisations that had recently condemned the hate speeches by some Sangh parivar leaders during the campaign to last week’s by-elections. “Muslims have always been loyal to their country: there is no question mark about it. It has dawned so late on the Prime Minister….” According to excerpts made public today, Modi had told CNN in an interview that Indian Muslims “live and die for India” and would not “dance to their (al Qaida’s) tunes”. Father Cedric Prakash, a priest and rights activist based in Ahmedabad, said what Modi has asserted about the country’s Muslims was nothing new. “Indian Muslims have always lived and died for India. I do not see there was any need for reassessing it, anyway,” Sultan Ahmed, a Trinamul Congress MP and member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, welcomed Modi’s remark. But he said that what Modi needed to do was tell the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its student wing ABVP to stop their inflammatory speeches. “Muslims are always loyal to their motherland. Many of them sacrificed their lives for this country’s freedom. The community has always condemned terrorism. It’s high time that Narendra Modi asked saffron organisations to stop spreading hatred,” Ahmed said. Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, said Muslims did not need certificates from the Prime Minister. “Instead, he should punish those making hate speeches against Muslims. Why is his government silent on this?” he asked. Abdul Hameed Noumani, secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, suggested this was a “new” Modi saying something very positive and significant. “His statement is positive considering the ongoing communal strife in some parts of the country. What he said about Muslims is not new; (but) he is new. This is something very significant.” Kalyan Chaudhuri, former vice-president of the West Bengal Minorities Commission, said Modi’s words should be reflected in his government’s policies. “What he said is right and it’s always better late than never. Since he always talks about inclusive growth, his government should focus on improving the socio-economic condition of minorities, especially Muslims,” said Chaudhuri, a Buddhist.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 01:00:00 +0000