Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani appealed on Saturday to Muslims to dispel misconceptions about their community and counter communalism by easing hardships faced by non-Muslim neighbours. Speaking at the Hindu-Muslim Ittehad Conference, he urged outreach to people of other faiths to convey Islam’s message of love, affection and tolerance.
Madani asked the community to invite non-Muslim neighbours to local madrassas at least once a year to counter propaganda. He said they should explain madrassa teachings and share the Muslim way of life, principles and beliefs to remove misunderstandings.
Alleging a rise in communalism, Madani said Muslims had faced harm under previous Congress and other governments, yet Islam itself was not targeted then. He claimed that now both Muslims and their religion, beliefs and principles face attack.
He called on Muslims to stand with non-Muslim brethren in joy and sorrow and to resolve their difficulties. Hatred cannot be fought with more hatred, he said, but only with love, affection and brotherhood.
Madani urged every true Indian to build an atmosphere of love and harmony against sectarianism. The national mood would improve, he added, if Muslims embodied Islam’s true spirit and conveyed brotherhood through character and actions. Islam’s growth worldwide showed it did not preach killing or oppression, he noted.
Later, speaking to reporters, Madani addressed protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over paper leaks, saying the issue needed a sympathetic approach given its impact on lakhs of young people. He called the Rampur Development Authority’s order to demolish Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University completely wrong, arguing that fines could address any flaws but the institution should remain open for thousands of students. On the Supreme Court’s mediation proposal in the Varanasi Gyanvapi case, he said dialogue could not proceed without willingness from both sides.
The event also featured addresses by Vishwambhar Nath Mishra of Varanasi’s Sankat Mochan Temple, senior advocate Indira Jaising, and representatives of Christian, Buddhist and Sikh communities.
