New Delhi – A group of Indian Muslim religious leaders met with the Home Minister Amit Shah and brought up incidents of clashes between communities following Ram Navami and hate speech.
President of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Maulana Mahmood Madani, secretary Niyaz Faruqui, and members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Kamal Faruqui and Professor Akhtarul Wasey headed the delegation.
Niyaz Faruqui told the media that the delegation brought up 14 issues that the nation is currently facing. The meeting’s main subjects included recent incidents of communal violence in Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra, he said.
“This was a different Amit Shah from the one we see delivering political speeches. He responded positively, he heard us in detail, he was not in a denial mode”, he said.
The incidents occurred during Ram Navami processions, many of which occurred in state that are not BJP-ruled. While the BJP claims that their gatherings were attacked, the opposition parties claim that the BJP was the one who instigated the violence in order to advance its political objectives.
The Muslim leaders also raised the incident in Bihar’s Nalanda in which a madrasa was set on fire, Mr Faruqui said.
Additionally, the murders of Junaid and Nasir, two Bharatpur, Rajasthan, citizens, were discussed. On February 15, Nasir (25) and Junaid (35) were reportedly kidnapped by cow vigilantes. The following morning, their bodies were discovered inside a burned-out vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani.
The Muslim delegation claimed that they had brought up leaders of the BJP’s hate speeches. He explained that since there are a variety of individuals, it is improper to view them all through the same lens. He claimed that the government was not engaged. We informed him that Muslims become unhappy due to your inaction. He promised to investigate it, Mr. Faruqui said.
“We didn’t go after any leaders, that wasn’t our intention. Our intention was to foster collaboration and alter the atmosphere in the nation”, he continued.
He claimed that the topics of same-sex weddings and the Uniform Civil Code were also covered. He said, “We conveyed our position, but he made no response”.
Mr. Faruqui responded that this was a “breaking ice” discussion when asked how satisfied the Muslim delegation was with their meeting with the Home Minister.
“We have taken action, but we are not speaking on the government’s behalf. I practise what I teach, Mr. Shah declared. Let’s see, then”.
