Eliminating communalism, improving the environment, opening separate educational institutes for girls after class 8, running a voter awareness campaign, and adding new names to the voters’ lists were among other issues discussed at the party meeting in Deoband.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Criticising the incessant Israeli bombing of Gaza, Maulana Arshad Madani, president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, said Palestinians are “fighting for their freedom” while the Israelis are “attacking” them.
“The war in Gaza cannot be won in one go, but we have to make sacrifices for it in the same way as we did for the freedom of our country,” he said.
Addressing a party meeting in Deoband on Monday, Maulana Madani said people unfamiliar with the history of Palestine speak nonsense. There was no Israel, he said, but after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the United States, Great Britain and other powers conspired together and settled the Jews there.
He further said sectarianism has taken an amazing global form. It can be seen in the ongoing war on Gaza when Jews and all Christian countries are not only united against the people of Palestine, but they are openly supporting Israel. Some people want to make it a world war, but if the land of Arabia is made a battlefield, then none of the Muslims will be safe,” he said.
Maulana Madani said anti-Islam forces seeking to destroy the world want to narrow the land on Muslims and want this war to be converted into a world war.
Turning his attention to communalism, he said people with a communal mindset were “enemies of the country”, and added that India will survive only through brotherhood and love.
Maulana Madani said communalism is a problem that affects the entire world.
“In today’s situation, people with a communal mindset are enemies of our country. If the country has to survive, it will survive only with brotherhood. Otherwise, this country will be ruined sooner or later,” he said.
Referring to the partition of India, Maulana Madani said that India had already been divided previously due to communalism. “If communalism increases, the country will suffer further losses,” he added.
Asserting that people of all religions united for an independent India, Maulana Madani said, “If anyone among the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Christians stood alone, they would not have been able to get freedom. It happened with the unity of everyone,” he said.
“The spirit of patience and tolerance has disappeared from the hearts to the extent that sectarianism has reached an extreme level. Now everything is seen from the point of view of sectarianism,” he said.
Maulana Madani added that Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind is an apolitical organisation. “We neither field candidates nor favour any party in elections. This is the strength of the Jamiat and every member should understand this,” he said.
Over 1,500 office-bearers from 17 districts of western UP participated in the meeting, and discussions were held to strengthen the party’s organisational structure.
Eliminating communalism, improving the environment, opening separate educational institutes for girls after class 8, running a voter awareness campaign, and adding new names to the voters’ lists were among other issues discussed at the meeting.
