New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani on Wednesday came under fire from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and right-wing’s ‘Hindu Yuva Vahini’ following his assertion that mosques facing destruction or threats today will, God willing, flourish once more, and the call of “Allahu Akbar” will again resound within them.
In a recent post on X, the Muslim cleric said those currently in power will not remain forever, emphasising that governments come and go, but no power on earth has ever succeeded in erasing Islam, nor will any be able to do so in the future.
Hitting back at Madani’s remarks, Hindu Yuva Vahini state in-charge Raghavendra Pratap Singh asserted that the establishment of ‘Ram Rajya’ had begun in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Speaking to IANS, he said: “India will not only become a ‘Hindu Rashtra but its influence would extend across the world…people like Arshad Madani survive on such statements, but this would just be a dream for them.”
Referring to the partition, he remarked: “India and Pakistan were divided based on religion; still these people shamelessly remained in this country.”
Uttar Pradesh Minister and SBSP chief OP Rajbhar alleged that clerics like Arshad Madani are the “enemies of Muslims”.
“They do not want Muslims to receive education, have access to better healthcare, or get employment opportunities. These clerics bring Muslims together for Congress or the Samajwadi Party, help them form governments and then use the BJP to create fear among the community,” he told reporters.
Rajbhar further said: “I would like to ask Maulana Madani that after Independence, Muslims accounted for 38 per cent of government jobs. Today, after these clerics helped Congress and the Samajwadi Party (by voting for them), Muslims account for less than 1 per cent of government jobs. Who is responsible? Is it the BJP? These clerics, including Madani, are responsible.”
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal called it an “unfortunate statement” while adding: “This, in a way, is an attempt to disrupt communal harmony in the country.”
Meanwhile, All India Shia Personal Law Board General Secretary Maulana Yasoob Abbas backed Maulana Arshad Madani’s statement, asserting that all citizens, irrespective of their religion, have been bestowed with the Constitutional right to go to their chosen places of worship.
“The way mosques are being demolished and targeted is absolutely wrong. Be it a temple, mosque, gurdwara, or any other religious site, people go there for peace of mind. In Hindustan, Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of this country; that is the strength of this nation,” he told IANS.
While emphasising that those Muslims who did not leave India after partition also possess religious freedom and have the right to live here according to the Indian Constitution, Abbas said: “If they do not have this right, then change the Constitution and take away their religious freedom.”
(IANS)
