New Delhi

Maulvi Mahmood Madani, president of the Jamiat-e-Ulama Hind declared that “we are ready to sink our ideological differences with RSS and work together to make India an advanced and a peaceful nation, and a superpower.”

On the second day of the annual convention of JUH, Madani said, “We are not opposed to the RSS and BJP on a religious basis; we are opposed to moves that are against the Constitution or racial supremacy.”

He said we (Muslims) support the idea of brotherhood and unity of the RSS’s present leadership; we are ready to respond warmly to the hand of friendship extended to us.”

His remarks are seen in the context of the efforts of reconciliation and addressing the differences between RSS and Muslims.

He said Hindus and Muslims are the same; as followers of Islam, we are opposed to any racial supremacy. Islam teaches us to hold warmly the hand of friendship extended to us.”

However, he also alleged that the differences arise because of the inaccurate interpretation of ‘Hindutva’.

It may be recalled that Madani was among a few Muslim leaders who met the RSS team to discuss the issues that create differences between Muslims and RSS.

Referring to the recent statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, he said that RSS should walk the talk.

He said, “We have no complaint with Sanatan Dharma”. Mahmood Madani quoted Swami Vivekananda to say that he often gave importance to Islam in his discourse.

In one of his books, Madani said, Vivekananda said India’s future rests on Hinduism and Islam.

Mahmood Madani said that our quarrel is not with the majority of the people in the country. We don't have any grudge against anyone. There is no opposition to anyone; at times there is a difference of opinion but not a difference of emotions.

He pointed to Hindu organizations and said that he is ready to stand with them. For this, Jamiat is working by creating a platform of goodwill. The work creating this platform has been going on for five months and yet more needs to be done.

Calling upon the Muslims, he said that the majority of the country is not against them. “Use all your strength to bring them with you. Some people are spreading nonsense. The administration is not working against such people in the way it is expected.”

 Earlier, in the inaugural session of the convention, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind President Mahmood Madani said that India belongs to him as much as to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.

 Madani said, India is our country; this country belongs to Mahmood Madani as much as it belongs to Narendra Modi and Mohan Bhagwat. Neither Mahmood is an inch ahead of him nor is he an inch ahead of Mahmood.

He further said that Islam is the oldest religion in this country. Madani said this land is the first motherland of Muslims. To say that Islam is a religion that came from outside is wrong and baseless. He claimed Islam is the oldest among all religions. India is the best country for Hindi-Muslims.

Madani also said the convention demands reservations for Pasmanda Muslims based on their socio-economic status.

The chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind said, “we are against forced conversions; or conversions by force, fraud, and greed.

A three-day plenary session of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind began in Delhi on Friday. According to Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, the Uniform Civil Code, religious freedom and Muslim personal law, and autonomy of madrassas are some of the issues discussed at the convention Will. Apart from this, he said that a proposal can be brought to provide reservations for socio-economically backward Muslims.

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Steps being taken to strengthen religious brotherhood and initiatives to stop hate campaigns are also part of the agenda in the 34th session of Jamiat. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is a century-old organization and has been involved in civil, and religious, Works to protect cultural and educational rights. Jamiat claims to be the largest organization of Muslims and socio-political and religious issues of Muslims remain on its agenda. Jamiat follows the Deobandi ideology of Islam.