Free Flow Of Thoughts Important To Avoid Conflicts: NSA Doval

NSA Ajit Doval emphasised free thought to prevent religious conflicts and stressed introspection in state-society relations at a book launch on Islam and authoritarianism.

New Delhi: Free flow of thoughts is important to avoid conflicts linked to religious identities, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Sunday.

Stressing the need to focus on conflict resolution, he also observed that "introspection" by states and societies has always been important.

Doval's remarks came in the context of larger issues linked to the conflict between state and religion during the release of the Hindi version of the Turkish-American scholar Ahmet T Kuru's book 'Islam Authoritarianism: Underdevelopment - A Global and Historical Comparison'.

The book has been published by the Khusro Foundation. The phenomenon of the relationship between state and religion is not unique to Islam, although in Abbasid rule there was clarity on the role of state and clergy, Doval told a packed gathering at the New Delhi World Book Fair.

He was deliberating on the broader context of the book's theme. Former Union minister MJ Akbar also spoke at the book release event. In the context of Islam, Sufism is practical because "it teaches us a relationship that is not hostile", Akbar said.