New Delhi:National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday said that there are around 200 million Indian Muslims living in the country with peace and brotherhood and amongst them "only a very few joined the terror groups abroad", referring to the terror groups around the world.
Speaking at an event hosted by Khusro Foundation and India Islamic Culture Centre at IICC New Delhi, NSA Doval, sitting alongside Dr Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim al-Issa, foreign law Minister of Saudi Arabia and Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, said that "India has been a victim of terrorism and the world witnessed the 2008 disastrous event."
Dr Abdulkarim al-Issa reached India on Monday on a six-day visit aimed to communicate the message of moderation and interfaith unity. His visit to India comes when a debate is raging around Uniform Civil Code. The Law Commission of India has recently initiated a fresh deliberation on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and solicited public views on the same.
"Our fight against terrorism is in full swing and we will continue to cooperate with foreign nations to end terrorism and extremism," the NSA said. Terrorism, he said, has no religion or no ethnicity but the youth, at times, are misguided. Urging the global community to come together and take tangible steps to counter terrorism and extremism, NSA Doval in his statement highlighted, "Our fight against terrorism is in full swing and anyone who indulgences in such violent activities would be countered effectively."
Talking about religious minorities and refugees who have settled in India, Ajit Doval said that India has always been a country with a "composite nature" and has accepted all religions, cultures and ethnicities. "India emerged as a country for all people who were prosecuted in their countries," he said referring to Afghans, Bengalis, Jews, and Parsis.
"As an inclusive democracy, there is room for all in India. Islam occupies a unique position in India, the home of second largest Muslim population in the world," said Doval. Talking about equality and diversity, the NSA said that dissent does not mean "disintegration or confrontation". "No one is under threat because of dissent in India as equality is enshrined in our constitution," he said.
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