New Delhi: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Syed Arshad Madani Sunday took a jibe at Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and created a furore by saying that 'Allah and Om are one'. Madani was addressing the 34th General Session of Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.
Madani sparked controversy by saying when he "asked the Dharma Gurus that when there was no one, neither Shri Ram nor Brahma nor Shiva, then whom did Manu worship?" He added, "Some told me that they used to worship 'Om'. I said that it is the 'Om' only, that we refer to as Allah, those speaking Farsi refer as 'Khuda' and those speaking English refer as 'God'."
"This means that there is only one Om or Allah, and both are same, and it is the only thing Manu used to worship. There was no Shiv, no Brahma, but only one Om and Allah that was worshipped," Madani said. Addressing the session, Madani also said, "Hindus and Muslims have been living in the country like brothers for around 1400 years, and we have never forcedly converted anyone into Islam."
"It is only under the BJP government that we heard that 20 crore Muslims should be sent home. By sending them home, they meant converting them to Hindus. These people don't know anything about India's history," he added. Taking serious objection to Madani's remarks, other religious leaders like Jain Guru Lokesh Muni rose from their seats and left the dais in a huff.
Also read: This govt's behaviour is completely unacceptable: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on UP madrassa survey
Jain Muni, Acharya Lokesh Muni, who was also present on the stage expressed displeasure with Madani's remarks and said, "We only agree with living in harmony, but all the story regarding, Om, Allah, and Manu is all rubbish. He (Madani) completely spoiled the atmosphere of the session."
"The stories he said, I can narrate even bigger stories than that. I would even request him (Madani) to come for a discussion with me, or even I can come to meet him in Saharanpur," he said. He added by saying, "It should be remembered that the first Jain Tirthankar was Rishabh, and his sons were Bharata and Bahubali, on whose name this country 'Bharat' was named. You can't erase this. We don't agree with those statements."
Only Saturday, the Jamiat chief faced criticism at the convention by saying that India belongs to him as much as it does to Prime Minister Modi and RSS chief Bhagwat and that this land (India) is the birthplace of Islam. Several Muslim religious leaders have taken strong objection to this as well. It is wrong to suggest that Islam came from outside, Madani said and claimed that that the "first Prophet of Islam Adam descended from here.
The Jamiat chief appealed to the RSS to make its affiliates shun "hate and enmity". To say that Islam is a religion that came from outside is completely wrong and historically baseless, he said on Friday. Madani further raked up a controversy, saying, "This is our country. As much as this country belongs to Narendra Modi and Mohan Bhagwat, it belongs to Mahmood. Neither Mahmood is one inch ahead of them nor are they one inch ahead of Mahmood," he said.
