A different Amit Shah…’: Muslim Leaders After Meeting Union Home Minister Over Violence, Hate Speeches
A delegation of religious leaders from the Muslim community raised the issue of communal violence after Ram Navami and hate speeches in their meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday night.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Mahmood Madani, secretary Niyaz Faruqui led the delegation which also comprised All India Muslim Personal Law Board members Kamal Faruqui and Professor Akhtarul Wasey.
Niyaz Faruqui said recent incidents of communal violence in Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra were among the key issues discussed in the meeting.
“This was a different Amit Shah from the one we see delivering political speeches. He responded positively, he heard us in detail, he was not in a denial mode,” he told NDTV.
The incident in Bihar’s Nalanda in which a madrasa was set on fire was also discussed and the killing of Junaid and Nasir, residents of Rajasthan’s Bharatpur were also discussed, according to the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind secretary.
The Bharatpur residents were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes on February 15 and their bodies were found inside a burnt car at Haryana’s Bhiwani the next morning.
“He told us there are all kinds of people, so it is not right to see everyone through the same prism. The government, he said, was not involved. We told him that the silence on your part leads to despair among Muslims. He said he would look into it,” Faruqui said.
“We did not target any leader, that was not our goal. Our goal was to create cooperation and change the atmosphere in the country,” he added.
Faruqui termed the meeting with Shah “breaking ice”. “We have taken an initiative, we are not saying anything on the behalf of the government. Mr Shah said, ‘I practice what I preach’. So, let’s see.”
