Hyderabad, Nov 09: The Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind (JUH) has demanded the UPA government to immediately enact a special legislation against communal violence.
A resolution to this effect was adopted at the two-day 29th national conference of the JUH that ended here today.
"The JUH expresses its deep concern and registers its strong protest that the UPA failed to bring in a legislation against communal violence."
"The Congress had promised in its election manifesto as well as included it in the Common Minimum Programme that a special law would be enacted for prevention of communal riots and provision of compensation to riot victims. But no meaningful beginning has been made in this direction," the JUH regretted.
Taking a different take on the view expressed by the Administrative Reforms Commission against such a special legislation, the JUH demanded that the Centre bring in an effective law to curb communal violence and safeguard the life and property of citizens.
"The recent spate of incidents in Orissa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh (Adilabad) and Maharashtra have accentuated the need for a special legislation against communal violence," the JUH said.
Speakers at the public meeting organised by the Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, at the conclusion of its 29th national conference here today, emphasised the need to de-link terrorism from religion, be it Islam or Hinduism.
Art of Living fame Ravi Shankar, social activist Swami Agnivesh and leaders of the JUH while addressing the meeting said there was a need to send across a clear message to the world that terrorism is not connected to any religion.
"US President George W Bush was the first one who tried to brand terror attacks with religion. He was the one who used the word Islamic Terrorism for the first time after the 9/11 attack," Swami Agnivesh recalled. But the world knows that Islam stood for peace, he pointed out.
Ravi Shankar also decried linking Islam to terrorism. "We have to dispel this," he said, adding that there was a need to separate terrorist elements from any religion. "We have to remove them, even if they are from our own household," he said.
Meanwhile, the JUH passed a resolution at the conference stressing the need to maintain communal harmony in the country. "Muslims of this country should work for communal harmony at every level. They have to adhere to the Islamic teachings based upon human values and spread the same message across to all sections," the resolution said.
In another resolution, the JUH stressed upon the need for unity among dalits, Muslims and other minorities. "Social interaction between these sections of society should be revived and the teachings of Prophet Mohammed propagated extensively," it said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, November 09, 2008, 00:00