Prime Minister Narendra Modi promises full support to Muslims

New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today promised his full support in addressing grievances of all sections of the Muslim society with particular focus on ameliorating their social conditions and meeting their educational requirements.

He made his views known when a delegation of Muslim leaders called on him and discussed issues related to the community and the concerns they have.

They promised to work for strengthening communal harmony and strengthening national unity.

“The Prime Minister gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured them of his full support in meeting grievances of all sections of the Muslim society,” a PMO statement said.

He emphasised the need for empowering the Muslim youth to enable them to play a larger role in nation building, it added.

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Modi specifically assured the leaders that he will look into their grievances on shrines, mosques and madrassas.

The assurance came after the leaders brought to his notice issues related to properties of Muslim shrines, mosques and madrassas.

They also sought the government’s support in providing better facilities to Muslim youth particularly in the field of education.

The Prime Minister promised his “complete assistance in ameliorating their social conditions and addressing their educational requirements”, the statement said.

The Muslim leaders committed full support of the community to Modi in meeting his objectives of ensuring speedy economic growth, promoting communal harmony and peace and strengthening national security, it said.

While expressing apprehensions about the trend of increased radicalisation and emerging threat of terrorism, the leaders underlined the need for greater unity and collective efforts to meet the challenge.

The delegation of Muslim leaders from across the country including Syed Sultan-Ul-Hasan Chishti Misbahi (Sajjada Nashin, Ajmer Sharif), Hazrat Ghulam Yasin Sahib (Shahar Kazi, Varanasi), Sheikh Wasim Ashrafi (Imam Tanzeem, Mumbai), Mohd Hamid (National President, Imam Tanzeem, Nagpur) and Allama Tasleem Raaza Sahib (Dargah Barelvi Sharif, UP).

Syed Abdul Rashid Ali (Syed Shahid Dargah Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh), Maulana Abu Bakr Basani (Nagori Sharif Dargah, Rajasthan), Syed Ali Akbar (Taajpura Sharif, Chennai) and Haji Abdul Hafiz Khan (Imam, Tanzeem Balaghat, MP) were also part of the delegation.

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Chishti Misbahi of Ajmer Sharif sought immediate intervention of the Prime Minister to free all Wakf boards belonging to Ahle-Sunnat Wakf Protection Council from the influence of Wahabis.

“We requested the Prime Minister to create a separate Wahabi board so that this sect stops getting into our shrines and dargahs,” General Secretary of Imam Tanzeem Mohammed Hamid said after the meeting.

The Sunni Wakf Protection Council fears that ‘Wahabi’ faction could take over majority of shrines and ‘dargahs’ of Sunnis and then terror groups like ISIS could find inroads to the country.

Wahabi faction of Sunni Muslim sect are considered orthodox who do not believe in shrines and dargahs.

The delegation told the Prime Minister that if the growing influence of Wahabis was not checked immediately, the country may see situations like that in Syria or Iraq.

“The Wahabi faction does not believe in shrines or dargahs. So how can a non-believer take control,” argued Hamid.

PTI