The Hindu chauvinist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday welcomed the move of Darul-Uloom Deoband to condemn terrorism. “Indeed such a message going out from the religious leaders of India will have a positive impact globally. After all no other country in the world presents such a fine example of religious freedom, tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful co-existence as India. The entire Muslims World – indeed the entire humanity will benefit from listening to the enlightened voice of Indian Muslims and Indian Islam,” a resolution adopted at the party's two-day meeting of national executive of Minority Morcha here, said. Stepping up its efforts to bring Muslim community closer and create confidence among the minorities about the leadership of L.K. Advani, the Morcha said an entire community should not be seen with suspicion and doubt. Releasing the political resolution, the Morcha president and former minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said: “We strongly condemn terrorism and we feel terrorism has no religion. But it is a crime to see an entire community with suspicion. Minorities cannot tolerate if an entire community is suspected.” The resolution has condemned all terrorist and anti-national activities and urged the government to deal with the menace strongly. “At the same time utmost care should be taken that innocents are not victimized,” it said. Shahnawaz said he was not a Madarsa-suspecting BJP leader as he himself had got the religious education from Madarsa in his childhood. “I am a product of Madarsa who went to become a minister in the government of India,” he said. Breaking from the past practice of BJP leaders questioning the patriotism and loyalty of Muslims toward India, Shahnawaz Hussain said at the time of the partition of the country in the name of religion, Muslims of India on the advice of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad decided to remain in India and rejected the division of India on the basis of religion. “So you can not test us again and again. We have passed one test examination and rejected the partition in the name of religion and we stayed back,” he said. The stress of the two-day long meeting, attended by delegates from across the country, was on brining the Muslim minority closer to the BJP and to persuade it to accept Advani's leadership. “When two Germanys have reunited, when India and Pakistan can talk of friendship and Israelis and Palestinians can talk of friendship, why can't we have friendship between the Muslims and the BJP,” Shahnawaz Hussain said. Closer home he gave the example of Mayawati and said she embraced the very same sections of society whom she used to abuse in the past. “BJP leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee and Advani have never uttered a single word against Muslims. Then why can't the BJP embrace Muslims.” The meeting decided to take up the issues like plundering of Waqf properties and need for their protection and development and the mismanagement of Haj affairs. Meanwhile, Minority Morcha has set up a committee to go into the issue of reservations for the Muslim minority and to study the Andhra Pradesh model under which the state government has provided 4 percent reservations to backward sections of Muslim community in education and jobs. __
