Ambika Pandit | TNN | Mar 21, 2016 NEW DELHI: A large and well-attended gathering of Sufi notables on Sunday took a firm stand against terrorism, say
Ambika Pandit | TNN | Mar 21, 2016
NEW DELHI: A large and well-attended gathering of Sufi notables on Sunday took a firm stand against terrorism, saying extremist outfits such as IS, Taliban and Al-Qaida were “anti-Islam” and urged Muslim youth to shun organisations that spread hatred and incorrect interpretation of Islamic holy scriptures.
At the same time, the World Sufi Forum — where PM Narendra Modi spoke on Thursday — also asked the government to address fears and concerns of Muslims.
“There is a sense of fear among Muslims due to riots. Government should alleviate this fear and Union home ministry should spell out what steps have been taken with regard to all the small or big communal incidents that have taken place in different parts of the country,” said a declaration at the forum.
The declaration is to be sent to the PM and CMs of all states, the All India Ulama & Mashaikh Board said.
The declaration, adopted at the Ramlila Grounds where Sufi leaders from across the world came together to take a stance against terrorism with a message of peace and harmony, appealed to Muslim youth to shun extremist organisations.
AIUMB president Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kachhuchvi presented the 25-point charter after several speakers projected Sufism as the roadmap against terrorism with its emphasis on humanism and syncreticism. The AIUMB chief declared the WSF believes that evils of terrorism and extremism, and of materialism and opportunism, can only be wiped out from the world through the restoration of Sufism, propagation of its peaceful message of humanity and complete cessation of extremist thoughts and hardcore philosophies.
Renowned Pakistani cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri highlighted the need for a uniform policy to deal with the menace of ISIS which, he said, had nothing to do with Islam. “Terrorists are used and later they are discarded like tissue papers. Yesterday you had al-Qaeda, today you have ISIS. Tomorrow something else will come as long as our priorities are wrong,” he said.
Responding to a question on intolerance, Muhammad Saqib Bin Iqbal Al-Shaami, one of the key speakers at WSF from United Kingdom, was quick to point out that the solution lay in Sufism. “When we will tell our youth the true meaning of Islam and make them understand the teachings of Quran, they will not be misguided and will follow the path of peace,” he said.
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