"The fundamental values of Islam mean peace," Modi said. "All minorities are an integral part of India," he added as the crowd cheered. IndiaToday.in
“The fundamental values of Islam mean peace,” Modi said. “All minorities are an integral part of India,” he added as the crowd cheered.
Striking a conciliatory note with Muslims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said Islam literally means peace and that among 99 names for Allah, none stand for violence.
“When we think of 99 names for Allah, none stands for force and violence. Allah is both Rahman and Rahim,” Modi said as he inaugurated the World Sufi Forum in New Delhi today.
“The fundamental values of Islam mean peace,” Modi said. “All minorities are an integral part of India,” he added as the crowd cheered.
Modi’s government at the Centre has often been accused of being anti-Muslim, with controversies over beef bans or patriotism being cited as some of its examples by his critics.
Welcoming delegates from the Middle East and Central Asian countries to the event, Modi called India a “land of timeless peace”, and said that the world is “one family” as imagined by the Sufi philosophy.
“Sufism is the celebration of diversity and pluralism,” Modi said, adding that such values are threatened by terrorism, “the dark shadows of violence” as he put it.
“Terrorism divides and destroys. It has become the most destructable force of our times. It is a daily threat,” he said as he reminded the audience that 90 countries experienced terror attacks in 2015 alone.
But Modi dismissed the idea that the fight against terror is a war with Islam. “The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be,” he said.
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