Students' outfit aims at communal amity

In a bid to counter attempts to ‘create rift’ between the Hindus and Muslims and drive a wedge between the two communities, a Muslim students’ outfit has decided to launch a statewide campaign to promote communal amity in Uttar Pradesh.

The campaign specifically aims at ‘restoring’ the ‘trust’ between the communities and bring them closer.
The campaign by the Student Islamic Organization of India comes in the wake of increasing clamour from some saffron organisations to oppose what they have termed as ‘love jehad’, that, according to them, refers to luring Hindu girls by Muslim youths into conversion and marrying them. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) magazine ‘Panchjanya’ had recently published an article in detail on love jehad.

“There appears to be a well planned conspiracy to disturb communal amity and create a rift between Hindus and Muslims. There is an urgent need to counter the conspiracy else our secular fabric will be in danger,” said Shariq Ansar, the national secretary of the organisation.

Without naming any specific organisation, Ansar said ‘electoral gains’ might have prompted some outfits to resort to such tactics.

Ansar, while speaking to Deccan Herald over telephone, said the objective of the 10-day campaign, beginning from September 20, is to ‘remove the mistrust’ and promote peace and brotherhood.

The organisation plans to hold public meetings, seminars, conferences, debates and discussions in every district in the state to reach the people with its ideas and objectives and create an awareness.
“We aim at reaching the maximum number of people across the state,” Ansar said.

“We would seek help of every section of society and tell people to make sure that ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb’ (composite culture) was not harmed. We will rope in the intellectuals, media, students and others for this purpose,” Ansar added.

The organisation plans to take the campaign to other parts of the country later. “After UP, we will launch a similar campaign in Delhi also,” he pointed out.

Love jehad had become a major poll plank’ in the recently concluded by-polls in some western Uttar Pradesh districts. UP has also witnessed a series of major and minor incidents of communal violence in some parts of the state in the past few years.