Modi hails Islam, calls it great religion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised the contribution of Islam, calling it a “great religion” whose invocation of Allah was itself a call for abjuring violence and upholding peace for mankind.

In an exercise seen as an outreach to the minority community ahead of crucial Assembly elections, the prime minister, while addressing World Sufi Forum here, also called upon the religious leaders to spread this message of Islam to wean away those sections that were falling pray to radicalisation.

Modi, who has often emphasised on the need to give importance to Sufism at world fora in order to counter radical ideas, said any link between terrorism and religion must be rejected.

“Those who spread terror in the name of religion are anti-religious. When we think of the 99 names of Allah, none stand for force and violence, and that the first two names denote compassionate and merciful. Allah is Rahman and Raheem,” he said. Modi also sought to convey that his government believed that Islam occupied pride of place among other religions that have existed for a long time in the country.

“All our people, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, the micro-minority of Parsis, believers, non-believers, are an integral part of India. This is the spirit of India. This is the strength of our nation,” he said.

“Sufism became the face of Islam in India, even as it remained deeply rooted in the Holy Quran, and Hadis,” he said.