‘Allah, Om Are One’: Row Over Jamaat Chief's Statement; Top Body Says ‘Not Against BJP, RSS’

The plenary session of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) in Delhi stirred up a row on Sunday, as its president of Arshad faction, Maulana Arshad Madani, during his speech, said that “Allah and Om are one”.

In a video shared by news agency ANI, Arshad Madani can be seen saying, “I asked dharma guru when there was no one, neither Shri Ram, nor Brahma, then whom did they worship? Some people told me that they used to worship Om. Then I told them that this means that there is only one Om or Allah, and both are the same, and it is the only thing Manu used to worship. There was no Shiv, no Brahma, but only one Om and Allah that was worshipped Om is called Allah by us, Ishwar by you (Hindus), Khuda by Farsi-speaking people (Persian) and God by English-speaking people.”

The statement led to ruckus on the stage, as Jain Guru Lokesh Muni objected to it. Jain and other religious leaders then left the stage in anger. “We only agree with living in harmony, but all the story regarding, Om, Allah, and Manu is all rubbish. He (Madani) completely spoiled the atmosphere of the session,” ANI quoted Jain as saying. “The stories he said, I can narrate even bigger stories than that. I would even request him (Madani) to come for a discussion with me, or even I can come to meet him in Saharanpur,” ANI quoted Jain as saying.

He added that it should be remembered that the first Jain Tirthankar was Rishabh, and his sons were Bharata and Bahubali, on whose name this country ‘Bharat’ was named. “You can’t erase this. We don’t agree with those statements,” a seemingly angry Jain said.

The three-day plenary session of the JUH saw over one lakh attendees, as per the organization. The session was also attended by saints and gurus of other faiths.

“JUH is not against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but ideological differences persist,” said Maulana Mahmood Madani, chief of JUH’s (Mahmood Madani faction), even as the top Muslim body congratulated the Centre for its statement to uplift the backward Muslim class.

“We congratulate the government of India for its recent statement to uplift the backward communities and hope that practical steps will be taken soon for the welfare and progress of the backward communities irrespective of their religious affiliations,” the statement read.

It added: “Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind considers religious hatred and sectarianism as the biggest threat to the integrity of the country. It does not match our long-standing heritage and ethos. Friendly and brotherly relations between different religions have been the proud and enduring hallmark of Indian society. Any plan to create a rift in these relations should be considered a national crime.”

UCC

The 34th general session focused on issues such as religious freedom; non-interference in personal laws; autonomy of Madrassas, reservation for Muslims on the basis of backwardness; national integration, Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and discussion on some of the recent controversial decisions of the judiciary.

One of the key topics of the top Muslim organisation’s session was the UCC.

“The UCC is not just an issue related to Muslims, but to the entire society. They want to end the Muslim personal law and this is being done as part of vote bank politics,” said Madani.

With ANI Inputs

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