All India Muslim Scholars Association General Secretary Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, third from right, was given a reception in Jeddah. Several Saudi officials attended the reception.

Agitations against the government will only have a negative impact on Indian Muslims, prominent scholar and general secretary of the All India Muslim Scholars Association Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar, alias Sheikh Abubacker Ahmad, said here recently.

Sheikh Abubacker, who was in the Kingdom to participate in the ceremonial washing of the Holy Kaaba, said that a government’s unlawful movements can be questioned but only within the perimeters of the law, adding that there is no validity of agitations outside the approved modes. This will only harm the community, he cautioned.

He further warned Muslims against taking part in unlawful mass protests to oppose the government. “We should remember that Indian Muslims comprise only 15 percent of the total population,” Abubacker pointed out, a clear indication of the minority status of Muslims in India. “Any sort of impulsive behavior will only serve to harm the community,” he underscored.

He emphasized that religious tolerance is the need of the hour and that it is important to work together to safeguard India’s integrity and to fight off terrorist and extremist forces.

Abubacker added that it was possible for the different sections of the community to join together in the country’s best interests while keeping their ideological differences intact.

“Religious harmony is a trait unique to India which its neighbors try to emulate. It is our duty to sustain the peaceful atmosphere in our homeland,” he said, adding that unity was the best path.

“It is important to defeat fascism peacefully; it will be harmful to us if we wage war against it,” he said.

He also said that Muslims should be strict followers of Islam and that this was the slogan of his just concluded Karnataka Yathra (journey).

The Yathra started from Gulbarga and passed through 20 centers in Karnataka including Bijapur, Chickmangloor, Hubli and Madikeri. Many leaders and dignitaries including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attended the concluding session at Mangalore. Some 500,000 people participated in the final leg of the journey.

 
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