Praising Islam for its message of peace and harmony, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said none of Allah’s 99 names stands for violence and asserted the fight against terrorism was not a confrontation against any religion and the two should be delinked.
Addressing the first World Sufi Forum here, he said, “This is an extraordinary event of great importance to the world, at a critical time for humanity. At a time when the dark shadow of violence is becoming longer, you are the noor, or the light of hope.”
“The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be. It is a struggle between the values of humanism and the forces of inhumanity. It is also a battle that must be won through the strength of our values and the real message of religions. As I have said before, we must reject any link between terrorism and religion. Those who spread terror in the name of religion are anti-religious,” he said.
Modi commented on many matters which the people have misunderstood in the past, and he made his stance very clear, stating that while Islam is a peaceful religion, there are some elements which are giving the religion a bad name.
“Terrorism divides and destroys us. Indeed, when terrorism and extremism have become the most destructive force of our times, the message of Sufism has global relevance.
Terrorism uses diverse motivations and causes, none of which can be justified. Terrorists distort a religion whose cause they profess to support,” added Modi.
Modi’s speech at the World Sufi Day might come as a shocker to many right-wing Hindu hardline leaders, who have the views that Islam is an ‘invader’ in India.

Published in The Nation newspaper on 19-Mar-2016