Islam holds ‘place of pride’ among religious groups in India: NSA Ajit Doval

The NSA was speaking at an event at the India Islamic Cultural Center in New Delhi. Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), who is on a visit to India, also addressed the gathering.

Doval described Al-Issa as an authentic global voice of moderate Islam and a profound scholar with a deep understanding of Islam.

He also said that India, the world’s largest democracy and the mother of democracies, is a land of incredible diversity.

Referring to the “excellent” relations between India and Saudi Arabia, Doval said they are rooted in shared cultural heritage, common values ​​and economic ties.

“Our leaders share a common vision for the future and have been interacting closely with each other,” the NSA said.

“In your (Al-Issa) conversation you elaborated on diversity as a fundamental feature of our existence. It (India) has been a melting pot of cultures, religions, languages ​​and ethnicities that have co-existed in harmony for centuries. As one Doval said, India under inclusive democracy has successfully managed to provide space to all its citizens irrespective of their religious, ethnic and cultural identity.

He said, “Among its many religious groups, Islam occupies a unique and proud place and India is home to the second largest Muslim population in the world.”

“To give an idea of ​​the scale we are talking about, India’s Muslim population is almost equal to the combined population of over 33 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” Doval said.

He said, “Disagreement doesn’t mean dissension, disagreement doesn’t necessarily mean confrontation. But in this country, no one is in danger, because of your views, because of your views.”

Doval asserted that as a proud civilizational state, India believes in promoting tolerance, dialogue and cooperation to meet the challenges of our times.

“It is no coincidence that, despite being home to nearly 200 million Muslims, the involvement of Indian citizens in global terrorism is incredibly low,” he added.

Doval emphasized that India is leading the fight against individuals and organizations that are promoting extremism, narcotics and terrorism.

He also recalled the 1979 attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca to underline the need to combat terrorism.

Noting that India has also been a victim of terrorism for several decades and has faced several terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Doval said India is actively working to combat terrorism through various means.

Updated: July 11, 2023, 06:58 PM IST