Indian Grand Mufti Kanthapuram Aboobaker Musliyar has said the Constitution is the weapon to resist moves to destabilise the country.
“The Indian Constitution is strong enough to resist any attempts to divide the people in the name of religion and politics. The beauty of India lies in the coexistence of religions,” he said while delivering the inaugural speech at the concluding session of the SSF National Sahityotsav at Rajkot in Gujarat on Saturday.
He said dividing people on communal lines is a severe offence. “Those who are fabricating controversies about hijab are destroying the diversity of the nation,” he said.
He added that Islam teaches that faith can overcome all troubles.
“The Sunni movement had comforted people who lost everything in the 2002 Gujarat riots. It had given them the confidence to regain their lives. Spiritual strength helped the victims to advance socially and educationally. Emotional reactions only complicate the problem. So religious leaders must wisely prepare people to act and respond from within the Constitution. Peace, not conflict, is the way of traditional Islam,” he said.
SSF National President Dr. P.A Mohammad Farooq Naeemi presided over the function. Padma Shri Prof. Akhtarul Wasi was the chief guest. SSF National General Secretary Noushad Alam Misbahi Odisha, Shoukath Naeemi Kashmir and SYS Kerala State General Secretary Dr AP Abdul Hakeem Azhari also spoke.
Jammu & Kashmir won the championship with 295 points in the four-day art and literature competition. Karnataka, with 278 points, came second while Kerala finished third with 251 points.
Madhya Pradesh’s Fayis Qureshi won the ‘Star Contestant’ and Nihal Ashraf won the ‘Star Artist’ awards.
Around 500 participants from 24 states participated in the event.
