By Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Muslims have strongly condemned the rabidly communal statement of BJP leader and former Uttar Pradesh legislator Sangeet Som, who claimed that terrorism has a religion, and “every terrorist is a Muslim.”
In a recent speech filled with anti-Muslim rhetoric, Som attempted to blame the entire Muslim community for global terrorism, saying, “Some people say terrorism has no religion, but I say it does. Those caught for terrorism across the world belong to the Muslim religion.”
The remarks were made shortly after a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP lawmaker Pragya Singh Thakur, in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. Instead of showing respect for the victims or the judicial process, Som used the opportunity to make sweeping and dangerous statements against Muslims.
Muslim leaders, human rights activists, and legal experts condemned the speech, calling it divisive, hurtful, and a direct attack on the dignity of millions of Muslims in India.
Influential cleric and scholar Maulana Arshad Madani said, “This is not leadership, this is provocation. When leaders openly say every terrorist is a Muslim, they are insulting the sacrifices of Muslims who died for this country.”
He added, “We have seen how politicians target our faith again and again, using it to divide society. But truth stands stronger. Islam is a religion of peace, and we have always stood for justice.”
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.