Muslim community in India must unite: Khusro Quereshi

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, January 25: Mr. Khusro Quereshi, the chairman of the State Minority Commission, has called upon the Muslim community in India to forget their differences in opinion and unite. He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a new Jama Masjid in Udupi, the cost of construction of which is estimated to be Rs 2 crore. 

 

Mr. Qureshi said that Indian Muslims have to shoulder the great responsibility of making India truly secular; and they can do this only if they forget their differences and unite. He said that Pakistan, which calls itself an Islamic nation, cannot control the constant conflicts between the Shias and the Sunnis. Indian Muslims should not encourage such conflicts; instead they must achieve their social goals of strengthening Islam in India and working for a secular India.

He said that the cases of Muslims in Chikamagalur, Chitradurga, and Shimoga fighting one another are not only disturbing, but also unhealthy. Since Allah can be found in every Masjid, nobody should force Muslims to pray at a particular mosque, he pointed out. 

Mr. Hidayutulla Abbas Sahib Uchil, the managing director of the Hidayatulla Group of Dubai, who had laid the foundation stone for the Masjid earlier, said that the construction work had been pending for the past 13 years, but now, the work will progress without a hitch. 

Mr. Pramod Madhwaraj, the Congress leader, praised the Muslims of Udupi as a vibrant and tolerant group, who have contributed a great deal for the development of the society. 

Mr. Jayakar Shetty Indrali; Mr. K S M Masood, the president of the Udupi Mangalore Muslim Central Committee; Abdul Jaleel, the industrialist; Mr. Sajjad Ali Khan, the architect; Abdullah Varkala; K M Mohammed Saleem; Imam Sahib; and many others spoke on the occasion.