Purnea: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has sharply criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for treating the ‘I Love Muhammad’ slogan as a threat. Speaking to the media in Purnea, Bihar, the Hyderabad MP asked why an expression of love for Prophet Muhammad is being linked to anti-national activity.
“When the word ‘Love’ is in ‘I Love Muhammad,’ how is it anti-national? How does it promote violence?” Owaisi asked. He argued that no one questions slogans such as ‘I Love Mahadev’ or birthday posters for political leaders, yet Muslims face cases for their public expression of devotion.
He cited Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right to practice and express their faith. “A Muslim’s Islam is incomplete without love for Prophet Muhammad. How can that be considered wrong? This right is guaranteed by our Constitution,” he said.
The AIMIM leader added that those opposing the campaign are in fact opposing love itself. “Those who object to ‘I Love Muhammad’ should be reminded with the song ‘Muhabbat Zindabad’,” he remarked.
Owaisi’s comments come after FIRs were filed in Kanpur against people displaying the slogan, sparking protests across Uttar Pradesh and other states. The controversy has raised wider questions on freedom of expression, equal treatment under the law, and the growing communal divide.
