– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Bengaluru, Mar 1: The Karnataka State Minorities Commission has come forward to promote communal harmony in the state. A public program was held here Thursday wherein Ulama, Scholars, and Commission’s head addressed the gathering.
An eminent Islamic scholar and Chair of Islamic Studies, Yenopoya University, Mangalore Dr. Javid Jamil gave a bird’s-eye view picture of world affairs today and analysed that the market driving forces are behind the socio-political chaos all over. Arms manufacturers are igniting wars, drug mafia is causing health issues, and other economic sharks are exploiting the social unrest to their advantage.
Dr. Jamil stated that there are several common grounds in all religions. Religious leaders should unite people on these common grounds and stand up firmly against the irreligious economic players who are least concerned about harmony and solidarity.
Dr. Mohammed Sa’ad Belgami, president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Karnataka emphasized that power hungry people find it advantageous to fan communal hatred and polarize the society. The golden principles laid down in the Constitution are made ineffective on the ground by these divisive forces. The social leaders and civil society groups should raise to check this menace, he added.
Moulana Farooq Fouzan drew the attention of the audience to the Prophet’s life and teachings which is a good model of communal harmony. The Madina Pact is the best example in this regard, he said. All through his life the Prophet ﷺ preached and promoted love and peace in society. As the followers of the Prophet, we should develop good relations with our fellow humans and counter the evil designs of the divisive forces, said the Moulana.
In his presidential remarks, the Commission’s Chairman Abdul Azeem explained that it is the objective of the Minority Commission to promote communal harmony and work for solidarity. Muslims form the major community among the minorities followed by Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis. These groups are the constituents of the Commission body too, he said.
The Chairman further added that the Commission will be holding such public programmes across the state to strengthen societal bonds.
Moulana Qamar Naqvi of Anjuman-e-Imamia, Salma Firdous, Secretary of the Minority Commission also spoke. ‘A Systematic Study of the Quran’ written by Dr. Jamil was released on the occasion.
