Al Haqeeqa
By N. Javed
Mumbai: As the protest against cartoon controversy is raging, former Maharashtra Congress minister and former MP, Hussain Dalwai on Monday criticized Mumbai-based Raza Academy which pasted posters of French president Emmanuel Macron on the city roads. He reminded the Academy that Islam does not allow this kind of protest which creates wrong impression about Islam in the minds of non Muslims.
Posters of French President were pasted all over a street on Muhammad Ali Road in south Mumbai on Thursday. However, the Mumbai Police removed them on Friday.
Hundred posters were pasted on pavements and roads, showing Macron with a boot on his face and calling him a “demon”, for his unwarranted comments on Islam following the beheading of French school teacher who displayed cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PUBH) in the class room.
While speaking with Muslim Mirror, Dalwai said this is not proper way of protest which gives a handle to communal forces to whip up communal passions and paint Muslims in bad light.
He also condemned attempts to malign Islam by the French government and other forces saying an individual’s act cannot be used to demonise his or her religion and the whole community. He cited many examples like New Zealand citizen Brenton Tarrant who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019 but nobody blamed Christianity and the whole Christian community for this heinous act.
Dalwai said the manner in which Islam is being targeted today is wrong and reprehensible but at the same time it is also important to understand that Islam and terrorism have nothing to do.
“We must speak out against terrorism while no religion be it Islam, Hinduism or Christianity has nothing to do with terrorism”.
He said that today the economic situation, business, and employment conditions all over the world are in very bad shape which needs urgent attention.
France is also facing a job crisis and that is why such anti-Islamic and blasphemous acts are being carried out there to divert attention from these issues, and people are being kept emotionally busy, he added.
The Congress leader appealed to Muslims to present true picture of Islam by their deeds and acts so that people see true side of Islam.
Dalwai said, “At present there are many Hindus and other communities’ people in the country who are secular and right-thinking and they need to be brought closer to us. At the same time, we should not do anything ridiculous that will make people suspicious .”
He warned that Raza Academy type protest will harm the image of Islam as tolerant religion as well as Muslims community as whole.
