The president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (Arshad faction), Maulana Syed Arshad Madani, sparked a debate on Sunday by declaring, “Om and Allah are one.” He was speaking at the 34th general session of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, at Ramlila Maidan, in Delhi. Other religious leaders were also on the platform at that moment, and they did not particularly agree with what Arshad Madani was claiming. Jain Guru Lokesh Muni and other religious figures left the stage in protest at his comments.
Hindu Guru, Sikh Guru and Jain Guru spoke about love then entered Maulana Madni. pic.twitter.com/V9RjIemoSB
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) February 12, 2023
Before leaving the stage, Acharya Lokesh Muni expressed his displeasure and stated that every other religious person spoke of peace and love at the conference and they don’t share Madani’s sentiments. “We only agree with living in harmony and brotherhood, but all the stories regarding, Om, Allah and Manu are rubbish. The tales he weaved, I can narrate even better stories than that. You are like my father. I invite you to come to Delhi for a discussion with me, or even I can come to visit you in Saharanpur”, Acharya Lokesh Muni said.
The Jain Muni added, “It should be remembered that Mahavir was twenty-fourth Jain Tirthankar. There was Lord Parshvanath before him. Arishtanemi was Lord Krishna’s cousin. The foremost Jain Tirthankar was Rishabhanatha, and his sons were Bharata and Bahubali, on whose name this country ‘Bharat’ was named. You can’t erase this history. None of us agree with his statements. He completely spoiled the atmosphere of the session.”
He also talked to the media about the incident and registered his resentment over Madani’s comments.
Earlier in the day, Arshad Madani stated, “I asked great religious figures when there was no one, neither Shri Ram, nor Lord Shiv, nor Brahma, then whom did Manu worship? Some said, he used to worship Lord Shiv, but they are ignorant. Very few people told me that Manu used to pray to OM. I asked them, who is Om? They said that he is one without any form or color. He is everywhere, just like air. He created everything. I said, he is the one we call Allah. Persian people call him Khuda and the ones who speak English refer to him as God. It means that Manu, also known as Adam, worshipped one God, who is Om and our Allah.”
#WATCH मैंने धर्म गुरु से पूछा जब कोई नहीं था,न श्री राम,न ब्रह्म,तब मनु किसे पूजते थे?कुछ लोग बताते हैं कि वे ओम को पूजते थे तब मैंने कहा कि इन्हें ही तो हम अल्लाह,आप ईश्वर,फारसी बोलने वाले खुदा और अंग्रेजी बोलने वाले गॉड कहते हैं: जमीयत उलेमा-ए-हिंद प्रमुख मौलाना सैयद अरशद मदनी pic.twitter.com/TxiKNjVhMk
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) February 12, 2023
“it is only under the BJP government that we heard that 20 crore Muslims should revert to their home. By this, they meant conversion to Hinduism. These people don’t know anything about India’s history,” the senior Jamiat leader alleged.
