"The blasts are a stain on the secular fabric of the country and they were used by vested interests to keep the religious minorities under clouds and many were tortured by investigating agencies. These innocent people should be granted enough compensation," Aboobacker Musliyar said while addressing the valedictory function of the 33rd annual conference of the Markazu Ssaquafathi Ssunniyya Sunday. “Islam values secularism and democratic principles. The political culture rejecting moral values will only lead the country to anarchism.”
Several religious scholars from abroad, including the grand mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa, and prominent Indian leaders addressed the three-day conference held on the sprawling campus of the Markaz institutions at Karanthur in the northern district of Kerala. The Jamia received accreditation from Al-Azhar University two years back.
Gomaa, who inaugurated the valedictory function, said India was best known and admired by Egyptians for creativity and originality, progress and respect for traditional values and for being the "fountain of spirituality and the cradle of the wise and for the haven of those who reflect and ponder over the secrets of the universe."
"This accreditation (of Al-Azhar) is a major brigde builder of peace among our two institutions in India and Egypt. It is my sincere hope that the students of this great university be active catalysts of peace and enlightenment in their society and indeed all over the world. I hope all of us here give the world a better understanding of and empathy for Islam and the Muslim world that no doubt help us all to live together in peace, tranquility, and mutual cooperation," he said.
He pointed out that the followers of Islam have learnt from clear, pristine and scholarly understanding of the Qur'an, which reads 'O people we have created you from a single male and female and divided you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another'. When God said 'to know one another' He did not mean in order to kill one another. All religions have forbidden the killing of innocents and ordered to cooperate in a constructive manner instead.
According to him, there are more than 6,000 verses in the Qur'an and only 300 of them are related to legal matters while the rest deal with developing good moral character. Likewise, there are over 60,000 prophetic traditions and sayings of which only 2,000 are related to legal matters and the rest deal with developing good moral character. For Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), is described as being a mercy sent from God to mankind.
"Unfortunately some commentators from the non-Muslim world have taken the actions of a small but highly visible and disruptive minority of people within the Muslim world to represent the beliefs of the majority of Muslims, claiming that Islam has been a violent religion from the beginning. This view has unfortunately been reinforced through the presentation of Islam in much of the mass media. These are blatant fallacies. This great event is a testimony of the universal and abiding message of peace that Islam calls for," he said.
Samastha Kerala Jam’iyathul Ulema President Syed Abdurahman Al Bukhari presided over the session where Saudi scholar Dr Umar Abdulla Kamil distributed academic certificates to 774 young scholars. Dr Umar Khateeb (Dubai Auqaf), Dr Ahmed al Khasraji (president of World Jam’iyathul Ansar, Abu Dhabi) and Syed Abdul Qader (ETA Group, Dubai) spoke.
Earlier, Maharashtra Governor K Shankaranarayanan laid the foundation for the Markaz Science Centre. Kerala minister for water resources NK Premachandran inaugurated the construction of the potable water distribution project, which will be replicated in 313 places across India. Federal junior home minister Mullappally Ramachandran inaugurated seminar on ‘National Security'.
Jharkhand Governor MOH Farook inaugurated the meet Friday. Others who addressed different sessions include federal minister of state for agriculture Prof KV Thomas, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy, Kerala forest minister Benoy Vishwam, ports minister V Suresndran Pillai, local self-governments minister Paloli Mohammed Kutty, Puducherry home minister E Valsaraj, works minister MOH Shajahan, MK Raghavan, MP, Ambassador of Libya Ali Abdul Azeez Easavi, Brunei High Commissioner Dato Paduka Sidek Ali, Egyptian Ambassador Khaled El Bakly, Ambassador of Mali Ousmane Tandia, Sayed Sabahuddin Rifaai (Bagdad) and Syed Afifuddeen Jilaani of Malaysia.
