The Hindu : National : Terrorism is a response to politics, not religion, says secular forum

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Terrorism is a response to politics, not religion, says secular forum

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Calling terrorism a response to politics and not religion, Asghar Ali Engineer of the All-India Secular Forum has asked the Union government and the media to stop blaming only one section of society for all the terror attacks that the country has witnessed in the recent past.

Speaking at a press conference organised by Anhad here on Monday, he appealed to countrymen not to be misled by religious rhetoric.

“In our country the Hindutva forces too use such rhetoric for their own political purposes. Terrorism is a political response to a political situation. It would be futile to look for its roots in any religion. Just as Hindutva is not a product of Hinduism, but that of a political rightwing Hindu party, the jihadis are not a product of Islam but of politics of rightwing Muslim outfits. In principle, our secular democracy should keep religion at a distance from governance and politics should be based on secular issues pertaining to people.”

Stating that no such violence would take place without political failure and gross political injustices, Dr. Engineer said: “Even after Independence and vivisection of our country, we never shed our communal outlook and communal politics. Our politicians were hardly made of secular democratic stuff and our administrative machinery was hardly any different.”

Also present at the press the conference were Shabnam Hashmi of Anhad (Delhi), Jyotsna Shukla of Quami Ekta Samiti and L.S. Hardenia, Editor of Secular Democracy.

Ms. Hashmi said: “There are several Muslim families in the country who have fought the during the Indian freedom struggle, we are proud that we belong here but why are we forced to prove our patriotism after every terror attack. We also want to know why very often innocent young men are rounded up and harassed after every bomb blast in the country just because they happen to belong to a particular community.”

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