Indian Muslims not swayed by extremism, says Rajnath Singh
Home Minister
Rajnath Singh on Thursday said Indian Muslims are “patriots” who could not be
“influenced” by fundamentalist ideologies. Addressing scholars, strategic
thinkers, field experts and policy makers at the three-day International
Counter-Terrorism Conference in Jaipur, Singh said according to intelligence
agencies, “just a handful of Indian youth (have) joined the ISIS”. He added
that some of them have also “returned after being persuaded by their families”.
“I am happy to note
that the influence of Islamic State on the Indian youth is negligible. The
failure of ISIS to attract Indian Muslims, who constitute the second largest
Muslim population in the world, is due to their complete integration into the
national mainstream. Indian Muslims are patriots and are not swayed by
fundamentalist ideologies. Extremism is alien to their nature,” Singh told the
gathering at the inaugural session of the conference, organised by BJP general
secretary Ram Madhav’s India Foundation in association with Sardar Patel University
of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur.
He added: “India is
home to all 72 firqas of Muslims and houses one of the oldest churches in the
world. We have been practising the philosophy of peaceful coexistence for
centuries”. Singh said the rising use of technology for destructive purposes
has raised security concerns.
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“The computing power
of your smartphone is greater than all the computing effort deployed to put a
man on the moon in 1969. We have recently constituted an expert committee to
look into all possible avenues of cybercrime and its linkages with the
terrorist world,” Singh said.
Hitting out at
Pakistan, Singh said “the source of most terrorist activity in India lies across
our borders”. “It is unfortunate that even after paying such a heavy cost for
itself, Pakistan and its associates find it difficult to understand that there
are no good terrorists and bad terrorists,” he said and added that If the ISI
and Pakistan army stop supporting terror outfits, the “security situation in
South Asia will improve significantly”.
“I sincerely believe
that Pakistan should seriously rethink its strategy of using terrorism as an
instrument of proxy war and it would be in her own national interest,” the Home
Minister said.
Updated: March 19, 2015 18:09 IST
Indian Muslims are
patriots: Rajnath
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This file photo shows Rajnath Singh felicitated by Muslims who
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Extremism is alien to their nature and they
are not swayed by fundamentalist ideologies, he said.
Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday described the Indian Muslims as
patriots who were not swayed by fundamental ideologies, and said the failure of
the ISIS to attract Indian Muslims, constituting the second largest Muslim
population, was due to their complete integration into the national mainstream.
"Extremist
is alien to their nature. India is home to all 72 sects of Muslims and it
houses one of oldest churches known to the mankind,’’ he said while pointing
out that India had been practicing the philosophy of peaceful coexistence for
centuries.
Inaugurating
a three-day International Counter Terrorism Conference here, the Home Minister
said he was happy to note that the influence of Islamic State on the Indian
youth was negligible and that just a handful of India youth have joined the
ISIS. "Some have also returned after being persuaded by their families,’’
he said quoting intelligence agencies.
According
to Mr Singh, these terrorists were adept at using the latest technologies to
propagate their beliefs and deeds. "They extensively use modern technology
to reach out wider audience with susceptible minds. Their online propaganda is
causing online self-radicalisation among youth which is a matter of serious
concern,’’ he said.
Taking
on Pakistan for patronizing terror organisation, the Home Minister said India
has been a victim of cross border terrorism for the last several decades with
organisations like LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad have inflicted several acts of
terror on the Indian soil. Asking Pakistan to `seriously rethink’ its strategy
of using terrorism as an instrument of proxy war, Mr Singh said this would
significantly improve the security situation in South Asia besides being in its
own national interest. He said Pakistan should understand that there are no
good or bad terrorists. "Differentiating terrorists into good and bad
categories has failed miserably. If the ISI and the Pakistan Army stops their
support to certain terror outfits, I have no hesitation in saying that the
security situation in South Asia will improve significantly,’’ he said.
"Terrorism
knows no boundaries and does not respect nations’ sovereignties. They have
become trans-national in character and use modern technology to propagate their
ideology and perpetrate violence. They are exploring new frontier to inflict
terror such as cyber terrorism and chemical and radio-active devices,’’ Mr
Singh said.
Suggesting
that there was no alternative to forging international cooperation to
effectively counter it, the Home Minister said such co-operations are required
in the field of intelligence sharing to preempt terrorist threats.
"International
co-operations are also imperative among the law enforcement agencies of for
post-event investigations to bring the terrorists to justice and pressurize the
countries that use terrorists as their strategic assets,’’ the Home Minister
told the participants of the Conference organized by Sardar Patel University of
Police, Security and Criminal Justice and India Foundation. Also present on the
occasion were Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State (Home)
Kiren Rijiju, MoS (External Afairs) V.K.ingh and MoS (Commerce and Industry)
Nirmala Sitharaman and MoS (Planning) Rao Inderjit Singh.
Describing
terror outfits like the ISIS as extremely intolerant of a liberal and secular
democratic order, Mr Singh said these (terror outfits) unleash the worst form
of violence to erase the diversity and destabilize the democratic order while
citing the examples of mass killing of people of other faiths and mass
enslavement of women by the ISIS and Boko Haram. They vandalise the secular
heritage of mankind left in the form of art and craft, Mr Singh said while
citing the examples of the destruction of Bamiyan Buddha by Taliban in
Afghanistan and the pre-Islamic relics by the ISIS in Syria.
Addressing
the inaugural session, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said India has
vast experience in fighting terrorism and other insurgencies over a variety of
terrain. Cross border terrorism involving external and involving external and
internal groups as well as various insurgencies have been active here.
"Even as we guard against dangers from abroad, we cannot neglect the
daunting challenge of terrorism from within our borders,’’ she said.
ISIS failed to attract Indian Muslims,
Rajnath Singh says
Home minister Rajnath Singh said Indian Muslims are patriots and
are not swayed by fundamentalist ideologies.
NEW DELHI: Addressing an international
audience at a counter-terror conference organized in Jaipur, home ministerRajnath Singh on Thursday reiterated his faith in
the patriotism of Indian Muslims and asserted that influence of Islamic State
(ISIS) was negligible on Indian youth. He, however, cautioned the global
community on the appeal of ISIS among the young and educated and found the
threat of do-it-yourself lone wolves real.
He also informed the audience that government had set up an expert committee to study the linkages between terrorism and internet.
The home minister made these statements at the inaugural session of the International Counter-Terrorism Conference organized by India Foundation in association with Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice. The first-of-its-kind conference with an aim to look at terrorism from "the point of view of society" has experts and scholars participating from various countries including US, Europe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Singh said, "Influence of Islamic State on the Indian youth is negligible
as just a handful of Indian youth have joined the ISIS and some have also
returned after being persuaded by their families. The failure of ISIS to
attract Indian Muslims is due to the complete integration of Indian Muslims
into the national mainstream. Indian Muslims are patriots and are not swayed by
fundamentalist ideologies. India as a country is proud of all its
diversity."
READ ALSO: Kalyan youth with alleged ISIS links arrested
Singh, however, cautioned the audience about the influence of internet in spreading the ideology and said that "the appeal of ISIS to the young, educated people, in spite of its medieval ideology, is a cause for concern to the global community. ISIS are adept at using the latest technologies to propagate their beliefs and deeds. They extensively use modern technology to reach out to wider audience with susceptible minds."
"The menace of terrorism is greatly amplified in today's digital world. Today a 'lone wolf' or a 'DIY (Do It Yourself) Terrorist' can go online and learn how to carry out an attack without ever leaving home. We have recently constituted an expert committee to look into all possible avenues of cybercrime and its linkages with the terrorist world," Singh added.
READ ALSO: ISIS's voice on Twitter is executive from Bengaluru
The minister used the opportunity to blame Pakistan for spreading terrorism in India. "The source of most terrorist activity in India lies across our borders. It is unfortunate that even after paying such a heavy cost for itself, Pakistan and its associates find it difficult to understand that there are no 'good terrorists and bad terrorists'."
Singh called for international cooperation to build popular opinion and pressurise the countries that use terrorists as their strategic assets.
Singh said that terror outfits like the ISIS do not believe in a pluralistic society and are extremely intolerant of a liberal and secular democratic order. They do not accept the fundamental fact that diversity of faiths and philosophies reflects the inherent beauty of human beings, he added.
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Rajnath
calls Muslims ‘patriots’, says extremism alien to them
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Updated: Mar 19, 2015 20:00
IST
Home minister Rajnath Singh at the inaugural session of four-day
counter terrorism conference at Marriott Hotel in Jaipur. (HT Photo/Himanshu
Vyas)
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Union home minister
Rajnath Singh said on Thursday the Islamic State (IS) had failed to influence
Indian Muslims because the latter were “patriots” to whom extremism was an
alien concept.
Singh’s comments echo Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks last year that Indian Muslims “will live and die for their country”, and come at a time when a more assertive Hindu right has left sections of the minority communities uncomfortable.
"It is a matter of serious concern that they (terrorists) are seeding the minds of innocents with poisonous provocation and inspiring them to be brutally intolerant and violent with others,” said Singh at the inaugural session of a three-day international conference on counter-terrorism.
“However … I am happy to note that the influence of Islamic State on the Indian youth is negligible. Indian Muslims are patriots and are not swayed by fundamentalist ideologies. Extremism is alien to their nature."
He said according to the intelligence agencies just a handful of Indian youth joined the IS and some had even returned after being persuaded by their families.
Indian intelligence agencies have been wary over the IS naming a breakaway Pakistani Taliban commander as its chief for Khurasan, the historic name for the area encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India. The al Qaeda has also announced the formation of a new wing for the Indian subcontinent.
Singh’s comments echo Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks last year that Indian Muslims “will live and die for their country”, and come at a time when a more assertive Hindu right has left sections of the minority communities uncomfortable.
"It is a matter of serious concern that they (terrorists) are seeding the minds of innocents with poisonous provocation and inspiring them to be brutally intolerant and violent with others,” said Singh at the inaugural session of a three-day international conference on counter-terrorism.
“However … I am happy to note that the influence of Islamic State on the Indian youth is negligible. Indian Muslims are patriots and are not swayed by fundamentalist ideologies. Extremism is alien to their nature."
He said according to the intelligence agencies just a handful of Indian youth joined the IS and some had even returned after being persuaded by their families.
Indian intelligence agencies have been wary over the IS naming a breakaway Pakistani Taliban commander as its chief for Khurasan, the historic name for the area encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India. The al Qaeda has also announced the formation of a new wing for the Indian subcontinent.
Read Rajnath
Singh's speech
The developments have left security analysts warning Indian authorities of efforts by these groups to radicalise Indian Muslims. So far, four engineering students from Kalyan in Maharashtra’s Thane district, had joined the IS but at least one of them later returned home.
“The appeal of ISIS to young, educated people, in spite of its medieval ideology, is a cause for concern to the global community," Singh said, referring to another name used to describe the IS.
He also launched a scathing attack on Pakistan, saying if the neighbouring country stopped supporting terrorists then the security situation in South Asia would improve significantly.
Singh said it was unfortunate that even after paying such a heavy price for itself Pakistan and its associates find it difficult to understand that there are no "good terrorists and bad terrorists".
"If the ISI and the Pakistan army stop its support to certain terror outfits, I have no hesitation in saying that the security situation in South Asia will improve significantly," said Singh.
The conference is being organised by private think tank India Foundation and the Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice.
The developments have left security analysts warning Indian authorities of efforts by these groups to radicalise Indian Muslims. So far, four engineering students from Kalyan in Maharashtra’s Thane district, had joined the IS but at least one of them later returned home.
“The appeal of ISIS to young, educated people, in spite of its medieval ideology, is a cause for concern to the global community," Singh said, referring to another name used to describe the IS.
He also launched a scathing attack on Pakistan, saying if the neighbouring country stopped supporting terrorists then the security situation in South Asia would improve significantly.
Singh said it was unfortunate that even after paying such a heavy price for itself Pakistan and its associates find it difficult to understand that there are no "good terrorists and bad terrorists".
"If the ISI and the Pakistan army stop its support to certain terror outfits, I have no hesitation in saying that the security situation in South Asia will improve significantly," said Singh.
The conference is being organised by private think tank India Foundation and the Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice.
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