Our correspondent / New Delhi
Appealing voters of the country, particularly from Uttar Pradesh to prevent the division of secular votes, India’s prominent Muslim organisation, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind today asked them to reject communal forces in the assembly elections.
Addressing a press meet JIH President Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari said: “we appeal not only to Muslims but everyone to prevent the division of secular vote. We support candidates having clean character with secular credentials and who are capable of defeating the communal candidate.”
Asked about Jamaat’s support in Uttar Pradesh, Maulana Umari said: “We are studying the situation and will be announcing our support soon. Our criteria for the selection of candidates would be based on the candidate’s secular credentials, performance in the last term and ability to defeat the communal candidate.
It is so strange that the communal forces are raising emotive issues like Ram Mandir and non-issues like triple talaq whereas they should be taking up concerns and problems being faced by the common people like demonetization, poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment etc.”
On the Union budget, the Secretary General of Jamaat Muhammad Salim Engineer said: “we feel that the Union budget 2017-18 has not taken into account the impending negative effects of demonetization in the coming months as well as the predicted slowdown in the global economy.
About the Muslim ban imposed by the Trump administration the JIH Secretary General said : “we condemn the executive order by the President of Unites States of America which banned Syrian refugees indefinitely along with the entry of citizens from seven Muslim majority countries.
Jamaat feels that this division of the world on the basis of religion it is an unwise move and a threat to global peace. Moreover it is very surprising and shocking that such a step is taken in a democratic country like America which is a land of immigrants and has always embraced immigration. Such kind of orders clearly mentioning Muslim communities is highly undesirable and condemnable as it goes against global peace and the universal values of equality and justice.”