Main points made during Hon’ble PM’s address at the World Sufi Forum, New Delhi, on 17 March  2016

1.         Ninety nine names of Allah

            These are 99 names of Allah, none stand for force and violence. Allah is Rahman and Raheem. Sufism is the voice of peace, co-existence, compassion, equality & a call to universal brotherhood. As India became a principal center of Islamic civilization, our nation also emerged as one of the most vibrant hubs of Sufism. Sufism became the face of Islam in India, even as it remained deeply rooted in the Holy Quran and Hadis.

2.         Muslim Leaders of India

            The tallest of our leaders, such as Maulana Azad, and important spiritual leaders, such as Maulana Hussain Madani and millions of ordinary citizens rejected the idea of division on the basis of religion. Now, India is moving forward as a united nation on the strength of its diversity. All our people, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, the micro-minority of Parsis, believers, non-believers, are an integral part of India.  Today Sufism from India has spread across the world.

3.         Terrorism and Development

            Every year, over 100 billion dollars are spent on securing the world from terrorism. This money should have been spent on building lives of the poor. Terrorism uses diverse motivations and causes, none of which can be justified. Terrorists distort a religion whose cause they profess to support. The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It is a struggle between the values of humanism and the forces of humanity. Diversity is a basic reality of Nature and the source of richness of a society. It should not be a cause of misunderstanding.