National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today said that resent day India is not the country that Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to, adding that the decision “would have been something else” if people had known the religious rights of Muslims “will not be protected” in this country.
While speaking to reporters in Srinagar, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said: “When we decided to accede to India, we acceded to a country where every religion would be treated equally. We were not told that one religion will get preferential treatment and others will be suppressed.”
“If we knew it, perhaps our decision would have been something else. We had consciously taken the decision after we were told that every religion will get equal rights,” he said.
The Abdullah scion also highlighted the ongoing controversy in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh on loud-speakers at mosques during the azaan or prayers, Hijab in class and Halal meet. Abdullah said Muslims were being suppressed for their religious beliefs and their way of living.
“Why shouldn’t we use loud-speakers at mosques? If other religious places have a right to use it, why not mosques,” the National Conference leader questioned.
“You tell us don’t sell halal meat. Why? Our religion asks us to eat halal meat. Why you are stopping it? We are not forcing you to eat Halal. Has any Muslim forced you to eat halal? You eat the way you like to eat and we do the way we like,” Abdullah noted.
Muslims never objected to loud-speakers at temples or other religious places, he said.
“We never tell you there should be no mic in temples. Don’t you use mics in temples and Gurdwaras. But you get rattled by our mic only. You get rattled by our religion. You don’t like the way we dress, the way we pray. You don’t have problem with anyone else. They are spreading hate,” Abdullah added.
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