Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that India cannot view Islam as an “Alien Faith”, while quoting the Muslims’ contributions to the building of modern India.

“We cannot view Islam as an alien faith. Our Muslim brethren are honored citizens of India. This is the land of your forbears; this is the land of your birth; and this is where you will live and work. It is a matter of pride for us that all major religions of the world, including Islam, exist and thrive in India,”  Chidambaram said while addressing a gathering of more than 500,000 people, including about 10,000 clerics at the Deoband Seminary’s annual conference, about 150 km from New Delhi.

He also mentioned in his speech that “A nation can ignore its minorities only at its peril. The golden rule in a democracy is that it is the duty of the majority to protect the minority, be it religious, racial or linguistic. It is a self-evident rule. It is a rule that is firmly rooted in the universality of human rights.”

He condemned all forms of communalism and said: “The worst kind of communalism is unleashing communal violence. Violence and violent means to achieve any objective is the antithesis of a civilised society governed by the rule of law.”

“The demolition of the Babri Masjid was a manifestation of religious fanaticism and an act of extreme prejudice. Likewise, taking to the path of violence in the name of religion must also be deplored in unequivocal terms,” he said while condemning the Babri Masjid demolition and its aftereffects by Hindu Terrorists.