Maoists draw attention away from Muslims in India.
Muslim community leaders are a bit relieved — Maoists seem to have replaced Islamic terrorists as the country’s enemy No. 1.
“We are glad the attention has shifted from Islamic terrorists to Maoists, at least for the time being. This will save many innocent Muslim youths from being picked up in the name of terror,” said Zafarul Islam Khan, president of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an apex forum of Muslim organisations.
“The Indian state took a long time to realise the potential threat posed by the Maoists as they were too busy with the so-called threat posed by Islamic terrorism. It’s a good sign as far as the Muslim community is concerned,” Khan, who also edits the magazine Milli Gazette, added.
But Khan said the community was sympathetic towards the issues raised by the Maoists. “We don’t think the Maoists are anti-national…. Their modus operandi may be wrong but demanding land for the landless is no crime.”
