Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Syed Arshad Madani stirred a controversy on Sunday after he claimed that 'Om and Allah are same'.
Madani made the remark during the 34th general session of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, after which Jain saint Acharya Lokesh Muni and several other religious leaders left the stage midway.
Madani said, "I asked dharma guru when there was no one, neither Shri Ram, nor Brahma, then whom did they worship to? Some people told me that they used to worship 'Om'. Then I told them that this means that there is only one 'Om or Allah', and both are the same, and it is the only thing Manu used to worship. There was no Shiv, no Brahma, but only one Om and Allah that was worshipped... Om is called Allah by us, Ishwar by you (Hindus), Khuda by Farsi-speaking people (Persian) and God by English-speaking people."
Expressing displeasure over his remarks, Lokesh Muni and other religious leaders left the stage saying, "We only agree with living in harmony, but all the story regarding, Om, Allah, and Manu is all rubbish. He (Madani) completely spoiled the atmosphere of the session."
Addressing the media, the Jain saint slammed Madani's controversial statement on religion and gods. He said, "Swami Chidanand Saraswati talked about love, I Jain Acharya Lokesh Muni talked about love, the statement given by Madani should not be taken seriously. We say that our parents have given us birth, god has not given birth to us. His statement is baseless. We believe in philosophy that our good work leads to good fortune and our misdeed leads to bad luck."
"The stories he said, I can narrate even bigger stories than that. I would even request him (Madani) to come for a discussion with me, or even I can come to meet him in Saharanpur," he asserted.
(SJ/IANS)
