‘In our 85 years of life, we have never seen such dire conditions in the country as we are witnessing now,’ says the organisation’s chief Maulana Madani

NEW DELHI – Strongly condemning the recent attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (Arshad Madani faction) chief Maulana Arshad Madani said on Sunday that those responsible for killing innocent people “cannot be called human beings.”

Speaking at a press conference after a two-day working committee meeting of his organisation, Maulana Arshad Madani said, “Those who killed tourists in Pahalgam know nothing about Islam. Islam strictly prohibits the killing of innocent people. Such an act is a grave sin, and those who commit it are not human.”

However, Madani also warned against targeting the entire Muslim community in the aftermath of the attack. He alleged that Muslims, especially Kashmiris, were being harassed across the country due to what he called the government’s “politics of hate,” which he believes is fuelling division and animosity.

Maulana Arshad Madani became emotional when he said: “In our 85 years of life, we have never seen such dire conditions in the country as we are witnessing now.”

He said hate and divisive politics have become the cornerstone of the government’s policies. “Their only ideology and principle is to create hatred, divide the people based on religion, and thereby easily form a government. The unfortunate truth is that the government has no intention of doing anything that would bring peace and stability to the people, such as providing jobs and employment, creating business opportunities, or improving the living standard of the citizens.

Raising questions about the security lapse, Madani said the government must explain how such a deadly attack was allowed to happen in a heavily monitored region.

“Over 3,000 tourists had gathered in the area, yet the terrorists managed to reach the site despite the presence of the army and the BSF personnel. This is a clear failure of the security system,” he said. It is strange, he said, that it took an hour and a half for security forces to respond, and it was the local people who first helped the victims.

When asked about the bulldozer action on the homes of the attack accused, Maulana Madani said if the houses truly belonged to them, then the action was appropriate. “But, if the house of an innocent person has been turned into rubble merely based on suspicion, then we believe that no justice-loving person can view this positively,” he said.

Full video Live press conference

In response to another question, he said, a nation progresses through unity, love, and harmony — therefore, what the country needs is a government of love, not of hatred. “The politics of hate are a serious threat to the nation. Unfortunately, the path of hatred on which our country has been set — if not stopped — will make it difficult not just for Muslims, but for every citizen to even breathe freely in this land,” he said.

On the growing Islamophobia, Maulana Madani said Islam was the fastest-growing religion in the world, which is why some people are busy distorting its image. “Some are attempting to associate Islam with terrorism, which is undoubtedly a blatant lie. Islam not only forbids the unjust killing of anyone but also warns of severe punishment for such acts,” he said.

On the issue of illegal immigration, Maulana Madani expressed support for action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants but cautioned against the harassment of Bengali-speaking citizens from West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura under its guise.