“Stop injustice to stop terrorism” read one banner, and “Terror has no religion” the other. These were some of the messages prominently displayed by youngsters at a peace rally held in the city.
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) organised two Caravans for Peace & Justice, flagged off from New Delhi on November 10 — one reached Mumbai on Sunday, after visiting four cities. The caravan will make its way through four more cities before it ends its journey in Jaipur, on November 24.
On Monday, roads from Azad Maidan to Kurla were filled with slogans denouncing terrorism, like this one: “Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isaee — sab ki hai aatank se ladai”. Talking to DNA, Aslam Ghazi, spokesperson of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra, said, “Since it is election time, politicians have returned to their favourite gimmick - the religion card.”
At the press conference, a leader from the organisation said, “We are against political practices that play with religion, as they only divide the country. It only creates enmity between religions. None of these parties talk of the country’s welfare. We also feel that regionalism is a threat to the country.”
BBC mediaperson Alan Hart condemned terrorism and said that Muslims should combat “Islamphobia”. Another peace activist, Prof Ram Punyani, lambasted the Sangh Parivar, alleging that the organisation had infiltrated the police and the army and was following a hidden agenda of divide and rule.
