'We must reject any link between terrorism and religion,' PM Modi at World Sufi Forum

Asserting that there are terror groups that are instruments of state's policy and design, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said terrorism uses diverse motivations and causes that cannot be justified.

Addressing the first World Sufi Forum, Modi in an oblique reference to Pakistan said while some are trained in organised camps, there are others who "find their inspiration" in cyber space.

"There are forces and groups that are instruments of state policy and design. There are others recruited to the cause in misguided belief.

"There are some who are trained in organised camps. There are those who find their inspiration in the borderless world of cyber space. Terrorism uses diverse motivations and causes, none of which can be justified," he said at the forum convened by the All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board to discuss the role of Sufism in countering rising global terror.

Asserting that terrorists "distort" a religion, he said they kill and destroy more in their own land and people than they do elsewhere while making the entire world "insecure and violent".

"Terrorists distort a religion whose cause they profess to support. They kill and destroy more in their own land and among their own people than they do elsewhere. And, they are putting entire regions to peril and making the world more insecure and violent," he said.

Noting that terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion, the prime minister said it is a battle that must be won through the strength of values and "real" message of religions.

"The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be. It is a struggle between the values of humanism and the forces of inhumanity.

"It is not a conflict to be fought only through military, intelligence or diplomatic means. It is also a battle that must be won through the strength of our values and the real message of religions," he said.

Strongly emphasising on rejecting de-linking terrorism and religion, Modi termed as "anti-religious" those who spread terror in its name and stressed the need to advance the message of Sufism which he noted stood for principles of Islam and the highest human values.

"As I have said before, we must reject any link between terrorism and religion. Those who spread terror in the name of religion are anti-religious. And, we must advance the message of Sufism that stands for the principles of Islam and the highest human values. This is a task that states, societies, sages, scholars and families must pursue," he said.

"Every year, we spend over 100 billion dollars on securing the world from terrorism, money that should have been spent on building lives of the poor. The impact cannot be fully captured in statistics alone. It is changing the way we live," he said.  

Modi compared the existence of varies communities in the country with strings of a sitar in which they together create melody.

"Like the strings of sitar that each produces a note, but come together to create a beautiful melody. This is the spirit of India. This is the strength of our nation. All our people, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, the micro-minority of Parsis, believers, non-believers, are an integral part of India," he said.

Alluding to the Partition, the prime minister said, "at the dawn of Independence some chose to go away and, I believe, it also had to do with colonial politics of that time."

He underlined that leaders like Maulana Azad, and important spiritual leaders such as Maulana Hussain Madani, and millions and millions of ordinary citizens rejected the idea of division on the basis of religion.

The prime minister gave the credit to "every member of every faith in our diverse and yet united nation" for India moving forward in all spheres.

On the spread of terror, he said in this digital century, the reach of terror is growing and its toll is rising every year.

"Since the beginning of this century, tens of thousands of families have lost their loved ones in thousands of terrorist incidents globally. Last year alone, I am talking about 2015, over 90 countries experienced terrorist attacks.

"Parents in 100 countries live with the daily pain of their children lost to the battlefields of Syria. And, in a globally mobile world, one incident can claim citizens of many nations," he said.

He said terrorism is a "daily threat" from the centres of conflict in West Asia to calm cities in distant countries and in remote villages of Africa to the towns in our own region.

"Each day brings us terrible news and horrifying images of schools turned into graveyards of innocence, of prayer gatherings turned into funeral processions, of call to prayer or Azaan drowned by the sound of explosion, of blood on the beach, massacres in malls and smouldering cars on streets, of thriving cities ruined and priceless heritage destroyed, and of parents bearing coffins, entire communities dislocated, millions displaced, and refugees caught between fire and stormy seas," the prime minister said.

Modi said the conference should send a message to the world of "a melody of harmony and humanity, the embrace of diversity, the spirit of oneness, of service with compassion and generosity, a resolve against terrorism, a rejection of extremism and, a determination to advance peace".