Azad’s about muslims statement sparked a flurry of replies, with the PDP head telling him to “go way back and maybe he will find some apes there in the ancestors.”
Hindu right-wing organizations such as the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have praised DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad’s claim that the majority of Indian Muslims had converted to Islam.
According to Neeraj Douneriya, national convener of the Bajrang Dal, Azad’s comment is a positive sign and aligns with the viewpoint of Hindutva organisations.
“Ghulam Nabi Azad’s statement is a positive sign because even Bajrang Dal has long claimed that Muslims and Christians in the country have converted from Hinduism,” Douneriya told PTI.
“I welcome Ghulam Nabi Azad’s statement in which he said that the Hindu religion is older than Islam and that Kashmiri Muslims are Hindus,” said Vinayakrao Deshpande, central organization general secretary of the VHP.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad claimed on Thursday that the majority of Indian Muslims have converted from Hinduism, with the Kashmir Valley serving as an example.
“Some BJP leaders claimed that some (Muslims) came from outside and others did not.” Nobody has arrived from the outside or the inside. Islam was founded only 1,500 years ago. Hinduism is a very old religion. Around 10-20 of them (Muslims) must have arrived from abroad, and some may have served in the Mughal army,” the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) head told a gathering in Doda area.
“All other Muslims in India converted from Hinduism. Kashmir is one such example. What did the Muslims look like in Kashmir 600 years ago? They were all Pandits from Kashmir. They accepted Islam. “Everyone is born into this religion,” he continued.
Kavinder Gupta, a senior BJP politician, concurred with Azad’s views, saying that people used to practice Hinduism until “invaders” brought in other religions.
Ratnavali