Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised the “rich diversity" of Islam at a Sufi gathering against global terror.
Diversity is a basic reality of Nature and source of richness of a society and it should not be a cause of discord, Modi said in his speech at the at the inaugural of World Sufi Forum in New Delhi.
"When we think of 99 names of Allah, none stands for force and violence. Allah is Rahman and Rahim," Modi said.
Modi also hit out at those who spread terror across the world in the guise of religion.
"Those who spread terror in the name of religion are anti-religious. The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be," he said.
Making a pitch for unity he said, "Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, believers, non-believers, are an integral part of India."
Calling Sufism the voice of peace, he said it blossomed in India's pluralism and from here spread across the world.
Praising the Sufis, he said: "At a time when the dark shadow of violence is becoming longer, you are the noor or the light of hope.
Invoking Punjabi Sufi poet, humanist and philosopher Bulleh Shah, Modi said: "In wisdom of Bulleh Shah, the lord exists in every heart. His values are the need of our times. This is reality of nature. We learn this wisdom in perfect balance and harmony that exists in vast diversity of our forests."
He also stressed on Sufism’s "huge" contribution to poetry in India and "its profound impact" on the development of Indian music.
The four-day event has been convened by the All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board, to discuss the role of Sufism in countering rising global terror.
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