‘None of Allah’s 99 names means violence’: Sushma Swaraj at OIC conclave

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday while addressing the 46th sessionof conclave of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Abu Dhabi, said that Islam preaches peace and none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence.

Sushma Swaraj was invited as a “guest of honour” at the inaugural session of the influential grouping of 57 countries on Thursday said that terrorism and extremism are given different names and labels but in every case, it is driven by distortion of religion and we should stand together to combat global terrorism.

Terrorism and extremism bear different names and labels. It uses diverse causes. But in each case, it is driven by distortion of religion, and a misguided belief in its power to succeed.The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion.

It cannot be. Just as Islam literally means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion in the world stands for peace, compassion and brotherhood.

It is a verse in the Holy Quran which says ‘La Ikrah fiddeen’

– Let there be no compulsion in religion

And Sura Al Hujurat says

“O Mankind! We created you from a single pair of male and female,
and made you into nations and tribes,
so that you may know one another,
not that you may despise one another.”

“If we want to save humanity, we must tell the states who provide shelter and funding to terrorists, to dismantle the infrastructure of the terrorist camps and stop providing funding shelter and funding to the terror organisation based in that country,” she said.

Her remarks came amid heighteneed tensions between India and Pakistan after the terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed on CRPF convoy in Pulwama on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF personnel.