Don't tarnish entire community: Maulana Mahmood Madani

KOLKATA: Accusing central agencies and Ministry of Home Affairs of being involved in witchhunting in the Burdwan blast case, Jamat-Ulama-e-Hind general secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani today alleged that a conspiracy is on to "tarnish" the entire Muslim community.

"If someone is guilty, then he should be punished. But please don't indulge in witchhunting and tarnish the entire community. The central agencies even before something is proved, is leaking things about raids in madrasas which in turn is creating problems for the entire community," he said.

"What was the central agencies and the Home Ministry doing when such activities were going on? If any unlawful thing is going on in madrasas and it is proved, we will fully cooperate with the agencies," Madani said.

Madrasas operating in Bengal and throughout India work for the benefit of the masses, he asserted.

NIA, which is investigating the Burdwan blast, is probing links with suspected al-Qaeda and Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorists with Simulia madrasa in the district as the accused were believed to have been indoctrinated there.

"A conspiracy is being hatched to malign the entire community. We have to fight against this community. I must say that the condition of Muslims in India is much better than their counterparts in other countries of the Indian sub continent.

"India belongs to all communities. During partition, we had the option of leaving India but our forefathers choose to be part of India. But if such kind of vilification campaign continues against us, then it will alienate the entire community," he added.