Every child is born a muslim: Asaduddin Owaisi

HYDERABAD: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi has stirred a controversy with remarks that every child is born a Muslim as he locked horns with right-wing Hindu outfits over their `ghar wapsi' programme.

"Every child is born a Muslim. His parents and society convert him to other religions," Owaisi said, apparently in a tit-for-tat to hardline Hindu organisations which have been claiming that ancestors of all Indians were Hindus.

"Islam is the real home of all religions. There is no forced conversion in Islam. It is you who need to come home, but we can't give you money for that," the Hyderabad MP said on Saturday night on the eve of Eid Milad Un-Nabi, the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed.

Video footages were carried by TV news channels on Monday. Owaisi's statement drew strong reactions from political parties with senior NCP leader and Rajya Sabha member Majeed Memon calling it a "stunt" to get votes.

JD(U) spokesman KC Tyagi described the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader as a "Muslim edition" of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and VHP leader Praveen Togadia.