Prevent division of secular votes and reject communal forces in assembly elections: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind appeals to countrymen

New Delhi, 4 Feb. 2017: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has appealed to the people of the country to prevent the division of secular votes and reject communal forces in the assembly elections. Addressing their monthly press meet today the JIH President Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari said: “we appeal not only to Muslims but everyone to prevent the division of secular vote. We support candidates having clean character with secular credentials and who are capable of defeating the communal candidate.” Asked about Jamaat’s support in Uttar Pradesh, Maulana Umari said: “We are studying the situation and will be announcing our support soon. Our criteria for the selection of candidates would be based on the candidate’s secular credentials, performance in the last term and ability to defeat the communal candidate. It is so strange that the communal forces are raising emotive issues like Ram Mandir and non-issues like triple talaq whereas they should be taking up concerns and problems being faced by the common people like demonetization, poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment etc.”

The Secretary General of Jamaat Muhammad Salim Engineer briefing the media persons on Jamaat’s observations regarding the Union budget and said: “we feel that the Union budget 2017-18 has not taken into account the impending negative effects of demonetization in the coming months as well as the predicted slowdown in the global economy. Jamaat had suggested to the government to increase the allocation in the education sector to 6% of GDP and in the health sector to 3% of GDP. However the current allocation continues to remain much below our expectations. Jamaat had also recommended interest free credit to be provided to farmers. A sum of Rs 10 lakh crore is allocated as credit to farmers, with 60 days interest waiver’’.

About the Muslim ban imposed by the Trump administration the JIH Secretary General continued: “we condemn the executive order by the President of Unites States of America which banned Syrian refugees indefinitely along with the entry of citizens from seven Muslim majority countries. Jamaat feels that this division of the world on the basis of religion it is an unwise move and a threat to global peace. Moreover it is very surprising and shocking that such a step is taken in a democratic country like America which is a land of immigrants and has always embraced immigration. Such kind of orders clearly mentioning Muslim communities is highly undesirable and condemnable as it goes against global peace and the universal values of equality and justice.”