'Maybe He Will Find Apes In...': Mehbooba Mufti Reacts To Azad's 'Indian Muslims Were Hindus' Comment

PDP founder Mehbooba Mufti mocked Democratic Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad's statement where he said that all Muslims in India were originally Hindus who later converted to Islam.

File photo of former Jammu & Kashmir chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad ( Image Source :PTI )

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Democratic Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad’s remarks on Hinduism being older than Islam are garnering reactions from other political leaders with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) founder Mehbooba Mufti taking a dig at the veteran politician. Azad has said that all Muslims in India were originally Hindus who later converted to Islam. He made the remarks to underscore that all communities in the country come from the same soil and no one is an outsider in the country.

Speaking in a public meeting, Azad said, “A BJP leader said some have come from outside, I would say no one has come from outside. Islam has come only 1,500 years ago and Hinduism is very old in India. 10-20 people may have come from outside, who were with the Mughal army during their period. The rest of the Muslims have converted from Hinduism.”

“An example of this lies in Kashmir. Who was a Muslim in Kashmir 600 years ago? All were Kashmiri Pandits. All converted to Islam and became Muslims. All came from this (Hindu) religion,” he added.

Naming different communities such as Hindus, Muslims, Dalits, Kashmiri, and Gujjar, Azad said all of them have made India their home. “It is our home, we haven’t come from outside. We were born on this soil and will perish in it,” he emphasised.

गुलाम नबी आजाद ने इस्लाम और कश्मीर को लेकर बड़ा बयान दिया है. उन्होंने कहा, 'हिंदू धर्म इस्लाम से काफी पुराना है. भारत के मुसलमान मूल रूप से हिंदू थे, जो बाद में कन्वर्ट हो गए'#GhulamNabiAzad #jammukashmir pic.twitter.com/VseO4FjtPM

— ABP News (@ABPNews) August 17, 2023

“Our Hindu brothers burn their dead, let the ashes flow in the river... In our country, after death, a Muslim is buried under the ground... His body becomes a part of the soil of Mother India, so where are the Hindus and where are the Muslims? Everyone is found in the soil here,” he remarked.

Watch: जम्मू कश्मीर के पूर्व सीएम गुलाम नबी आजाद का बड़ा बयान- 'हिन्दू धर्म इस्लाम से पुराना, 600 साल पहले कश्मीर में सब कश्मीरी पंडित थे' @romanaisarkhan https://t.co/smwhXUROiK#GhulamNabiAzad #JammuKashmir #India pic.twitter.com/ColJryJHBi

— ABP News (@ABPNews) August 17, 2023

When asked about it, PDP president and former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday commented: “I don’t know how far back he went (in time) and what knowledge he has about his ancestors. I would advise him to go way back and maybe he will find some apes there in the ancestors.”

VIDEO | PDP chief @MehboobaMufti reacts to the remarks by Ghulam Nabi Azad in which he reportedly said that 'everyone was born a Hindu in this country'. pic.twitter.com/V2PNq7PaYr

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 17, 2023

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha stressed that “Humanity should take precedence over all other considerations – whether it be religion, borders, nationality, or civilization.”

“The answer to Azad’s question lies in his own words. The path he is advocating will heal wounds of the past and cultivate a greener future,” he added, as quoted by ANI

The RJD leader emphasised that Humanity arrived before religion did. “Once this realisation permeates society, religious extremism will naturally wane,” he opined.

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