Swami who busts myths around Prophet Mohammad
RELATED
ALIGARH: One of the speakers at the conference in AMU on "Intellectual crisis of the Muslim Ummah: Rethinking Traditional Solutions" was draped in saffron, a tika on his forehead. He spoke of Prophet Muhammad with awe, referring to him as a "peace-loving messenger". Swami Lakshmi Shankaracharya, founder of the Hindu-Muslim Jan Ekta Manch, has read the Quran 10 times over. The knowledge he has acquired is used to dispel popular myths about Islam and Muhammad.
Swami Lakshmi Shankaracharya admitted that he too, for long, associated Islam with terrorism. He had even written a book titled "The History of Islamic Terrorism", linking some surahs in the Holy book with violence. "Things changed when I had to work on another book, "America in Danger Because of Islam". This was an assignment I was commissioned to do - I read of the life and times of the Prophet, and realized that he had stood for peace. He was a messenger of peace. I read the Quran again and found that the surahs I had earlier thought were violent ones were actually about not spreading terrorism. I read a book brought out by the Jamat-e-Islami-Hind, 'Mohammad Sallal lahu walehi wassalam'."
"I don't know English," the swami said, with candour, somewhat poignantly. "I feel if I knew that language, I might have discovered much more about Prophet Muhammad."
He said after he chanced on the book brought out by Jamat-e-Islami-Hind, he abandoned his project, "America in Danger because of Islam". "My views changed drastically," he said.
He said he finished his studies at Allahabad University and worked as a contractor with the Public Works Department. He said he gave up his work as a contractor and took to the religious path about 15 years ago, when he set up his ashram in Kanpur. He said he has not named his ashram, in order not to slot it - he did not want his ashram to become another "dharam ka dukaan," he said, adding that he set up the Hindu-Muslim Jan Manch five years ago, when he saw the enormous rift between the two religions that needed to be bridged.
These days, he attends public gatherings to dispel popular myths about Muhammad and Islam. "All religions preach peace. It is we who spoil these with our actions. The verses of the Quran resonate with the Gita - there are many similarities to celebrate," he said.
Asked what he thought of the call for ghar wapsi by some sections of the Hindu right, he said, "Maybe it's time for those outfits to reflect on why some people left their 'ghar' for something else, in the first place."
Swami Lakshmi Shankaracharya admitted that he too, for long, associated Islam with terrorism. He had even written a book titled "The History of Islamic Terrorism", linking some surahs in the Holy book with violence. "Things changed when I had to work on another book, "America in Danger Because of Islam". This was an assignment I was commissioned to do - I read of the life and times of the Prophet, and realized that he had stood for peace. He was a messenger of peace. I read the Quran again and found that the surahs I had earlier thought were violent ones were actually about not spreading terrorism. I read a book brought out by the Jamat-e-Islami-Hind, 'Mohammad Sallal lahu walehi wassalam'."
"I don't know English," the swami said, with candour, somewhat poignantly. "I feel if I knew that language, I might have discovered much more about Prophet Muhammad."
He said after he chanced on the book brought out by Jamat-e-Islami-Hind, he abandoned his project, "America in Danger because of Islam". "My views changed drastically," he said.
He said he finished his studies at Allahabad University and worked as a contractor with the Public Works Department. He said he gave up his work as a contractor and took to the religious path about 15 years ago, when he set up his ashram in Kanpur. He said he has not named his ashram, in order not to slot it - he did not want his ashram to become another "dharam ka dukaan," he said, adding that he set up the Hindu-Muslim Jan Manch five years ago, when he saw the enormous rift between the two religions that needed to be bridged.
These days, he attends public gatherings to dispel popular myths about Muhammad and Islam. "All religions preach peace. It is we who spoil these with our actions. The verses of the Quran resonate with the Gita - there are many similarities to celebrate," he said.
Asked what he thought of the call for ghar wapsi by some sections of the Hindu right, he said, "Maybe it's time for those outfits to reflect on why some people left their 'ghar' for something else, in the first place."
No comments:
Post a Comment