Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that forced religious conversion cannot be a testament of expansion and trust on any religion in a country where both, believers and atheists coexist.
Interacting with prominent people of the Christian community from across the country here today, Shri Naqvi said that both the believers and the atheists have equal constitutional and social rights and protection in India.
Shri Naqvi said that while on one hand, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, Jews, Baha’is, and believers of almost all other religions of the world live in India, on the other hand, crores of atheists also exist in the country with equal constitutional and social rights.
He said that India is the only country in the world where festivals and other joyous occasions of all the religions are celebrated together. We need to keep this shared cultural heritage and legacy of co-existence strengthened. Any attempt to disturb this fabric of unity and harmony will hurt the soul of India.
The Minister said that followers of almost all the religions of the world live in India and constitutional and social guarantee and safety of their religious, social, economic, educational rights is the beauty of our strength of “Unity in Diversity”.
Shri Naqvi asserted that it is our collective national responsibility to ensure that India’s culture of tolerance and commitment of co-existence is not allowed to get weakened under any circumstances.
He stated that religious bigotry and in-tolerance can never hurt India as our country is the world’s largest centre of spiritual-religious knowledge, and also the source of inspiration for “Sarva Dharma Sambhav” and “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.
Minister of State for Minority Affairs Shri John Barla, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities Sardar Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs Ms. Renuka Kumar, Arch Bishop Anil Joseph, Bishop Subodh C. Mandal and other prominent people from religious, social, educational, health and art & culture fields from across the country were present on the occasion.
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N. Ao/(MoMA release)