Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, July 16: The Muslim Co-ordination Committee, Leh today hosted a reception in the honour of Dalai Lama at Grand Dragon Hotel here.
Addressing the gathering, Dalai Lama reiterated his acquaintance with Muslims since childhood in Tibet and said that even today he stand in favour of Muslims in interfaith international conferences and meetings. This he said in context of September 11 terrorist attack after which the whole Muslim community around the world was generalized as terrorist. “Just because of few mischievous people alleging the entire Muslim community of being terrorists and to carry a negative image of them is totally unfair and wrong,” asserted Dalai Lama.
“A genuine practitioner of Islam must extend love to the entire creature of Allah and any person who claim as muslim but create bloodshed is no more a follower of Islam,” he said. He called India a living example to the rest of the world in terms of religious harmony where beside home grown religion other major and minor religion all live and flourish together.
Highlighting the incident of Shia Sunni conflict in some of the Muslim countries, Dalai Lama made an appeal to all the Muslims of Ladakh to take an initiative and make some earnest effort to reach out to them with the message of peace and brotherhood as the Ladakhi Muslims have century old tradition of harmony and cordial relationship with Buddhists and within their community through active participation at national level conferences thereby fulfilling the desire of Allah rather than remaining indifferent.
Sheikh Saif-ud-Din, President Moin-ul-Islam expressed gratitude to Dalai Lama taking time out of his busy schedule and admired him for advocating interfaith tolerance and harmony.
Ashraf Ali Barcha, President Anjuman-e-Imamia called Dalai Lama the apostle of peace and his visit to Ladakh the most blessed and happy moments for all the Ladakhis of all religion.
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