Modi says al Qaeda will fail in India - CNN
Al Qaeda announced the formation of its first wing dedicated to waging jihad in South Asia earlier this month. A few days later it claimed responsibility for hijacking a Pakistani naval ship.
Modi, a Hindu nationalist who was elected in May and faces criticism for remaining silent about several incidents deemed anti-Muslim, said Indian Muslims were patriotic and would not betray their nation, which has a long history of sectarian strife.
"Indian Muslims will live for India, they will die for India, they will not want anything bad for India," Modi told CNN, which aired excerpts of the pre-recorded interview on Friday.
"If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional."
Al Qaeda said in a statement that it aimed to end the suffering of Muslims in places such as Kashmir, where a violent insurgency against New Delhi's rule raged through the 1990s and resentment still runs high. Modi has long been a hate figure for Islamist groups because of religious riots in 2002 when he was chief minister of Gujarat state.
More than 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, died in the violence. Muslims make up some 15 per cent of the Indian population, and number an estimated 175 million, giving India the third-largest Muslim population in the world.
When asked why so few of India's Muslims have joined al Qaeda, Modi characterised the threat from the militancy as not about country or one race, calling it a fight between "humanity and inhumanity".
Modi's comments come amid a debate within his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party about how to deal with religious minorities after an inflammatory by-election campaign drew the ire of rights activists and failed to win over voters.
Yogi Adityanath, a star campaigner in the recent by-elections in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has been accused of delivering inflammatory speeches against Muslims.
In one video he said religious riots happen wherever more than 10 per cent of the population is Muslim. A senior BJP leader in the neighbouring state of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi, in an interview with the Indian Express newspaper criticised those comments and said his party would give seats to Muslims in local elections.
Ahead of a visit to meet US President Barack Obama later this week, Modi said ties between the United States and India, a Cold War ally of the Soviet Union, will continue to improve.
"From the end of the 20th century to the first decade of the 21st century we have witnessed a big change," Modi said. "These ties will deepen further."
CNN will air the full interview on Sunday.
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@G. Din: Don't lie;People like you can never be raised among other than your own sub-caste.You can't deny Indian Muslims their Indianness .They are as much Indian as you or anybody else.And it is the cowardice of people like you and their ancestors that they have to choose Islam.
@Maula Jatt: I don't know if you were educated at a madrassa or just plain arrogant. You seem to have something against Modi whose job is to preserve law and order and at the same time remain silent about the genocide committed by Pakistan in 1971. In the West, Muslims are despised because of our dishonesty and support towards terrorism. Just today Amir Khan's bout is under jeopardy due to him being a muslim: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing/amir-khans-dream-of-floyd-mayweather-clash-threatened-by-us-terrorist-backlash-9746587.html?origin=internalSearch If this carries on then very soon we will have a war between muslims and rest of the world. Some say it has already started and I leave it you to judge who will loose.
@BlackJack: to vinsin "... any Muslim who feels proud to be Indian would not want to cause the country any harm, and I certainly know a few." The problem is there are no Muslims who feel proud to be Indian and I grew up amongst them. If you know a few it is because you were probably spared of that. Muslims are "proud" Indians, "proud" Americans, "proud" Canadians, "proud" Danish, "proud" Australians, "proud" English, "proud" French" and so on. Guess, what makes them so proud? Yet Muslims have no problem slaying their "compatriots"! Go, figure!
It is quite amusing to see some fixations of Pakistan press. A new one has just been added "Modi, a Hindu nationalist who was elected in May" The other amusing one is " India and Pakistan, the arch enemies, who have fought three wars" and the most repeated "Pakistan a nuclear state" Why it has to be repeated day in and day out. No other nuclear state even mentions it leave aside boasting about it. Every sensible country is busy finding ways to eliminate this horrific weapon or minimize its stocks.
Modi seemed to have learned his lesson,that hate can get you votes one time,and can't count on it for ever.Muslims of India are Indians,and as patriotic as any other Indian.As for Al-qaeda,they are bound to fail everywhere.Hatred goes only so far.
Modi seeking a new excuse to persecute Muslims of India. Shame on this communal, racist, and genocidist government in India. I am still waiting for Modi's trial for Gujurat violence.
sorry my answers were not publish by ET
All the terrorist gangs like LET,ISIS,JKLF,SIMI, Hazibul Mujahideen are same for our forces.They are tracked down and killed as soon as they enter our country.So largely average life of these terrorists only few days after entering in India.Many a times Afghan and Uzbek terrorists have also been killed in kashmir means al qaida is already in India and r killed as soon as they surface
@Hobi Haripur wala: Actually that's the reason we voted for him. His comments should be read as be peaceful or else.
Dipak@vinsin: No wonder why you guys still remain in StoneAge? Lack of common sense.
Mahatma Gandhi was the cause of this mess as was the Congress Party. If you want a war with us then so be it, we will not let you get away with anything Muslims. The world is watching and it will only make the whole world more determined to take you all on. Don't care how many of you are 1 billion or 10 billion. We are just as determined. We are also going to liberate occupied India (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan). Your time is coming.
Pakistan was creation of Angloes with the help of Muslim salariats of UP-Bihar, large land holding feudal and businessmen who did not want competition from Hindus. I know personally many UP-Bihari Muslim families who sent one of the brother to Pakistan to claim land, factories, business of Hindu-Sikh who were made to run to India selling their properties for peanuts or handover to these UP-Bihari & East Punjabi Muslim so called refugees. Even MJ Akbar's father went to East Pakistan, sold the properties, acquired from Hindus who were running to India, when the price was right after 4-5 years and came back to India.
@Hobi Haripur wala: Lets just say he is whatever you say he is. Question is , What can you or people like you do about it? Nothing. So sit back, relax and Chill in your country and just watch the show.
Al Qaeda only does well in failed nations or nations where extremist Islam is acceptable - India doesn't fall into either category.
Indian muslims follow the correct version of Islam,which is peace..
@Hobi Haripur wala: You forgot that FIR's have been filed against Pakistan's three time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and also on Shabaz Sharif who has been the Chief Minister for more than 10 years for killing muslims in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Also, Musharraf has FIR's filed on him for killing muslims in Baluchistan including their 80 year old leader Nawab Bugti. He killed Nawab Bugti after warning him that he will not know what hit him. Nawab Bugti's family and Baluch were not allowed to view even his dead body and even his coffin is locked up. Pakistan is the only country in the world that has ever locked up a coffin. One of the charges Musharraf is facing is that he killed thousands of muslim students, including woman and children during his Lal Masjid operation. Do talk about these also when falsely accuse Modi.
@Deepwater: How many of them would want to go to Pakistan even if they are offered incentives?Not many because which is abetter land and choice.
ET Mods - please publish this to challenge the shameless lies of this man.
@Hobi Haripur wala: Please provide link to any video where Modi asked Indian Muslims to go to Pakistan. You will not find it because he never said that. When he was Gujarat CM he spoke aout 6 crore Gujaratis and as PM he speaks about 125 crore Indians. Usually he does not speak about religion of Indians. This was an exception due to the nature of question put forth my CNN.
After clearing by every single court of charges of complicity in riots, no one other than some hateful Pakistanis call him butcher of Gujarat. Even his opponents in Ondia say he did nit act as quickly as he should have not that he was complicit. Oh and by the way China - your tall, high and sweet froend - had always welcomed him - even when he was not a PM.
What Modi said is largely correct. Muslims in India have it good and they know it. Many have voted for development and aspire for a better life just like other communities. However, there will always be some exceptions and some young men will indeed want to participate in ISIS-type jihad. We are seeing that even in such cases, the families of these men are coming forward and warning authorities. That is a very hopeful sign.
@Ch. Allah Daad: These groups only tarnish the image of Islam, they claim to be excellent Muslims when they are not even good humans and it will be better for humanity if they are eliminated at the earliest. There are other peoples like Zaid Hamid and Parveen Togdia who are also dangerous for humanity but it is our good luck that few people listen them.
Modi hates Muslims. Now a U Turn by Modi. He loves Muslims. They are his brothers. They are 'NOW' considered Indians. Before,..they were told to go to Pakistan. Sad fact is, Modi's other name is 'Butcher of Gujrat'. Given to him by by the Indian Media
[moderator truthful and fact full comment]
A recent news item that many missed: Modi appoints former McKinsey India chief Adil Zainulbhai as Quality Council of India head
@vinsin: I think you should have started the comment with 'Some..'. Assuming that 175 M people are pre-programmed robots is foolishness. Everything may not be hunky-dory, but any Muslim who feels proud to be Indian would not want to cause the country any harm, and I certainly know a few.
@vinsin Manmohan Sikh nationalist? Really? that guy was anything but a nationalist. He was more of servant of Gandhi family. Everyday revelations about him is shedding more light on his character and ripping his dignity whatever is left in him.
Modiji is correct. Indian Muslims are Indians just as Indian Hindus and Indian Christians. There are always some disputes and tensions based on divisions. Rare bad news gets publicity. But the massive reality of peaceful co-existence doesn't.
It also surprise me how we can have third largest Muslim population in the world even after our partition they suppose have migrated to west Pakistan or East Pakistan so we feel we have been cheated.
India Muslims succeeded in partitioning, then getting special status and will be successful in Islamization of India. Modi is a Hindu nationalist, Manmohan a Sikh nationalist and Nawaz a Muslim Nationalist.