‘What is illegal about it?’: Owaisi asks after row on ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters in Kanpur
“If we carry around a poster saying 'I love Mohammad,' what is illegal about it?” the AIMIM chief asked during a rally in Bihar's Bahadurganj.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi addressed the row over ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters.
“In your city, someone was carrying a poster in a procession which read 'I Love Muhammad'. The officials snatched the poster and said that it cannot be shown...” Owaisi said.
He further asked what was “illegal” about the slogan. “If we carry around a poster saying 'I love Mohammad,' what is illegal about it? What is there in it that incites anyone to violence, aggression, or violence?...” the AIMIM chief asked during a rally in Bihar's Bahadurganj..
“... We will all follow our own religions. We will preserve our places of worship, and this is what our elders told us when we gained independence...” he said.
Owaisi further said that if any Hindu carried the slogan 'I Love Mahadev," he would have no objection to it. “If someone uses the same slogan for any of their religious leaders, as our Hindu brothers did, 'I love Mahadev,' we have no objection. This is their belief,” he said, according to ANI.
The AIMIM chief said that the actions being taken by the government was “attacking” the hearts of the Muslim community. “You told our girls they couldn't wear hijabs and burqas. The actions the government is taking now are attacking our hearts. Remember, we have tolerated attacks on every part of our bodies. But when the heart is attacked, who will survive?” he asked.
Owaisi's remarks come after protests over ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters turned violent in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, with internet being suspended across four districts and massive security deployment.
More than 2,000 protestors had gathered outside a mosque in Bareilly after Friday prayers on September 26 to protest the cancellation of a proposed protest over the “I Love Muhammad” poster row.
The protestors hurled stones, people were lathi-charged and police personnel were injured in the incident. At least 81 arrests have been made in connection with the incident so far.
The protests had been called following an FIR filed on September 9 in Kanpur, regarding alleged installation of “I Love Muhammad” boards on a public road during a Barawafat procession.
