Chandrashekhar Azad (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Defending Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, who used the word “jihad” in Parliament, Aazad Samaj Party (ASP) chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Thursday said the term means the same as “jaddojahad” (struggle/great effort) in Hindi.“’Jihad’ is simply an Arabic term for what we describe in Hindi as ‘jaddojahad’ — the fight against oppression,” he told PTI Videos.“I’ve always maintained that anyone facing oppression or having their rights taken away will stand up against injustice,” Azad added. “Our country won freedom through a long and difficult struggle, with thousands making the ultimate sacrifice — that, too, is ‘sangharsh’ (struggle).” The Nagina MP also questioned the need to reinterpret the term “jihad” to suit “one’s own convenience.”Azad further said, “He (Nadvi) was simply talking about jihad against oppression. As an Islamic scholar, he was only trying to tell his people to stand up against injustice. And in this country, we can fight even the biggest battles through constitutional means.”Asked about Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind chief Mahmood Madani, who made similar remarks at a rally in Bhopal, the ASP founder-president pointed to the Madani family’s association with the freedom movement. “I don’t agree with the comments being made about such a family for political gains. His remarks are being twisted and distorted — he’s being portrayed as a villain. Had he been wrong, I would have spoken about it. But I can’t criticise someone who is right,” Azad stated.What Mohibbullah Nadvi saidSpeaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the SP MP from Rampur said, “Our party has already opposed the Waqf Amendment Bill. People have six months to upload their properties on the UMEED portal, but even the server is down and there are constant issues. Around 70% of properties have not been registered. Today, it seems Articles 25 and 26 — the right to practise and manage one’s own religious affairs — are being destroyed in the country, and Muslims’ lives have become troubled.”Claiming that several people were drawing parallels with the freedom struggle, he continued, “Many are saying that, just as we had to fight during the independence movement, we may again have to protest against injustice — we may have to do jihad. How long will Muslims continue to be oppressed in this country?”His remarks prompted sharp criticism from the ruling BJP MPs.On Thursday, Nadvi defended his comments and declared a “boycott” of the media, accusing news outlets of “mocking” the Muslim community.“I said what I had to say, and in the context I had to, in Parliament. The media is making a mockery of Muslims in this country. This goes against the Constitution, against morality and against patriotism. This is a community that has made sacrifices for this nation for hundreds of years,” he told reporters outside Parliament. “When the media tries to demoralise a community, boycotting it is also a jihad. So, I am boycotting you.” Go to Source
