New Delhi: India needs to maintain and nourish its Muslim population, which is unified and considers itself as Indian, former US President Barack Obama said on Friday in Delhi.
This is an idea that needs to be strengthened, the former president said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. The Obama said he had emphasized the need to practice religious tolerance and his own faith during the closed door talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during India’s last visit to India in 2015.
The 44th President of United States, who took charge between 2009 and 2017, made a similar comment during a public conversation on the last day of his visit, which came against the background of the controversy over religious conversions.
“There is a counter-story happening all the time, but it is now clearly obvious in Europe, in America and sometimes in India, where those old tribal impulses have forced themselves in front of those leaders who have to retreat Try and try to capitalize on the leaders, “Obama said
Answering the India-specific question, Obama mentioned India’s “vast Muslim population”, who succeeds, integrates and thinks of himself as an Indian. That, unfortunately, in other countries, such a case is not always there, Obama said so.
Referring to India, he said, “There is something that should be nurtured and cultivated, it is cultivated. It is important to continue strengthening it. That, reply to a question about the terrorism derived from the Pakistan, Obama said, We have no evidence that Pakistan was aware of Osama bin Laden’s presence, but that is something clearly we have looked at.
