"Centre has decided anything negative is Jihad": Jamiat President Mehmood Madani

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 2 : A day after controversy erupted over President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Maulan Mahmood Madani's remarks over the meaning of "jihad," the Jamiat President, in an exclusive interview with ANI, clarified on his remarks and claimed that it is actually the Centre and state ministries which have put a negative association on the word, whereas its history is actually "pious" and the term is actually to fight against terrorists.
Saying that the term "jihad" is being used in a planned manner, he alleged that various terms, like "Love jihad, land Jihad, 'thook' jihad, and vote jihad," are being coined to abuse Muslims in the country.
"The entire ministry, be it centre, or be it state, have decided that if anything negative related to Muslims comes to light, it will be called Jihad. Jihad is a pious word. We are fighting for the real meaning of jihad. Jihad is a pious word. We are fighting for the real meaning of jihad. The term jihad is being used to abuse Islam in a very planned manner," the Jamiat president said.
When asked whether any confusion has been created after he made his previous remarks, the Jamiat President took responsibility for his words, claiming that while he had a responsibility to not have his words misunderstood, in context, his statement is not problematic.
"It is correct that some confusion has been created, but if you see it is context then you won't misunderstand it, to make sure that no misunderstanding happens was my responsibility, and I could not fulfill that responsibility, you can blame me for that," Madani said.
"But if you hear my full statement, then three statements have been said. One is that in India Jihad has multiple meanings...The biggest jihad is to have a clear vision of your aim and work on yourself. If there is injustice, raise your voice against it; this is also jihad," he added.
According to the cleric, the association of the term 'jihad' with terrorism is incorrect. Instead, the correct word for terrorists is 'fasaadi' and Jihad is actually quite opposite,
"Ever since I entered this organisation as a Secretary, I have made it my life's mission to expose how the terrorists have misconstrued Islamic terminology and spread 'fasaad', we need to be against it...We consider Jihad as fighting the terrorists. I have always said, they are 'fasaadi', and we are ' jihadi," the Maulana said.
"It is by default assumed that all Muslims are 'jihadi' and hence 'fasaadi'. It became my responsibility to explain what Jihad really is," he added.
The Jamiat President, while speaking earlier during the National Governing Body meeting in Bhopal, questioned the independence of the judiciary, citing cases like Babri Masjid and triple talaq. He stated that the Supreme Court should be considered "supreme" only if it upholds the Constitution and the law.
Regarding the term "jihad, he said that "Enemies of Islam and Muslims have made 'jihad' a synonym of abuse, conflict and violence. Terms like Love jihad, Land jihad, 'Taleem' Jihad, 'Thook' Jihad are used to insult the faith of Muslims. Unfortunately, responsible people in government and media feel no shame in using such terms."
The comments received strong backlash from various people, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, and also members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad among others.