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Shashi Tharoor Issues Lengthy Clarification After Criticising Islamic Extremists Part Of Anti-CAA Protests
Swarajya Staff
Dec 30, 2019, 07:56 PM | Updated 07:56 PM IST
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Controversial Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday (30 December) issued a lengthy clarification in a series of tweets after facing backlash from certain quarters over his criticism of Islamic extremists who have been part of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest.
This is what Tharoor tweeted yesterday (29 December).
Our fight against Hindutva extremism should give no comfort to Islamist extremism either. We whoâre raising our voice in the #CAA_NRCProtests are fighting to defend an #InclusiveIndia. We will not allow pluralism&diversity to be supplanted by any kind of religious fundamentalism. https://t.co/C9GVtB9gIa
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 29, 2019
This is promptly said to have resulted in a backlash from a section of his supporters and he had later tweeted, “No offence intended. Just making it clear that for most of us this struggle is about India, not about Islam. Or Hinduism. It’s about our constitutional values & founding principles. It’s about defending pluralism. It’s about saving the soul of India. Not one faith vs another.”
Today evening (30 December) he took things to the next level by posting a series of tweets to issue a detailed clarification.
2. I also understand the primordial place of the Kalima in the Islamic faith. "La ilaha ilallah" is unexceptionable in itself. It's the context that matters here;Â the phrase âtera mera rishta la ilaha illallahâ tends to isolate the community from others whose rishta is to India.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 30, 2019
4. My point is, of course I understand what's at stake for the Muslim community. But that's because the basic idea of Indian pluralism is threatened. Broadbase the cause. You can't fight Hindutva communalism by promoting Muslim communalism. Identity politics will destroy India.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 30, 2019
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