Urging all Muslims to rise above sects and denominational differences to close ranks and fight terrorism, the declaration, issued from the oldest Islamic seminary in South Asia, targeted the UPA government for allegedly framing innocent Muslim youths in terror cases by intelligence agencies.

The Islamic Madarsa Association, which organized the day-long “All India Anti-Terrorism Conference,” here today had earlier said that clerics cutting across all sects would participate but the seminar turned out to be a predominantly Deobandi show with only a few clerics from the more moderate Barelvi sect showing up.

“We reject all forms of terrorism. Terrorism is completely wrong and an unthoughtful act whoever commits it, irrespective of his association to whatever religion, community and class. Terrorism negates completely the teachings of Islam as it is the faith of love and peace, and any terrorist activity which targets innocent people directly contradicts Islam’s concept of peace,” said Rector of Darul Uloom Maulana Marghoobur Rahman.

“The present situation of the country demands joint and constant efforts to denounce terrorism,” the declaration said, “and (to denounce) the biased and discriminatory attitude of the government against the Muslim community.”

The declaration cited Naxalites to reinforce its point: “The situation has worsened as every Indian Muslim, particularly those associated with madarsas are gripped by the fear of being framed by the police any time while Naxalites (are) attacking police stations, looting arms and ammunition (and) roaming freely with no effective and preventive steps being taken by the government to check their acts of terrorism.”

“This partial attitude of the government has put a big question mark on the secular character of the government posing a great threat to the country. The conference strongly condemns and expresses its deep concern over the discriminatory attitude of government officials, and declares its continuous joint struggle for the domination of law,justice and secularism,” the declaration said.

Urging the government to curb activities of those agencies “maligning” madarsas and Muslims, the declaration called for freeing “innocent youths” and stern action against “officers who framed them.”

The conference also adopted a resolution to hold statewise conferences. The resolution, moved by the Naib Mohatmin (Deputy Rector), appealed to the Darul Uloom Deoband to act as a leader in this direction.

Earlier, delivering the presidential address, Mohatmin (Rector) of the Darul Uloom, Maulana Marghoobur Rahman, urged Muslims of all sects to come on one platform. “Is the character of Hazrat Amir Mauwiya (companion of Prophet Mohammed) not the best example for us in this regard when he kicked the invitation of the Roman king to constitute a united front against Hazrat Ali?”

“We must charter an action plan to combat the sustained campaign to persecute innocent individuals associated with Muslim organizations and madrasas,” said the Maulana, adding, “The strengthening of the internal system of madarsas is equally important and our financial system should be quite transparent”.

During the six-hour-long proceedings, close to 50 speakers vented their ire against the government and intelligence agencies, harped on the history of Islam in India and rued the present state of the community’s decline. Maulana Syed Salman Nadvi, of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow, said: “It is high time for Muslims of India to choose their ‘Amir’ and this conference should complete this task today itself”.