Guwahati: Lok Sabha MP and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal claimed that his ancestors were Hindus.
Ajmal, who also happens to be the president of the Assam State Jamiat Ulama (ASJU), has said that his ancestors were Hindus and had to convert to Islam due to the atrocities of a small group of Hindus but asserted that he was not forced to convert.
He also took a dig at the BJP and RSS by saying that the agenda of Hindu Rashtra is a political gimmick which is being used as a political tool to capture 5 per cent of Hindu votes and added that it will be a dream forever.
Moreover, Ajmal asked the Muslims of Assam to refrain from sacrificing cows during the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha celebrations and urged them to respect the sentiments of Hindus.
Instead, the AIUDF supremo urged his fellow Muslims to perform 'Kubaarni' (sacrifice) by using other animals to fulfil their religious obligation.
However, this appeal did not go down well with some of his supporters who seemed to be upset with his comments and a number of Muslim leaders in the state stood opposed to them.
"Even many Muslim religious institutions do not support cow sacrifice," Ajmal said. According to him, Darul Uloom Deoband, the country's largest Islamic educational institution, had also issued a similar appeal a few years back.
Meanwhile, he also asked the people to respect the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, passed last year that bans the sale or offer of beef or beef products in any area "predominantly inhabited" by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and other "non-beef-eating communities".
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