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JUH chief Madani calls jihad sacred for Islam, says should be taught in schools

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New Delhi, Dec 3: Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JUH) president Maulana Mahmood Madani, in an exclusive interview with Media. on Wednesday, said the concept of ‘jihad’ is significant not only for Muslims but for the entire nation, adding that it should be included in school education so that children understand its meaning and purpose.

He said ‘jihad’ (a term traditionally used for a struggle or fight against the enemies of Islam or to safeguard the Muslim community) has been repeatedly misinterpreted and deliberately linked with violence.

Madani alleged that attempts to ignite hostility against Islam and Muslims have intensified, claiming that some individuals identifying themselves as followers of Sanatan Dharma and other religions were intentionally distorting the “sacred Islamic principle of jihad” and equating it with terrorism.

His comments came amid controversy surrounding the arrest of the Al-Falah University chairman, with some of those accused in the Delhi blast linked to the institution. The JUH chief has also been under sharp criticism since his recent remarks at a press conference in Bhopal, where he warned, “Whenever injustice occurs, there will be jihad.”

The statement drew strong reactions from political parties and citizens across the country.

Responding to questions on the significance of jihad, he said that its relevance extends far beyond the Muslim community.

“People of the country should understand what jihad is, the different types of jihad, under what circumstances it is undertaken, when it can be carried out, who can perform it, and who cannot. Secondly, the country must recognise that jihad is a sacred religious term in Islam. If someone has a problem with Islam, they should openly declare that they are an enemy of Islam and do not accept Muslims, then they may refer to jihad however they wish,” he said.

Madani further alleged that a “few individuals, who identify themselves as followers of Sanatan Dharma or other faiths, were abusing Islam and attempting to create discord.”

“It is important for me to warn the nation that these people are behaving rudely, they want to spread terrorism in the country, they are being hostile to the country, these are traitors who are fulfilling the agenda of our enemy nations like Pakistan,” he told media.

He also criticised political leaders for using the word ‘jihad’ as a “slur”.

“We object and strongly oppose the fact that Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and senior leaders of a particular political party use the word ‘jihad’ while abusing others and look for chances to defame Islam. We will keep opposing this strongly,” he said.

Madani reiterated that teaching the concept of jihad in schools would help dispel misconceptions.

“It (Jihad) should definitely be taught. This concept exists in all religions, and everyone should be taught about it,” he told media.

Expressing anguish over terrorism carried out in the name of Islam, he condemned the Delhi blast in which at least 13 people were killed, and many were injured. His comments came after a video surfaced of bomber Dr Umar Muhammad defending suicide attacks by calling them “martyrdom operations”.

“One of the very misunderstood concepts is the concept of suicide bombing; it is a martyrdom operation, as it has been known in Islam… There are multiple contradictions and arguments that have been brought against it — martyrdom operation,” Umar had said in the video.

Madani emphasised that such incidents were a betrayal of Islamic values.

“Law enforcement agencies are doing their job. Whether they are right or wrong will be decided in court. They should be allowed to work. As far as this incident or the Pahalgam incident is concerned, we have strongly condemned both. We oppose such acts. We believe that if humanity is attacked — even if it is done in the name of Islam or Jihad — then it is an attack against Islam itself,” he said.

He said that the true essence of jihad lies in countering violence.

“All Indians are pained that innocent people were killed to spread terror. We feel that pain just as every citizen does — in fact, we feel it twice as much, because innocents were killed in the attack and on top of that, the attack was carried out in the name of Islam. We have been fighting against it for the past 30 years and will continue to do this — this is true ‘jihad’. Ending terrorism is true jihad,” he said.

Business

Piyush Goyal to lead business delegation to Spain, Belgium and Finland to deepen trade, investment ties

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New Delhi, July 12: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a high-level Indian business delegation on a five-day visit to Spain, Belgium and Finland from July 13 to 17, as India seeks to deepen its economic engagement with Europe through enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, technology, innovation and sustainability, it was announced on Sunday.

The delegation will include leading Indian companies from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, digital technologies, gems and jewellery, food processing, healthcare and design. The visit is aimed at expanding business-to-business partnerships and exploring new opportunities for collaboration with European industries, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.

The visit will begin in Spain on July 13, where Goyal will participate in a business roundtable jointly organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, CEOE and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment. The discussions are expected to focus on sectors including automotive, renewable energy, railways, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, food processing and tourism.

The meeting will bring together industry leaders from both countries at a time when India and Spain are celebrating the Spain-India Dual Year 2026, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Several Spanish companies, including Iberdrola, Acciona, CAF, Talgo, Gestamp and Indra, have already established a strong presence in India, while Indian technology and engineering firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro are expanding their operations in Spain to support digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

In Belgium, where the delegation will travel on July 14 and 15, the minister will visit the Port of Antwerp to study Europe’s leading logistics hub and gain insights into multimodal connectivity, green logistics and resilient supply chains.

During the Belgium visit, Goyal will hold CEO-level meetings with senior executives of Thales Group and Silox Group.

The minister will also participate in the India-EU Business Roundtable and the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Plenary, where discussions will cover foreign direct investment, trade facilitation, sustainable technologies and resilient supply chains.

The final leg of the tour will take the delegation to Finland on July 16 and 17. Goyal will participate in the India-Finland Business Roundtable, engaging with Finnish companies across digitalisation, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and the circular economy.

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Crime

Speeding Ferrari crashes into apartment building in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills

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Hyderabad, July 12: A speeding Ferrari car crashed into the gate of an apartment building in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area in the early hours of Sunday. There were no casualties, said officials.

The incident occurred on Road Number 5 in the upscale Jubilee Hills under the Film Nagar Police Station limits.

The occupants abandoned the heavily damaged Ferrari Roma, said to be worth more than Rs 3.50 crore, and fled before police arrived at the scene.

The gate of Fort View Apartments was completely damaged in the collision. The front portion of the luxury car was badly mangled.

The man driving the vehicle escaped after the accident. Police suspect that the person at the wheel was under the influence of alcohol and driving the vehicle at a high speed and in a rash manner.

Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Police were examining the CCTV footage to ascertain if there were other persons in the vehicle.

Police shifted the damaged Ferrari to the police station with the help of a towing vehicle.

This is the second such incident in Jubilee Hills in less than a week. An SUV had crashed into Tollywood actor Dharma’s residence on the night of July 9.

A man who was under the influence of alcohol had rammed the SUV into the residence of Dharma on Road Number 10. The compound wall of the actor’s house was damaged in the incident.

The accused was identified as Karthik Kumar, who drove the SUV in a rash and negligent manner before losing control and ramming into Dharma’s house. Luckily, there were no casualties.

The actor alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. A breathalyser test confirmed that the accused was drunk while driving the SUV.

Police registered a criminal case against Kartik Kumar and launched further investigation.

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National News

4.5 magnitude earthquake in Bay of Bengal triggers tremors in Visakhapatnam

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Visakhapatnam, July 12: A 4.5 magnitude earthquake in the Bay of Bengal triggered tremors in parts of Visakhapatnam and adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Some areas in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam were jolted by the tremors around 5.05 a.m.

The tremors were felt in Gajuwaka, Mangalapalem, Sagar Nagar, Pedda Waltair, Arilova, MVP colony, Appughar and other areas.

According to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), a mild earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale occurred in the Bay of Bengal early on Sunday, and mild tremors were felt in several parts of Visakhapatnam city.

National Center for Sesimology said the earthquake occurred at 5:05:46 a.m. IST at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located about 225 km off the Kakinada coast in the Bay of Bengal. The epicentre was located at latitude 16.805 degrees N and longitude 84.381 degrees E.

No casualties, property damage or any other loss have been reported due to the earthquake.

There are reports of tremors being felt in parts of Anakapalli, Vizianagaram, Kakinada and Konaseema districts.

Experts described it as a shallow earthquake. They said there was no need for people to be worried as the tremors were mild due to structural adjustments. They pointed out that the region is considered tectonically stable.

In November last year, Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitharamaraju districts were jolted by a mild earthquake.

An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 had struck the Alluri district in north coastal Andhra on November 4, 2015. The tremors triggered panic among residents in some areas. People ran out of their houses on hearing a loud sound. However, there were no casualties or any other damage. According to the National Center of Seismology, the epicentre of the earthquake was at G. Madugula in Alluri Sitharamaraju district at a depth of 10 km. The epicentre was 110 km from the port city of Visakhapatnam.

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