By TCN News
Former US President Barack Obama said that the Indian Muslim population considered itself Indian, a feeling that should be nourished and cultivated.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Obama said, “For a country like India where there is a Muslim population that is successful, integrated and considers itself as Indian-which is not the case in some other countries-this should be nourished and cultivated.”
Obama also said, “The most important office in a democracy is not the office of the President or a PM, it’s the office of the citizen.”
Talking about the similarities between India and the US, Obama said, “India and US have thrown off the yoke of colonialism and have drafted the constitutions that begins with the same three words: “We, the people.”
Indian Muslims comprise about 14% of the Indian population and after Indonesia and Pakistan, India has the third largest number of Muslims in the world. The statement of Obama assumes importance also because in the past few years, attacks on Muslims across the nation in the name of cow protection has gained world media attention, with human rights watchdog Amnesty International expressing concerns over how the so-called gau rakshaks have taken law into their own hands, often because of the encouragement received from the BJP government.