Interfaith leaders urge State govt for anti-hate speech laws at SIO roundtable in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Muslim and Christian leaders met in Hyderabad on Tuesday for a roundtable and Iftar to demand State legislation against hate speech.

The meeting was hosted by the Students' Islamic Organisation (SIO) Telangana and the Henry Martyn Institute (HMI).

The event addressed hate crimes against minority communities. Attendees, including representatives from JIH Telangana, the Federation of Telugu Churches and the Bible Society of India, discussed polarisation and the need for action to protect social harmony.

Need for interfaith solidarity

Speaking at the gathering, President of SIO Telangana, Mohammad Faraz Ahmed, reflected on the spiritual significance of Ramazan and the importance of taqwa and self-restraint.

He also highlighted recent incidents of violence against Muslims during the holy month, mentioning cases such as the shooting of a fasting 13-year-old boy in Lucknow and the lynching of a 65-year-old man in Bihar, stressing that such acts violate the sanctity of human life, as emphasised in Islam.

“Through this initiative, SIO aims to initiate meaningful interfaith dialogue with all communities, particularly with Christian brothers and sisters who are also facing growing hate crimes,” he added.

Several other leaders at the meeting also highlighted the various challenges faced by Christian and other minority communities, explaining how increasing polarisation has affected social harmony. They shared examples of how Muslims and Christians have historically taken many initiatives together for communal harmony and emphasised the need to strengthen such interfaith solidarity in the present circumstances.

The participants asked the State government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to introduce anti-hate speech legislation in the next Assembly session to protect citizens’ dignity and preserve communal peace.