Don't harass innocent Muslims, Bukhari tells Narendra Modi

New Delhi, Feb 8: Prominent Muslim leader Syed Ahmed Bukhari on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said innocent Muslims must not be harassed in the name of fighting the Islamic State.

Security agencies must be more transparent while detaining terror suspects, the Shahi Imam of the 17th-century Jama Masjid here told Modi during their half hour meeting at the prime minister's residence.

"I urged the prime minister that while detaining people for terrorist activities or suspected links with the Islamic State, special care must be taken to ensure that the lives of innocent Muslim youth and their families are not ruined," Bukhari told IANS.

He said a large number of Muslim youths were languishing in jails on terrorism charges.

Bukhari also took up the issue of the minority character of the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Millia Islamia.

He told Modi that the government's stand in the Supreme Court on their minority character had created grave concern among Muslims.

"We urged the prime minister that the government should review its stand.

"The prime minister has promised to consider the issues, and said his government won't take any step that may put communal harmony at stake," Bukhari said.

IANS