Arif Mohammed Khan, the governor of Kerala, said on Saturday that everybody born in India should be referred to as a Hindu and that he should be called Hindu too.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University, urged people to refer to him as a “Hindu”, said Arif Khan while inaugurating the Hindu conclave organised by Kerala Hindus of North America in Thiruvananthapuram.
He quoted Syed Ahmed Khan as saying “But, my serious complaint against you (Arya Samaj members) is that why don’t you call me a Hindu? I do not consider Hindu as a religious term…Hindu is a geographical term. Anyone who is born in India, eats food grown in India or drinks water from Indian rivers is entitled to call himself a Hindu and so “you must call me a Hindu”
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan once said that I do not think Hindu is a religious term, it is a geographical term. Anyone who is born in India, eats food grown in India or drinks water from Indian rivers deserves to be called a Hindu: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Thiruvananthapuram pic.twitter.com/RG4Sus2YPT
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
The usage of terms like Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh during the colonial era, according to Arif Mohammed Khan, was “perfectly fine” since the British used the groups as the foundation for determining even the most basic civil rights of residents. The group Kerala Hindus of North America (KHNA) organised the conclave. The conclave’s concluding session was attended by Union Minister V Muraleedharan.
He said that there has been a conspiracy in the state to make it appear that it is wrong to say “I am a Hindu”. He claimed that all religious groups are equal in the country’s “Sanatana Dharma”.
The Union Minister further emphasised the significance of uniting all believers of “Sanatana Dharma” under one roof.