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There Should Be No Double Standards On Secularism, Says Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday said if secularism is acceptable when one belongs to a minority community, it should not be rejected when the community is in majority.   

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Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan
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Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday said if secularism is acceptable when one belongs to a minority community, it should not be rejected when the community is in majority.   

The former Union minister was speaking at a meeting organized by the India Peace Centre and Humanity Charitable Trust here.
Religion does not create enmity, he said, adding that "you should not do to others what you do not want for yourself."

"If I am in majority then secularism is `kufr' (unacceptable under religious law), if I am minority then secularism becomes `shariat' (permissible under religious law). How can this be?" Khan asked.

If something is good then it is good for the entire country and if it is bad then it is bad for everyone, he added.

In 1947 the Muslim League (headed by Muhammed Ali Jinnah) said they cannot live with Hindus, and 25 years later people in East Pakistan asked for a separate country of Bangladesh saying they can not live with the Punjabis (in West Pakistan), Khan said.

"Once you make a habit of creating divisions, you will only start building walls," he added. 

(Inputs from PTI)