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Opinion of Saudi Prince on Kashmir issue, see how beautifully he expressed his opinion saying Kashmir is Hindu’s Land
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Hon’ble Saudi Prince has put on Mat Indian media and illiterate intellects with his remarks that Kashmir is a Hindu Land
Fact Check:
A short video is shared widely on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter claiming to present opinion of Saudi Prince on Kashmir issue. Accordingly, it shows Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman saying Kashmir is Hindu’s Land. The video is real, but the person speaking is not the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
Video Doesn’t Show Opinion of Saudi Prince On Kashmir
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman visited India for the first time in February 2019. The visit of Saudi Prince gained importance after the deadly terrorist attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir killed more than 40 CRPF jawans. Consequently, the Kashmir issue is debated again in media and public. The video garnered significance in that context. However, the person speaking in the video is not the Saudi Prince, but Australian Muslim Scholar, Imam Tawhidi. Because of similarity in appearance, Imam Tawhidi might have looked like the Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Context of the Video
The video is part of the Imam’s conversation with Rajiv Malhotra & Vishwa Adluri at Arth – a Culture Festival held at Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts (IGNCA), Delhi on February 8-9-10, 2019. Significantly, the conversation (shown below) dealt with the importance of Inter-faith dialogues. Note, the Kashmir question starts at time-frame 54:18.
Shown below is a text of Imam Tawhidi speaking in the video. It was a reply to an audience question.
How do you suggest that we protect peaceful Muslim population against Wahabism (in Kashmir)?
My position on the Kashmir issue is very clear. I am not a politician. I only care about history and religion. I know that Islam came to India much later than Hinduism, it had already existed. Pakistan claimed independence way after all this happened, 70 years ago. So, I don’t see that Pakistani is a suitable negotiator regarding Kashmir. I don’t think they even have the right to speak. I believe its Hindu land. That’s very controversial. Many will say no, they have the right to have their opinions. My position is that Kashmir is Hindu land and I say this in front of everyone. I’m not just saying this because I am in India. This has been my opinion for five years. Even when I was an extremist this was my opinion. So, nobody can say that I am being paid by Modi or anything like that.
About Mohammad Tawhidi
Mohammad Tawhidi is an Iranian-born Australian Muslim Scholar. In 2010, a senior cleric of Iran pronounced him as an Imam. Nonetheless, Tawhidi’s religious views have drastically changed since then. Tawhidi is the President of the Islamic Association of South Australia, which he founded in 2016. He calls himself “Imam of Peace” and believes in reformation of Islam in order to survive. He has stated that some Islamic texts, particularly those ideological relations justifying the acts of terrorism, should be banned.
Coming back to the claim in question, the video does not show an opinion of Saudi Prince on Kashmir, calling it a Hindu land. The person speaking in the video is in fact an Australian Muslim Scholar, Imam Tawhidi.
Hoax or Fact:
Hoax.
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