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Don't associate terrorism with Islam: Shankaracharaya

Jagadguru Shankaracharya Madhavanand of Prayag Pithadhishwar today lashed out at politicians for associating terrorism with Islam and said there was nothing like 'Islamic terrorism.'

''Nobody should associate terrorism with any religion. If someone says we are Hindu terrorists we will not like it. Similarly, if we attach terrorism with Islam it will not be proper.''

He said at a press conference that if any individual like Osama bin Laden took to terrorism, it was the responsibility of the heads of nations to unite to eliminate such terrorism being sponsored by an individual.

''It is painful that instead of condemning individual terrorism, the leadership of certain nations is releasing provocative statements with a view to promoting and fanning terrorism.''

He, however, agreed that terrorism all over the world was growing. He said said to eliminate the menace people should come forward to promote peace. Terrorism could not be overcome through war but only through sadbhavna and religious discourse.

On the ongoing UN General Assembly session in New York where the issue of terrorism came up, the Shankaracharya said all governments were working on waging war on terrorism but nobody had come forward with a proposal of peace.

On India's nuclear weapons programme, he said the country had a right to protect itself.

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