JAMMU, Dec 05: PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said that what is happening in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other places is that the fringe elements are misusing the name of Islam. “And in our country, there are fringe elements who are misusing the name of Hinduism. And they also compare it with nationalism, which is worse,” she said adding if you ask me to pick up a quality of Hinduism, it is tolerance. “And our country is known for tolerance.”

She said it was important for the central government to deal with such fringe elements who are misusing the name of Hinduism and comparing it to nationalism.She said ISIS is doing everything which goes against the basic tenets of Islam. “I don't think Kashmiris will follow what ISIS stands for. ISIS stands for murder, rapes, plundering. How can this be Islam? Islam is the total antithesis of what they are doing,” she said.

Ms Mehbooba, however, blamed the rise of the IS on the military campaigns waged by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq, which had created a “feeling of victimhood” among Muslims. It is important for the world community not to “blame Muslims” for the actions of the IS, she added.

“Indian Muslims need to be saluted. They didn’t come to Kashmir - people came from all over and picked up guns but not Indian Muslims. We shouldn’t be so influenced by the IS that we start suspecting all Muslims,” she said.