Stop looking at each other through prism of religion: Sanjay Khan

Actor-filmmaker Sanjay Khan has urged all Indians not to look at each other through the “narrow prism of religion”, and urged the government to stop use of the word ‘minorities’. Khan said this while unveiling his new book ‘Assalamualaikum Watan’, which traces the role of Muslims in shaping India’s heritage and encourages Indian Muslims to join the mainstream.

The book was launched by Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and state Medical Education and Culture Minister Amit Deshmukh. Through his book, Khan urged Indians to “stop looking at each other from the narrow prism of religion”.

He also urged the government to “banish the word ‘minorities’, as it comes with a different meaning”. Calling his book an honest attempt to answer some quintessential questions which have remained overlooked over the years, the author said Muslims in India today represent a population of 172 million individuals. “As Indian Muslims, we must feel tremendous pride, a sense of empowerment and responsibility in this fact, because we serve as a trajectory to the compass of achievement for all Muslims in the world,” said Khan, who is known for his roles in films like Dosti, Ek Phool Do Mali and Mela.

“We are not immigrants in our motherland; we are the sons and daughters of the soil. It’s time my fellow brothers and sisters reclaim that spirit of the soil,” the actor said.

He said Muslim women should be encouraged to engage themselves shoulder to shoulder with the men to keep their equality and share of education and positions.