Jamal Siddiqui, National President of the BJP Minority Morcha, has stated that Sanatan Dharma is the foundational ethos of Bharat and that all Indian Muslims are descendants of Bhagwan Ram. His remarks, delivered during an interview with India Today and further expanded during a public interaction in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, reflect a powerful push towards reviving the civilisational self-awareness of Bharat’s diverse communities, especially Indian Muslims.
Siddiqui’s assertions are being viewed as a significant ideological shift within the Muslim leadership that aligns with the BJP’s emphasis on Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas, while also encouraging Indian Muslims to reconnect with their shared ancestral and civilisational roots.
“Sanatan dharma came before Islam. It is the foundation of our civilisation”
Speaking on India’s spiritual heritage, Siddiqui emphasised that Sanatan Dharma is not just a religion but a civilisational consciousness that has shaped the subcontinent for millennia. “Sanatan Dharma came much before Islam. It is the foundation of our civilisation,” he said, echoing the cultural nationalist worldview that regards Sanatan Dharma as the living essence of Bharat.
बीजेपी नेता जमाल सिद्दीकी का बयान
हर मस्जिद के नीचे मंदिर निकलेगा- जमाल
खुदाई करोगे तो मंदिर निकलेगा- जमाल
संभल हिंसा में सांसद बर्क ज़िम्मेदार – जमाल#BJPLeader #MosqueMandirIssue #TempleBelowMosque #Excavation #SambhalViolence #ZeeUPUK… pic.twitter.com/0dawSkIQnm— Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand (@ZEEUPUK) May 26, 2025
In stating that the Indian Muslim identity is deeply intertwined with this civilisational narrative, Siddiqui offered a unifying message: “Our identity is still Sanatani.” By invoking the idea of cultural continuity, Siddiqui reaffirmed the BJP’s vision of unity through shared ancestry and civilisational values rather than religious division.
“Muslims who don’t believe in Ram and Krishna cannot be called muslims”
In a significant theological intervention, Siddiqui invoked Islamic traditions to accommodate revered Hindu deities within a broader spiritual framework. He referred to Islamic scripture and Hadith, noting that “The Quran mentions 25 prophets, but according to Hadith and tradition, there were 1,24,000 prophets sent across the world.”
“How can we say Bhagwan Ram and Bhagwan Krishna were not among them?” he asked, making the case that these avatars of Sanatan Dharma could well be seen as divine messengers in the Islamic tradition. He added firmly, “Muslims who do not believe in Ram and Krishna cannot be called Muslims,” suggesting that to reject India’s spiritual legacy is to disconnect from divine revelation itself.
His remarks offer a compelling reinterpretation of Islamic theology in the Bharatiya context — one that highlights the potential for cultural confluence rather than conflict.
“All muslims are descendants of Bhagwan Ram”: Bridging the civilisational divide
Siddiqui’s most impactful claim came when he highlighted the shared lineage of Indian Muslims and Hindus. “All Muslims are descendants of Bhagwan Ram,” he said, reinforcing the cultural nationalist belief that Indian Muslims are not foreigners but inheritors of the same sacred land and history as their Hindu brethren.
He noted that while methods of worship may have changed over centuries, the soul of the Indian civilisation remains Sanatani.
“We have changed ways of worship, but the underlying culture has remained constant,” he said, subtly pointing to the need for Indian Muslims to reclaim their Sanatani civilisational roots without compromising their Islamic beliefs.
Speaking in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh on May 26, Siddiqui addressed the historical transformation of Bharat’s religious architecture. “If you dig under any mosque, you will find a Mandir. That’s because India has been a land of Mandirs. It is a land of Sanatan,” he said.
“Islam came to India much later. Some people accepted Islam. They built mosques and other Islamic places of worship,” Siddiqui explained, clarifying that the shift in religious identity was not a break from Bharat’s culture but a continuation under new spiritual expressions.
