ASTANA - Tensions exist between India’s Muslims and Hindus because the two communities do not know enough about each other, an Indian delegate at the global faith conference here contended Thursday.

“Yes, tensions do exist but they exist because Muslims and Hindus don’t know about each other,” Zafar Yunus Sareshwala, the CEO of Mumbai Stock Exchange-listed financial services provider Parsoli Corporation, maintained during the plenary on “Solidarity specially in the period of crisis”, on the concluding day of the third Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions here.

“We live in the same country but Muslims don’t know about Hindus and Hindus don’t know about Muslims. That creates tensions,” he added.

Sareshwala illustrated this with an example.

“Take the case of the Azhan. During our prayer, when we say ‘Allah-o-Akbar’, we mean ‘God is Great’. Some Hindus, however, take it as a sign of an attack, which it is certainly not.

“Others say: ‘Why do you remember this (Mughal emperor) Akbar five times a day?’ When I explain things to them, they express surprise and say ‘Oh, is that so? I didn’t know that’,” Sareshwala said.

“That’s the level of ignorance among many Hindus about Muslims. Similarly, many Muslims know very little about Muslims,” he added.