Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Modi Recalls Vivekananda’s Tolerance Message 25 Years After 9/11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered a famous speech by Swami Vivekananda in Chicago.
The speech was given in 1893 at a gathering about religions.
Vivekananda said people should respect all religions and accept people from different faiths.
He also said India had given shelter to persecuted communities.
Modi shared these ideas while the world remembered the September 11 attacks.
In 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes in the United States.
The attacks killed 2,977 people and changed American security policies.
Modi presented Vivekananda’s message as an example of tolerance and peace.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled Swami Vivekananda’s 1893 address at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
Modi highlighted Vivekananda’s message of religious tolerance, universal acceptance and harmony.
Vivekananda said India had welcomed people of different faiths and traditions, including persecuted communities.
He condemned sectarianism, bigotry and fanaticism for causing violence, persecution and destruction.
The September 11, 2001, attacks killed 2,977 people and led to major changes in U.S. security and counterterrorism policies.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled Swami Vivekananda’s speech and the victims of the September 11 attacks.
- What
- Modi highlighted Vivekananda’s teachings on religious tolerance, universal acceptance and harmony while the United States marked 25 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks.
- When
- The remarks were made as the United States observed the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks; Vivekananda delivered his speech on September 11, 1893.
- Where
- Modi referred to Vivekananda’s address in Chicago, while the 2001 attacks struck New York, Arlington, Virginia, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
- Why
- Modi used Vivekananda’s message to emphasize India’s stated civilisational ethos of tolerance and condemn religious hatred and fanaticism.
- Speaker remembered
- Swami Vivekananda
- Original speech
- September 11, 1893, at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago
- Message highlighted
- Tolerance, universal acceptance and religious harmony
- Attacks commemorated
- The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States
- Number killed
- 2,977 people, according to official U.S. figures
- Aircraft involved
- Nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger aircraft
- Major consequences
- Sweeping changes to U.S. counterterrorism policy, military operations and domestic security measures