'My parents' view on religion inspired me,' says Muslim girl who aced Gita competition

Twelve-year-old Maryam Siddiqui, who made headlines after acing a 'Gita competition' in Mumbai, on Friday said she was inspired by her parents' views on the equality of all religions.

"My parents have inspired me that all relations and religions are equal. Humanity is a religion which has been divided. I also tell my friends circle that we are all one and we should never fight on the basis of religion," Maryam told ANI.

Maryam is a student of Cosmopolitan High School in Mumbai. She and her classmates were given material to study for the competition for a week during which they were also provided a book on 'Gita Champion League".

"Then we had to give a written exam. I sat for the exam and secured the first rank," said Maryam.

"I was very happy and my parents told me that I must keep hold of that knowledge forever," she added.

Maryam won the first position among over 3,000 participants at the 'Gita Champions League' contest, organized by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in January.