Salman Khan may be Bollywood's bad boy but the actor has found praise from unexpected quarters.

Through his newspaper Saamna, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray [Images] praised Salman and his father Salim Khan for their secular views.

'If all Muslims in India follow Salim Khan's family path, India's problems will disappear,' Thackeray said, in his editorial. The newspaper also quoted Salim Khan when he had said in an interview, 'I am a Muslim by religion but a Hindu by culture.'

The article further praised Salman for bringing Lord Ganesh [Images] to his home during Ganesh Chaturthi and celebrating the festival.

Some Muslim clerics had objected to Salman's actions, and stated that the actor and his family should be ousted from Islam. But Thackeray stated that 'these mullahs and maulvis are not owners of Islam' in his editorial.

'Till date India only knew the Salim-Anarkali story. If the Muslims of this country follow the path of Salim-Salman, this country will be united forever,' Thackeray added.