Kumar Bahukhandi
Members of the All India Imam Organisation during a gathering ahead of their meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in New Delhi- Photo Credit-PTI
The RSS intends to create a bridge between Hindus and Muslims and better understand each other’s religion and contain the trust deficit
New Delhi: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday held a meeting with nearly 60 Islamic scholars, imams, muftis and madrasa heads in the national capital to foster a dialogue between the Hindu and the Muslim communities.
As part of its centenary celebrations, the RSS will be starting a series of ‘samvaad’ (dialogue) between “mandirs and masjids,” “pujaris and imams” and “gurukuls and madrasas”. The RSS intends to create a bridge between Hindus and Muslims and better understand each other’s religion and contain the trust deficit.
Head of the All India Imam Organisation Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi coordinated the meeting with the RSS leaders and the Muslim scholars and religious leaders. Scholars from Darul Uloom Deoband, Bareilly Shareef, imams of several Jama Masjids and imams and heads of several Muslim seminaries from Haryana,
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, along with several Muslim educators, participated in the more than three-hour-long meeting to promote “sadbhav” (harmony) between the two communities.
Other than Bhagwat, senior RSS leaders, including Krishna Gopal, Indresh Kumar and Ramlal, attended the meeting. Bhagwat had held such meetings with Muslim scholars and religious leaders earlier also.
While the RSS leaders and Muslim community representatives discussed and deliberated on how to create harmony, better understanding and contain “negativity” between the two communities, issues including the Waqf Act, its misuse in the name of religion, votebank politics, mob lynching, and how to beware of the propaganda and negative news to create a divide between the Hindus and Muslims also came up for discussion.
“Samvaad is the first step to understanding each other. Samvaad is the first step to create trust and create sadbhav. Most of the times we find that whatever is said against each other (communities) is because of negative news or propaganda. There are continuous efforts to create a rift and divide between the two communities. We are trying to create a bridge so that people try to understand each other’s religion by talking with each other,” said Ilyasi.
The head of the All India Imam Organisation added: “Harmony is also a very important requirement for a country to progress and develop. Through this initiative the Muslim community and the RSS want to work towards bridging the trust deficit between the two communities and development of the country.”
The All India Imam Organisation, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will be partnering with the RSS in its initiative.Members of the All India Imam Organisation during a gathering ahead of their meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in New Delhi, Thursday, July 24, 2025.
