RSS chief visits mosque & madrassa, meets Muslim intellectuals

New Delhi: Putting a step forward towards promoting communal harmony in the country, Rashtriya Swayam Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat met Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, chief Imam of All India Imam Organisation on Thursday. Bhagwat visited a mosque at KG Marg in central Delhi and followed it up with a visit to the Madrassa Tajweedul Quran in Azadpur in north Delhi.

This is the first time he has visited a madrassa, an RSS official accompanying him said.

According to the Sangh functionaries, the meeting lasted for an hour. Several Muslim intellectuals, such as Delhi's former Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi, former Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, former MP Shahid Siddiqui and businessman Saeed Shervani were part of the delegation. Reportedly, issues like the hijab controversy, maintenance of peace, recent issue of Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, and religious harmony were discussed. Suggestions were taken from the Muslim representatives and it has been decided to build a platform to strengthen the ways of communal harmony, sources said.

However, this is not the first time Bhagwat has reached out to Muslim leaders to promote peace and harmony. Earlier in 2019, the 'Sarsanghchalak' had met Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind chief Maulana Syed Arshad Madani at the RSS office here and discussed a host of issues, including the matter of communal harmony between Hindu and Muslim communities.

Even during the time of Ram Mandir's judgment, senior RSS members met Muslim intellectuals and urged to propagate peace and harmony, irrespective of the verdict.

Moreover, Sangh functionaries also added that during the meeting, the RSS chief had raised usage of the word "kafir" for Hindus which, he said, does not send out a good message. The Muslim intellectuals, on the other hand, objected to some right-wing activists calling the Muslims "jihadis" and "Pakistanis".

The RSS chief acknowledged the concerns of the Muslim intellectuals and underlined that the "DNA of all Hindus and Muslims are the same".

After his meeting with Bhagwat, AIIO head Ilyas reportedly said: "He (Mohan Bhagwat) is a 'Rashtra pita' (Father of the nation). We discussed several issues for strengthening the country."

At the Azad Market madrassa, he interacted with children, urging them to focus on studies and work for the nation.