RSS-Muslim leaders dialogue: Different faiths, but all are Indians, says Umer Ilyasi after meeting Mohan Bhagwat

Saurabh Sharma

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) In a significant step towards building communal harmony and trust, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat met with more than 50 prominent Muslim religious leaders and scholars on Thursday at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi.

The closed-door meeting, which lasted over three and a half hours, was hosted by Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief of the All-India Imam Organisation.

Describing the dialogue as a “major initiative to bridge the Hindu-Muslim divide,” Imam Ilyasi told IANS, “Our primary objective is to keep the spirit of dialogue alive. We may follow different faiths, but we are all Indians. There should be no hostility among communities, and such platforms of communication must continue.”

The meeting saw participation from a wide spectrum of Muslim clerics, including the Chief Imams of Gujarat and Haryana, the Grand Muftis of Uttarakhand, Jaipur, and Uttar Pradesh (Tile Wali Masjid, Lucknow), representatives from Deoband Madrasa, and several others while on the RSS side, senior leaders, Joint General Secretary Krishna Gopal, Ram Lal and Mohan Bhagwat

Imam Ilyasi noted that this was the first time such a broad-based delegation from the Muslim clergy held a formal dialogue with RSS at this scale.

“It wasn’t about discussing any one issue like Gyanvapi or Hijab. This was a trust-building exercise. We talked about broader concerns – from temples and mosques, imams and priests, to madrasas and gurukuls. The point is to ensure dialogue continues,” he said.

Sources said national integration, social unity, and peaceful coexistence were at the heart of the discussion.

The leaders acknowledged the milestone as RSS enters its centenary year and the All-India Imam Organisation completes 50 years.

Calling it a “positive development,” Imam Ilyasi emphasised that this was not the end but the beginning of continuous engagement.

“Mohan Bhagwat himself agreed that these conversations must continue in the spirit of national unity,” he said.

The dialogue is being viewed as an important signal amid rising communal tensions and criticism from civil society that both communities need to proactively engage to maintain peace and pluralism in India.

--IANS

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