Nagpur/New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak 
, who has been meeting Muslim leaders in an unprecedented outreach, visited a mosque in Delhi and held a meeting with its chief cleric. Bhagwat met with Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the chief cleric of the All India Imam Organization, at a mosque in the heart of Delhi, not far from top government and political offices, according to media reports.
It was described as a “closed door meeting” that lasted more than an hour.
“It sends out a very good message to the country. We had discussions like a family. It was wonderful that they came at our invitation,” said Suhaib Ilyasi, the cleric’s son.
Gold Rate
Thursday 13 March 2025
The RSS chief met with Muslim intellectuals recently to try and “strengthen communal harmony”, according to the organisation. The gesture is significant in the aftermath of the Hijab row in Karnataka and suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s comments on the Prophet, which triggered violence and protests. The group sought a meeting weeks after Bhagwat’s statement questioning the need to “look for a Shivling under every mosque”, against the backdrop of a petition requesting Hindu prayers at a shrine within Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque complex.
Bhagwat recently met with five Muslim intellectuals and shared his concerns about the “current atmosphere of disharmony” in the country, it is learnt. Both sides agreed to dial down divisive rhetoric and discussed what each had objections to. Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, who was in the 75-minute meeting, said Bhagwat said even he was worried about the situation in the country. “I’m not happy with the atmosphere of disharmony. It is completely wrong. the country can move ahead only with cooperation and cohesion,” he quoted the RSS chief as saying.
Bhagwat discussed points of concern to him, like cow slaughter, which upsets the Hindus, he said. “So we said it is banned practically across the country. The Muslims are law abiding and if anyone violates it, it is a huge mistake and there should be punishment,” Quraishi said.
The other was the use of the word “kafir” or non-believers, which “gave the Hindus a bad feeling”, Bhagwat reportedly said. “We said originally in Arabic, the word means non-believers. Some people believe in Islam, they are called ‘Momin’. The non-believers are ‘kafir’. It was a neutral word and now it has become abusive. We don’t have a problem stopping it,” Quraishi said.
The Muslim leaders made the point “that some right-wing people call Muslims jihadi and Pakistani”.
“They are suspicious of Muslims’ loyalty and want them to prove their patriotism at every turn. The Muslims are also Indians,” Bhagwat, he said, agreed. “We share the same DNA. The majority of Muslims here are converts,” he quoted the RSS chief as saying in response.
“He gave us much assurance. His statement on Shivling was also very strong and we welcome it,” Quraishi said.
Delhi’s former Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, former Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, former MP Shahid Siddiqui and businessman Saeed Shervani also attended the meeting.
RSS spokesperson Sunil Ambekar said that the meeting was part of the continuous discussion process. “RSS Sarsanghchalak meets people from all walks of life. It is part of the continuous general Samvad process,” the RSS spokesperson said.
The closed-door meeting between Mohan Bhagwat and the Imam at Kasturba Gandhi Marg mosque lasted for more than an hour. Senior Sangh functionaries were also present at the meeting. Bhagwat was accompanied by senior Sangh functionaries Krishna Gopal, Ram Lal, and Indresh Kumar.
