New Delhi, Sep 22: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat along with senior Sangh functionaries on Thursday met Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the chief of All India Imam Organisation, at a mosque here, taking forward his outreach to the Muslim community. The closed-door meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, was held at Kasturba Gandhi Marg mosque where the office of the All India Imam Organisation is located.
Sharing details of the meeting, Suhaib Ilyasi, brother of Ahmed Ilyasi, said, “It was great that Bhagwatji came on our invitation on the death anniversary of our father. It also sends out a good message to the country.” The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief has been holding discussions with Muslim intellectuals for strengthening communal harmony.
During the meeting, Bhagwat had raised the issue of 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 “jihadi” and “Pakistanis”.
The Muslim intellectuals also told Bhagwat that the real intent behind the usage of ‘kafir’ was something different, but in some quarters now, it is being used as an “abuse”.
The RSS chief acknowledged the apprehensions of the intellectuals and underlined that the ‘DNA of all Hindus and Muslims are same’. (PTI)
