Muslim Intellectuals And Religious Leaders Support Discussion With RSS, Saying That It Is Necessary To Transform The Climate Of Hatred
Formal approval has been given for the proposed discussion between Muslims and RSS president Mohan Bhagwat by significant Muslim scholars and religious leaders, which was offered by five prominent individuals.
ToI has learned that the three leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, and the Darul Uloom Deoband met privately over the past two weeks with the five people who met Bhagwat.
The five had a meeting with Bhagwat on August 22 in an effort to address rising communication and an uptick in violence against Muslims.
The dialogue with Bhagwat has received the support of religious organizations led by Sadatullah Husaini, Mahmood Madani, and Arshad Madani. One of them expressed uncertainty about the result but insisted that discourse was necessary.
In a pluralistic society, dialogue is the only viable option. Every meeting needs to be organized and open. The message needs to spread from both sides, according to Syed Tanvir Ahmad, Husaini’s national media secretary.
According to Ahmad, the meeting between the Jamaat-e-Islami leader took place at the editor and politician Shahid Siddiqui’s home in Delhi. Former Delhi LG Najeeb Jung, former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi, and businessman Saeed Shervani were present.
After the meeting was confirmed, Siddiqui told ToI, “We have to move the engagement along and reduce the tension in the community. According to Muslim academics, we should keep up our conversation with the RSS as a civil society project rather than a religious one.”
The five have since communicated with senior RSS officials whose names Bhagwat himself disclosed during the meeting on August 22.
The interaction with religious intellectuals also addresses the criticism that comes from various angles. Asaddudin Owaisi, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, had criticized the five for meeting with the RSS chairman. He claimed that they are elites who are disconnected from everyday life.
However, the support of the three major Muslim organizations is a positive development.
Niaz Farooqi, a representative for Mahmood Madani, told ToI, “The five of them met with us and informed us about their meeting with Mohan Bhagwat. We appreciated it. A fundamental requirement of democracy is dialogue. The climate of hatred needs to be altered.” On October 2, the gathering was held at the Abdul Nabi Mosque in Delhi.
After the meeting with Bhagwat on August 22, hate speech has persisted.
A BJP member from Delhi demanded an outright social boycott of Muslims, and in Gurugram, a mob broke into a mosque and interrupted prayers.
Under the condition of anonymity, one of the five said: “Even if our expectations are not high, we have to maintain the engagement. The fact that we now have our scholars’ approval is what matters. They acknowledged that there are significant religious and sectarian differences among them, therefore it is best for us to lead the conversation.”
The five now intend to expand the dialogue to further regions of the nation. They are also in contact with Prime Minister Narender Modi’s office and would probably write to him to arrange a meeting after the elections in Gujarat.
News Mania Desk
