All India Imam Organisation (AIIO) head Umer Ahmed Ilyasi on Thursday said that our DNA is same and only our met🦂hod of worship is different.
Ilyasi's comment came after he met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang𒆙h (RSS) cheif Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday.
Ilyas also called 🔜Bhagwat "rashtra pita" —Father of the Nation— and said the nation always comes first.
"📖We all believe the nation comes first," said Ilyasi.
Bhagwat on Thursday m༺et Ilyasi at a mosque in Delhi with senior RSS functionaries.🍸 This is being seen as part of the RSS outreach to the Muslim community.
The closed-door meeting between Ilyasi and Bhagwa🃏t💧 lasted for more than an hour. It was held at Kasturba Gandhi Marg mosque where the office of AIMO is located.
Bhagwat was accompanied by senior Sangh functionaries — Joint General Secretary Krishna Gopal, Ram L🌟al, and Indresh Kumar. While Lal was earlier organisational secretary of the BJP,ꦓ Kumar is patron of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch.
Sharing details of the meeting, Suhaib Ilyasi, brother of Ahmed Ilyasi, said, "It was great that Bhagwatji came on our in🅠vitation on the death anniversary of our father. It also sends out a good message to the country."
Bhagwat has been holding discussions with Muslim intellectuals for strengthening communal harmony. He had recently met 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.
During the meeting, Bhagwat had raised the issue of usage of the word "kafir" for Hindus which, he said, doe🤡s 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 H𝕴indus and Muslims are same'.
Responding to Bhagwat's meeting withℱ Muslim leaders, RSS Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said, "Sarsanghachalak meets people from all walks of life. It is a part of the continuous general 'Samvad' process."
The All India Imam Organisation is the repr𝓡esentative voice of the community of Indian Imams and claims to be the largest imam organisation in the world. It was formed to undertake at all levels the socio-economic issues which directly influence the earnings of Imams, their status in society and the expectations that the community and state have from them.
(With PTI inputs)
