Benevolent face of Muslims could emerge from India: RSS

DELHI: A "benevolent face" of Muslims opposed to "Islamist terrorism" could emerge from India, a senior functionary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said on Friday.

Arun Kumar, head of the RSS's Delhi unit, dismissed fears that the rise of the BJP and the expansion of the Sangh in the country does not bode well for the minority community and said the RSS stands with the "nationalist Muslims" in India.

In what appears to be an attempt by the Sang to reach out to the minority community, the functionary said, there is a possibility that the Indian Muslims could be the "benevolent face of Islam's universal brotherhood against terror".

Kumar credited coexistence of Hindus and Muslims in India for the minority community not been drawn to fundamentalism. He said there is a growing unease among Muslims in India about terrort attacks, the rise of the orthodox Wahabis, and the tar- getting of Sufi sects.

He referred to the terror attack at the Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Pakistan's Sindh province as an example.

The Shrine was attacked in February and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) had claimed responsibility for the blast that left over 75 dead.

"After the blast we went to the shrine of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (a Sufi Saint whose shrine is in Delhi's Mehrauli) to express our condolences. During our discussion with the people there we realised there is a lot of unrest among the Muslims over the attacks," Kumar said. Accused of persuing antiminority politics the Sangh appears to be making overtures towards the Muslims, especially the Sufi sect.

"In India there are many interreligious influences that can be seen at the dargahs. They offer the chadar, but also offer prasad, they sing qwaallis, all of which are dimissed as idol worship by the Wahabis," he said.

On the issue of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, which has been a cause of friction between the Hindus and Muslims for decades, he said the RSS will go with the decision taken by the Dharam Sansad.

"Ram Mandir issue is not an RSS movement, it is led by the saints," he said.

The Dharma Sansad or religious Parliament was organised by the former VHP chief Ashok Singhal with religious men and pontiffs to address issues pertaining to the majority community.

After the blast we went to the shrine of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki to express our condolences. During our discussion with the people there we realised there is a lot of unrest among the Muslims over the attacks ARUN KUMAR, Head of the RSS's Delhi unit