Indian Muslim cleric rebukes RSS chief over reconversion call
Arshad Madani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind condemns RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s call to expand religious reconversion campaign targeting Muslims
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A prominent Muslim cleric has sharply criticized remarks by the head of India’s largest Hindu supremacist organization after he called for accelerating efforts to bring Muslims “back” to Hinduism, reviving debate over religious identity and constitutional secularism in the world’s most populous democracy.
Maulana Arshad Madani, president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, was responding to comments made by Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), during a public address in Lucknow. The RSS is the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and has long advocated for a Hindu-only nation governed by the idea of Hindutva supremacy.
In his speech, Bhagwat urged greater unity within Hindu society and called for intensifying “Ghar Wapsi,” a term that translates as “homecoming.” The phrase is used by Hindu extremist groups to describe targeted campaigns aimed at converting Muslims and Christians to Hinduism.
Referring to what he described as proposals to arrange “Ghar Wapsi” for 200 million Muslims, Madani said such rhetoric was unprecedented in India’s post-independence history and deeply troubling.
Writing on social media, he warned that language suggesting large-scale religious reconversion risks fueling division in a country whose Constitution defines it as secular and guarantees freedom of religion.
Madani also cited past incidents of mob lynchings and killings linked to cow protection campaigns, saying an “atmosphere of violence” has already strained communal relations in parts of the country. Although he did not name the government directly, he suggested that silence in the face of hate-driven mobilization undermines constitutional values.
The exchange highlights continuing tensions over religious identity in India, where Muslims make up about 14 percent of the population. Analysts say calls for mass reconversion carry real social consequences in an environment already shaped by polarization.
Madani reiterated that his organization opposes communal ideologies and supports coexistence under a secular constitutional framework. He said peace and national unity depend on equal rights for all citizens, regardless of faith, and cautioned against using religion as a tool for political mobilization.
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