Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Dattatreya Hosabale on Tuesday said Hinduism is “supreme” and suggested that Muslims in India should adopt practices such as worshipping rivers, trees, and the Sun for environmental and health reasons. He made these remarks while addressing an event in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, which was attended by several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.
Questioning objections to Hindu practices, Hosabale said, “What will go wrong for them? If our Muslim brothers also perform surya namaskar, what harm will come to them? It does not mean they will be stopped from going to the mosque.” He added, “Our Hindu religion is supreme. It speaks for everyone.”
Describing surya namaskar as a non-religious practice, Hosabale said it should be seen as scientific and health-oriented. “What harm will it do to Muslims? Is it wrong if those who offer namaz also do pranayama? We will not say that if you do this, you must give up namaz,” he said.
He further argued that practices linked to nature worship are part of India’s cultural tradition and beneficial for all communities. “If Muslims also worship rivers or trees from an environmental point of view, what is wrong in that? These traditions are connected to nature protection and collective well-being,” he said.
Hosabale claimed that the RSS does not consider any community its enemy and believes in inclusiveness for the welfare of society and the nation. Emphasising what he called “human religion,” he said, “People are free to follow any faith, but human values should come first.” He also made a brief reference to Partition, saying, “What happened to Hindus during Partition is known to everyone.”
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.
