Are Allah and Ishwara one? And if they are, then why can the Quran not be amended, why is marriage to a non-Muslim not permitted, and why is there a punishment for ‘fitna’? This is a rare and fearless experiment in India’s interfaith dialogue between Rahul Diwan and Dr. Ilyasi, Chief of the All India Imam Organisation.
The dialogue includes a series of rapid-fire questions — whether amendment in the violent verses of the Quran is possible (answer: no), whether marriage to a non-Muslim woman without conversion is permitted (answer: no), and there is an open discussion on the provisions of hand-cutting and persecution of women in Sharia. Rahul ji establishes that the tradition of Shastraartha in Indian religions has broken down and without reviving it, no real solution is possible. The dialogue is tense yet civil — and that is its true strength.

About the Speakers:
Dr. Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi is the Chief Imam of the All India Imam Organization (AIIO), the world’s largest and oldest body of Imams. A distinguished advocate for interfaith harmony, peacebuilding, and dialogue among civilizations, Dr. Ilyasi has dedicated his career to fostering unity and understanding across diverse communities. Dr. Ilyasi was recently awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy by Desh Bhagat University, Punjab (India).

Rahul Dewan is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor, blogger, social activist, and Yoga & Meditation practitioner. In 2016, he founded SangamTalks – the largest YouTube channel for documentation of ‘Indian Knowledge Systems’ (IKS). He is currently on a mission to raise 1000 Crores for Hindu civilizational causes, and to campaign for making Hinduism Missionary again.