The MRM was founded with the stated aim of bringing Muslim communities close to Hindus in India. It states that Muslim suspicions of the RSS and its affiliates are misplaced, and that the
Indian National Congress is responsible for leadership within the Muslim community. In November 2009 the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, one of the largest Islamic organisations in India, passed a resolution describing
Vande Mataram as an un-Islamic song. The MRM expressed opposition to the resolution. Afzal stated "Our Muslim brothers should not follow the
fatwa as Vande Mataram is the national song of the country and every Indian citizen should respect and recite it." The MRM stated further that Muslims who refused to sing it were opponents of both Islam and India. In August 2008, MRM organised a
Paigham-e-Aman (message of peace)
yatra from the
Red Fort in
Delhi to Kashmir in support of land allocation for the
Amarnath pilgrimage. Led by the Jharkhand Shahee-Imam Moulana Hizb Rehman Merthi, the 50 activists of the yatra were initially stopped at the border of Jammu & Kashmir. They were later allowed to go to Jammu where they held meetings with the
Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti. In November 2009, the MRM organised a
tiranga yatra (march in honour of the national flag) leading to the
Gateway of India in Mumbai, protesting against terrorism. One thousand volunteers took a pledge against terror and vowed to campaign against it in their home districts. In the
2014 general election, the MRM campaigned for
Bharatiya Janata Party candidate
Narendra Modi. Afzal stated that the MRM would attempt to reach out to 50 million Muslims before the election. ==See also==