There are at least 175 million Muslims in India. Twenty to twenty five percent of these are believed to be Shiites, with the Twelver Shiites comprising the majority. In the following interview, Mahan Abedin makes enquiries to a leading Shiite figure in India, Seyed Mohammad Asgari, about a wide range of issues affecting Indian Shiites, in particular their relationship with the majority Sunni population. The picture that emerges offers a striking contrast to the situation in neighbouring Pakistan.