By Shaik Zakeer Hussain
The New Indian Express’s Rakesh K Singh, in his April 9, 2017, article titled, ‘Caliphate radicalisation rising in India‘ has accused mainstream Islamic organisations, including Jamat-e-Islami Hind of ‘radicalising’ Muslim youths.
Without furnishing any evidence to support his claims, Singh has named organisations such as Niche of Truth (Kerala), Peace Educational Foundation (Kerala), Jamiat-ul Muflihaat (Hyderabad), Discover Islam Education Trust (Bengaluru), Tauheed Educational Trust (Bihar), Islamic Research and Dawah Centre (Mumbai), and Islamic information Centre (Mumbai), accusing them of providing, “direct access to indoctrination materials”, to Muslim youths, who he claims are turning towards ISIS and its ideology.
Singh claims that the affiliates of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) are still operational, and then without any logical sequence connects their activities to Popular Front of India, Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Tamil Nadu Tauheed Jamat, Kerala Nadwathul Mujahideen factions, and Salafi groups, all the time quoting an alleged “intelligence dossier”, without mentioning either its authors or the agencies behind it.
But Singh doesn’t stop there. Quoting again from the anonymous “dossier”, and perhaps in an evident display of his ideological leanings, he says that the “growth of Wahabism-Salafism undermines Indian Islam which is based on Sufi-Barelvi practices that so far have been the most effective counter to radicalization.”
Speaking to TCN, Umar Shariff, president of Bengaluru’s Discover Islam Education Trust (DIET), said that, “all the organisations mentioned in the article, including our’s, have been vocal against ISIS and the extremism promoted by other terror outfits. Most of the organisations listed by the writer have had a history of working in the field of da’wah and education. Da’wah would mean “propagation of the religion Islam”. And some organisations have been in the forefront to work in uplifting the social and political status of the Muslim community. It is so unfortunate that a well-known newspaper could allow such hate-mongering and polarising article in its reputed newspaper.”
Shariff asked, “What is the evidence behind all the absurd allegations made against us in this article? And What is this “Indian Islam”? Who is its founder? Which book of revelation does it propagate? Who are its followers? Who is Singh or The New Indian Express to decide, what Muslims in India should follow, or not follow? And most importantly, why is The New Indian Express, without providing any evidence to support their outrageous claims are criminalising legally operating Islamic organisations? Is this what responsible journalism is?”
Shariff accused the newspaper of practising “yellow journalism” and of attempting to “demoralise Muslim organisations, and frightening common Muslims from associating with these organisations”. He said he has lodged a complaint against the author and the newspaper with the Commissioner of Police in Bengaluru and has also written to the newspaper seeking their apology.