By TCN News,
New Delhi: Several religious leaders belonging to Barelvi sect of Muslims in India have condemned Wahabi ideology and demanded government to reduce Wahabi influence from Waqf Boards and all minority educational institutions.
Many such anti-Wahabi statements were made on Monday at an anti-terrorism Sunni conference organized by All India Tanzeem Ulama-E-Islam (AITUI) in Delhi at Talkatora Stadium.
“We want to say that these radical organizations are working for Wahabi and Salafi objective of radicalizing youth in the name of social revolution. We demand that the activities of these extremist organizations be banned as they are working against national security,” AITUI said in its press release adding that “Wahabism is part of dirty politics and has nothing to do with Islam”.
This conference is organized in the back drop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lauding of Barelvi culture in India and asking its members to strengthen the Barelvi version of Islam to counter extremist elements. In august 2015 PM Modi had a meeting with the delegation of 40 Barelvi Scholars when he had said,”It is essential for Sufi saints and scholars to counter these forces through various avenues including on social media, so that the ideology of extremism does not take root in India”.
Monday’s conference also appealed Barelvi Muslim youth in India against falling prey to extremist elements and insisted that the Government promote Barelvi content in syllabus taught as part of higher Islamic studies and reduces dominance of Wahabi or Deobandi followers in the affairs of Waqf Boards.
The conference further came down heavily upon Saudi regime and stated that radicalization of youth is being spread within Muslim community like a virus by Wahabi elements funded by Petro dollars of Saudi Arabia & Qatar.
“AITUI wants to highlight the fact that ISIS is active in Indian under different names and banners. These ISIS fronts are organizing conferences, and programmes to show their presence in India to their Saudi and Qatar-based fund providers and to assure them that they are present in India and working for the vested interests of Wahabis Monarchies of Saudi Arabia & Qatar,” Barelvi leaders said at the daylong conference.
Giving example of Egypt, the conference also demanded Indian government to support and adopt the policies adopted by Egyptian President Fattah Al Sisi against Muslim Brotherhood.
Maulana Ashfaq Hussain Qadri, Founder President of AITUI said,”Indian government needs to study how Egypt, Russia and Chechnya counter extremism with far reaching policies.”
He said that after conference AITUI will submit a detailed memorandum to Government containing gist of resolutions passed by the religious leaders at the conference and a small delegation of religious leaders will go to the Prime Minister’s Office and Home Ministry to present the memorandum to the concerned Minister.
“A memorandum to central government will suggest three pronged approach to counter the terrorism threat i.e. removing Waqfs from Wahabi influence, reconstitution of Haj Committee and removal of extremist contents from curriculum of Madrasas”, he added.