Latest news with #Barelvi
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Grand Mufti Of India: Cleric Who Claims Role In Stopping Kerala Nurse Execution
New Delhi: A top Indian Muslim cleric has played a key role in the postponement of the execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen's capital, Sana'a. Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, the Grand Mufti of India, reached out to prominent Yemeni scholar Sheikh Umar bin Hafiz, urging him to intervene with the family of Talal Abdol Mehdi, the Yemeni man Priya was convicted of killing. Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala, was sentenced to death in Yemen. Her legal team maintains the killing was accidental and happened during a time of abuse and distress. After the Grand Mufti's request, Sheikh Umar sent his students to talk to the victim's family. After several rounds of talks, the family agreed to pause the execution for four hours, giving Priya's legal team more time to act. Who Is The Grand Mufti Of India? The title Grand Mufti of India refers to a senior Islamic legal authority, often regarded as the highest-ranking among Islamic scholars in the country. Unlike in some Muslim-majority nations where such titles are granted by the state, in India, the designation is honorary and not officially recognised by the government. Sheikh Abubakr was officially conferred the title in February 2019 by the All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Islam during a gathering at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. He is recognised as the 10th individual to hold this title, particularly within the Sunni (Barelvi) Muslim community. In Islamic tradition, a "Mufti" is a scholar qualified to issue legal opinions under Sharia law. Who Is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad? Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, also known as Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, is based in Kerala, the same state as Nimisha Priya, and is a respected religious leader in India and South Asia. Born in Kozhikode, Kerala, he serves on various Islamic scholars' councils at the state and national level and is frequently invited abroad for religious lectures and conferences, especially in the Gulf and Southeast Asia. He also leads the Markaz Knowledge City, a large educational and cultural township in Kozhikode that houses medical and law colleges, and a cultural centre. As the Grand Mufti, he offers fatwas (Islamic legal opinions) and guides on religious and social matters, particularly within the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam. Over the years, Sheikh Abubakr has courted controversy for some of his statements. During the 2019-20 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he advised women not to participate in street demonstrations, saying, "Men will take care of it".
India.com
10-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Inside India's Digital Conversion Network: How Islamist Syndicates Use Social Apps To Lure Hindu Girls
New Delhi: In what officials characterize as a sustained, non-violent campaign of demographic manipulation, Islamist syndicates operating both inside India and abroad have reportedly targeted Hindu girls using platforms like Telegram, Instagram, Tinder, and Signal. Leveraging covert religious indoctrination and foreign funding, the groups aim to orchestrate mass conversions. According to a News18 report, this operation, termed 'Soft Jihad,' is allegedly rooted in a 40-year ideological blueprint laid out by Pakistan-based Barelvi and Deobandi networks with the goal of reshaping India's demographic composition. Intelligence analysis of Telegram metadata revealed posting and messaging patterns aligned with time zones in the UAE and Qatar, suggesting direction from Gulf-based handlers. The prime targets are Hindu girls aged 15–24, those from lower-middle-class families, whom the syndicates approach with false promises of romantic relationships, career help, or marriage. A senior official told the report, 'They are soft targets who are vulnerable to emotional manipulation.' Once contact is established, the grooming process begins. Authorities say the girls are exposed to religious videos, often featuring speakers like Anwar al-Awlaki and Zakir Naik, extolling the superiority and inevitability of Islam. Over months, psychological dependency sets in, accompanied by mounting religious guilt and pressure to distance themselves from family. Eventually, within six to twelve months, many converts are groomed into becoming recruiters themselves, expanding the operation across Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 cities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar. Funding for the syndicate reportedly comes from zakat-based contributions routed through sham NGOs such as Delhi's Seher Welfare Society and Lucknow's Sufiya Foundation, both tied to followers of spiritual figure Chhangur Baba, who is under investigation for conversion-linked finances. Agencies say money laundering occurs via cooperative bank accounts, UPI channels, and cryptocurrency wallets connected to Gulf donors. Funds are also routed through hawala networks across Nepal, Bangladesh, and Dubai. One forensic audit of an Axis Bank account in Faizabad showed Rs 80 lakh deposited in a single month, linked to Gulf remittances. In Balrampur, intelligence agencies reported Rs 35 crore channeled through NGOs presenting themselves as education and welfare outfits. The Enforcement Directorate also uncovered Rs 7 crore transferred via UPI IDs linked to dargah networks in Agra, Mathura, Bareilly, and Firozabad, funds used to pay female recruiters. Following conversion, girls are allegedly sent to religious institutions in Kerala and Hyderabad for complete indoctrination and conversion. Fabricated identity documents, Aadhaar, and voter cards under Hindu names like 'Ravi' or 'Mohit', enable seemingly legitimate marriages to operative 'grooms,' often Gulf-trained. Intelligence reports reveal that seminaries like Bhopal's Darul Ulum Tazkiya play a central role in training boys aged 16–22. Between 2018 and 2024, the seminary received Rs 18.5 crore in unaccounted remittances from Doha and Sharjah, primarily for preparing recruiters trained to blend into secular university environments. Another wing of the syndicate, the Agra Dargah Syndicate, operates near Rawatpara shrine, conducting weekly 'healing sessions' to target Hindu women subtly. According to reports, the top sources said, clerics employed 'Bollywood-style' romance plots to ensnare women, offering jobs and marriage under false Hindu identities. From 2018 to 2024, intelligence agencies tracked the trafficking of over 300 girls from SC, ST, and OBC Hindu communities, many relocated to southern India under the guise of religious education and conversion. In April 2025, authorities in Uttar Pradesh arrested two lawyers and a sub-registrar for fabricating conversion affidavits linked to 34 cases in Bareilly and Shahjahanpur. Investigators say the syndicate functions via a multi-state structure, combining digital and physical outreach. A secret Telegram channel, 'Zaytun Council', with more than 2,500 members reportedly coordinates cross-border conversion drives between Kerala and West Bengal. Earlier National Investigation Agency (NIA) probes uncovered over 60 Telegram and Signal groups, largely run out of Kerala, targeting women for conversion and Islamist propaganda. The so-called Kerala Madrasa Web operates both as a safe house and a radicalization hub. Here, newly converted women are given fresh IDs and instructed in digital Dawah tactics, then dispatched to social media to push propaganda. Intelligence agencies consider this soft, nonviolent demographic strategy, blending religious indoctrination, emotional manipulation, foreign money, and covert tech outreach, as one of the most organized threats facing India's internal demographic security. Lacking overt violence, it remains hard to track, shielded by its humanitarian veneer that blurs with legitimate NGOs and social support fronts. Top intelligence sources reveal that dossiers detailing these networks have been shared with central and state enforcement agencies. The warning from officials is clear: this is not a distant threat but a growing reality shaping India's social landscape from within.
News18
10-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Telegram, Tinder, Zakat: How Islamist Syndicates Use Digital Jihad To Lure Hindu Girls Across India
Last Updated: According to top intelligence sources, the strategy forms part of a 40-year-old ideological plan devised by Pakistan-based Barelvi and Deobandi networks. News18 In what intelligence officials describe as a long-term, non-violent campaign of demographic manipulation, Islamist syndicates based in India and abroad have been systematically targeting Hindu girls through digital platforms like Telegram, Instagram, Tinder, and Signal, using covert religious indoctrination and foreign funding to orchestrate religious conversions. According to top intelligence sources, the strategy forms part of a 40-year-old ideological plan devised by Pakistan-based Barelvi and Deobandi networks with the objective of reshaping India's demographic balance. According to top intelligence sources, this non-violent jihad — sometimes referred to as 'Soft Jihad" — is justified by the circulation of ideological texts such as Ghazwa-e-Hind, and involves psychological and spiritual manipulation rather than overt terrorism. Telegram metadata, as analysed by agencies, shows time zone patterns linked to UAE and Qatar, indicating the involvement of foreign handlers directing operations from the Gulf. Young Hindu girls, particularly those between the ages of 15 to 24, are the primary targets of this operation. Intelligence sources say these girls, often ambitious and from lower-middle-class backgrounds, are approached with false promises of love, career support, or marriage, largely through social media and dating apps. 'They are soft targets who are vulnerable to emotional manipulation," a senior official revealed. Once contact is established, the process begins with religious grooming via videos — many of which forward lectures of Anwar al-Awlaki and Zakir Naik — promoting the idea of Islam as superior and inevitable. 'Over time, they build emotional dependence, followed by religious guilt, and finally isolation from their families," top intelligence sources said. Within 6 to 12 months, converts are allegedly turned into recruiters or liaisons, helping expand the network further. This cycle, sources state, is replicated across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar. The syndicate's financial backbone is zakat (Islamic charity) routed through fake NGOs, according to enforcement and intelligence agencies. Entities like Seher Welfare Society and Sufiya Foundation, registered in Delhi, Agra, and Lucknow, have come under the scanner. Top intelligence sources confirmed these NGOs are directly linked to the disciples of Chhangur Baba, a key spiritual figure recently investigated for conversion-linked financial fraud. Money is laundered through cooperative bank accounts, UPI IDs, and even cryptocurrency wallets connected to donors in the Gulf. Sources indicate that funds are routed through hawala networks via Nepal, Bangladesh, and Dubai. 'To avoid detection under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act), most donations are split into tranches under ₹10 lakh," intelligence insiders said. A forensic audit of Chhangur Baba's Axis Bank account in Faizabad revealed Rs 80 lakh deposited in a single month, immediately after foreign remittances reached these NGOs. In one case in Balrampur, Rs 35 crore was reportedly routed through such NGOs that claimed to work in education and welfare, top sources stated. In another case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) found that Rs 7 crore was transferred via UPI IDs linked to dargah networks in Agra, Mathura, Bareilly, and Firozabad, which was used to fund female recruiters. Seminaries, Shrines & Sufis: The Radical Indoctrination Web Once initial trust is established, sources explain, girls are lured into religious seminaries located in places like Kerala and Hyderabad, where they undergo full conversions. Fake ID proofs — Aadhaar cards and voter IDs with Hindu names like 'Ravi" or 'Mohit" — are often used to complete marriages that appear legitimate on paper but are rooted in deception. These grooms, according to sources, are trained operatives with Gulf travel histories. Intelligence sources say the Bhopal Seminary Nexus, involving institutions such as Darul Ulum Tazkiya, plays a central role in ideological training for boys aged 16 to 22. These boys are specifically taught how to blend into secular university campuses while operating covertly. Between 2018 and 2024, a total of ₹18.5 crore in unaccounted remittances was found to have been transferred to seminaries in Bhopal from Doha and Sharjah. The Agra Dargah Syndicate, meanwhile, used a Sufi shrine near Rawatpara to conduct weekly 'healing" sessions, which subtly encouraged Hindu women toward Islam, said top sources. Clerics were also caught offering jobs and marriage under fake Hindu aliases. These operations often had a 'Bollywood-style" romance narrative, meant to emotionally ensnare the targets. In April 2025, two lawyers and a sub-registrar were arrested in UP for fabricating conversion-related consent affidavits — part of a racket linked to 34 cases in Bareilly and Shahjahanpur. Digital Toolkit and Cross-State Machinery Sources reveal the syndicate operates through a multi-state toolkit with a structured digital and physical network. A secret Telegram group named 'Zaytun Council", with over 2,500 members, was discovered to be coordinating cross-border operations between Kerala and West Bengal. The group discussed recruitment targets, ideological content, and funding logistics. The Kerala Madrasa Web, as intelligence sources describe it, functions as a safehouse and radicalisation hub. Newly converted women are provided new IDs and trained in Dawa-based digital propaganda. They are then sent back into social media spaces as evangelists. Earlier, NIA investigations had revealed that more than 60 Telegram and Signal groups, largely operated by handlers based in Kerala, were involved in attempts to convert women and promote global Islamist propaganda. One of the most worrying findings from top intelligence agencies is that more than 300 girls from SC, ST, and OBC Hindu backgrounds have already been trafficked into such marriages between 2018 and 2024. Many were later moved to southern India under the guise of religious education. Major Cases Between 2018 and 2024, intelligence agencies tracked funding inflows to seminaries in Bhopal and Kerala, meant for ideological training of young men. These seminaries, including Darul Ulum Tazkiya, received Rs 18.5 crore in unaccounted remittances from Doha and Sharjah during this period. According to top intelligence sources, these funds were used to train boys aged 16–22 years to operate covertly in universities and secular campuses. In 2023, in a major crackdown, the NIA uncovered a radical Telegram module in Kerala during a multi-state raid. This module, as per intelligence reports, coordinated online grooming and conversion operations targeting Hindu girls, mostly via encrypted platforms like Telegram and Signal. In 2024, authorities exposed a Zakat-funded scholarship scam in Malappuram, Kerala. These scholarships were allegedly being used to incentivise religious conversion of Hindu women under the guise of education. Intelligence sources said the money trail led to Gulf-linked NGOs whose FCRA status was either dormant or under investigation. In 2025, in the latest raids in Balrampur and Agra, ED and intelligence agencies busted a fake ID racket, where Aadhaar and voter cards were forged in Hindu names for the purpose of facilitating marriages and conversions. Intelligence sources confirmed these operations involved caste-based incentives to exploit socio-economic fault lines among SC, ST, and OBC Hindu communities. A Hidden Front in the Ideological War The scale and sophistication of this non-violent jihad campaign — blending religious indoctrination, emotional manipulation, foreign funding, and technological anonymity — marks it as one of the most organised soft threats to India's internal demographic security, according to top intelligence sources. top videos View all What makes it particularly hard to track is the absence of physical violence and the camouflage of social service fronts. The use of legitimate platforms like Telegram, Tinder, Signal, and even educational institutions gives the operations an appearance of normalcy. Top intelligence agencies continue to monitor these networks and have reportedly shared multiple dossiers with central and state enforcement bodies. As per officials, the threat is no longer abstract — it is entrenched, evolving, and silently altering the social fabric of India. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 10, 2025, 17:26 IST News india Telegram, Tinder, Zakat: How Islamist Syndicates Use Digital Jihad To Lure Hindu Girls Across India Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Deccan Herald
21-06-2025
- General
- Deccan Herald
Yoga should be taught in madrassas but 'Surya Namaskar' not permitted under Islam: Cleric
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, a Barelvi cleric and the president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, took part in the celebrations on the International Day of Yoga at the Grand Mufti House near Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat.
News18
23-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Three Years After Father's Beheading, Udaipur Tailor Kanhaiya Lal's Son Seeks To Serve Nation
Last Updated: For three years, he stayed barefoot as a mark of protest. Now, Kanhaiya Lal's son says he won't hesitate to wear Army boots for India Nearly three years have passed since Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur's Bhoot Mahal area, was attacked, dragged out of his shop, and brutally beheaded by Muhammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus Muhammad for expressing support for the controversial remarks made by now-suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma. The entire act was caught on a mobile camera and shared on the internet by the attackers, and was treated as a case of terrorism. A day ahead of Kanhaiya Lal's third death anniversary, a movie on the attack that shook the nation and influenced the Rajasthan Assembly election is set to be released in theatres. While Yash, Kanhaiya Lal's son, is hopeful that the film will refresh public memory about the tailor's murder, the recent Operation Sindoor seems to have given him something that had been missing from his life ever since 28 June 2022 — purpose. Yash found common ground between his personal tragedy and the recent Indo-Pakistan conflict. The NIA probe into the case revealed a Pakistan angle. Muhammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus Muhammad — both accused — belonged to the Barelvi sect of Sunni Islam and were members of Dawat-e-Islami, a Barelvi organisation based in Karachi, Pakistan, led by Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri. Ghaus Muhammad had attended religious sessions organised by Dawat-e-Islami in Karachi in 2014, the NIA probe found. So when the recent conflict began, Yash envisioned a dream — to fight the same Pakistan. 'I understand the pain the families of those 26 who lost their lives in Pahalgam are going through because I, too, have been through a similar phase. That is why I feel India should impart compulsory military training, like Israel, keeping many in reserve. If the recent situation had escalated further, more boots on the ground would have been required. If given a chance, I would be happy to enroll in the armed forces in whatever capacity they deem fit," Yash told News18 with a straight face and eyes sparkling. Yash, as well as his brother Tarun, are government employees with the Rajasthan government. The movie Gyanvapi Files: A Tailor's Murder Story is slated for release on 27 June this year across 4,500 screens globally, including in the UK, the US, and Dubai, according to Amit Jani, the film's producer. 'What happened in Udaipur is nothing new—Pakistan always does this. They (Pakistan) sent a message that they will kill us in Pahalgam, Lal Chowk, Baramulla, Pulwama, and even Udaipur. They will kill us where we think we are the safest. This is the aim of Pakistan and Islamic terror. When Kanhaiya Lal's murder happened, I said back then, 'It's not the murder of a tailor but a trailer of murders.' This movie aims to expose that," Jani told News18. While Jani hopes the film may help raise public awareness and potentially fast-track justice, Yash sounds disheartened by the glacial pace of India's criminal justice system. 'Every time I meet a politician or speak to the media, I request them to help expedite the case. It is still in the sessions court. It's been three years. My depositions aren't even over yet. I only wonder how long we will have to wait for justice," Yash said. As Yash walked out, he moved barefoot. Since his father's horrific murder, he has vowed not to wear shoes until justice is served. But for the pride of serving his nation, Yash says he may reconsider his vow—if asked to, he would be willing to don army boots.
