Zakir Naik: 16 persons were detained from Bhopal and Hyderabad last week on suspicion of having ties to the extreme group Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), including Saurabh alias Mohammed Saleem. The Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested the suspects for their alleged participation in plotting terrorist strikes.
Allegations of ‘Love-Jihad’ and Religious Conversions
The arrested suspects, who include a professor and a gym trainer among others, were ostensibly involved in “love-jihad” and religious conversions, according to Madhya Pradesh’s home minister Narottam Mishra. Ashok Raj Vaidya, Saurabh’s father, spoke to the news organisation ANI about his family, how he discovered Saurabh was persuaded to convert to Islam, and how he went by the name Mohammed Saleem. According to Saurabh’s father Ashok Raj Vaidya, ‘In our family, we let our children to chose their life mates from various faiths and do not label it “religious conversion.” An ayurvedic physician is Ashok Raj Vaidya.’
Father Recounts Saurabh’s Shift Towards Islam and Family’s Reaction
When asked when he thought Saurabh converted to Islam, Vaidya replied, “I first saw Saurabh’s activities and arguments in 2011. He started avoiding our family gatherings and religious celebrations. Later, his wife began dressing in Islamic garb as well. I then made an effort to clarify things to him. Vaidya stated, “I requested Saurabh to leave our home.” Vaidya further claimed that he had reported the entire incident to the police. When the police discovered Saurabh had voluntarily converted to Islam, they decided against taking any action. According to Saurabh’s father, Saurabh used to hang out with a Dr. Kamaal when they were both in college. The controversial Islamic speaker Zakir Naik’s agent, Dr. Kamaal, was later revealed to be by us, and he was also detained. He instructed my son in Islamic piety,” the man stated.
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Concerns Raised Over Son’s Interest in Islam and Attendance at Islamic Gatherings
“Saurabh used to watch Zakir Naik’s speeches on his PC. I even found a number of Islamic books in his room. When Saurabh would watch Syrian news on TV, he would discuss Islam and the reasons why people were attacking Syrians, according to Vaidya.” According to the father of the terror suspect, “Saurabh also attended a number of Islamic gatherings organised by big personalities.” The Congress-led Centre had also received a letter from Vaidya asking for a ban on the broadcast of Zakir Naik’s talks. Regarding the arrest of his son, Vaidya expressed his conviction that Saurabh was not a party to any terrorism-related activities. He did, however, warn that if Saurabh didn’t give up Islam, his family wouldn’t let him back into their house.
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