The radical Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), which has been in the radar of several central agencies amidst suspicion of funding various anti-national activities in India, is back into the limelight after the Sufi Council made some startling revelations about the organisation. According to a report by the Hindi news daily Amar Ujala, the Sufi Islamic Board has claimed that the PFI is backed by terrorist organisations and is running ‘schools’ to radicalise Muslim youths to carry out Jihad.
PFI uses the belief of ’72 hoors in Jannat after martyrdom’ as a bait to lure Muslim men to carry out Jihad
According to the Council’s national general secretary, Shah Sayyid Hasnain Bakai, PFI has been misleading the Muslim youths through its political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). It said that the outfit uses the belief of ’72 hoors in Jannat after martyrdom’ as a bait to lure Muslim men to carry out Jihad in the country.
The 72 hoors (heavenly virgins) refers to a belief among Islamists that when the terrorists die in jihad and go to Jannat (heaven), they are rewarded with 72 virgin women. This is a widespread belief among Islamist terrorists, with terror organisations like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram etc, using this promise to lure and recruit new terrorists.
PFI’s link with ISIS and Al-Qaeda
Hasnain Bakai said that the radical Islamist organization PFI is linked to the notorious global terrorist organization ISIS. The people associated with PFI continue to attend meetings of al-Qaeda affiliated organizations. The Council revealed PFI’s sinister plot to spread Turkey’s divisive plan to the Indian subcontinent.
Recently, a report by the European research group – Nordic Monitor had revealed about a 2018 meeting between India’s Popular Front of India (PFI) and alleged Turkish intelligence-linked extremist group IHH. The report claims that IHH – backed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – has been accused of smuggling arms to al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Syria in 2014. The report claimed that the meeting was part of the Turkish government’s outreach to Muslim communities in the Southeast Asia region. PFI had been chosen as it had endorsed Erdogan after a 2016 coup attempt. So basically, PFI is said to be closely associated with the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) which has been linked to the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda.
Sufi council writes to PM Modi and HM Amit Shah urging them to permanently ban PFI on a pan India basis
As per the Amar Ujala report, National President of Sufi Islamic Board Mansoor Khan and National Spokesperson Sufi Mohammad Kausar Hasan Majidi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding a permanent ban on PFI on a pan India basis. On the other hand, Sayyid Farid Ahmed Nizami, general secretary of Sufi Culture Organization of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, has also sent a letter to LG Anil Baijal of Delhi clarifying his relationship with PFI. Recently, there were allegations that the All India Sufi Sajjadanshin Council and PFI have links. Distancing itself from the radical Islamist outfit, the Sufi organisation said that PFI should come out in the open and clear its stand.
The All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council, last month, had called upon Muslim youths to stay away from radical organisations that spread misconceptions in the name of Islam on social media. Naseeruddin Chishty, founder and Chairman of the Council, said that many radical organisations such as the Popular Front of India (PFI) and their political outfit Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) are involved in spreading misconceptions in the name of Islam and misleading youths.
He said that such outfits are misusing social media platforms to hoodwink youths. Muslim people should keep an eye on their children and should monitor their social media activities. “Many anti-social elements want to spoil the peace of the country through social media and are inviting our youth towards their wrong ideology which is a matter of serious concern”, he said.
PFI and its involvement in various riots fuelled by radical Islamists across India
The radical Islamic outfit, Popular Front of India was launched after the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD, Karnataka) National Development Front (NDF, Kerala) Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP, Tamil Nadu) and the South India Council decided to float the organization together.
PFI and SDPI’s role in ginning up caste-based riots in Uttar Pradesh after Hathras case
In October, Uttar Pradesh Police had also arrested four people in connection to the Hathras case. It was revealed that they had connections with Popular Front of India (PFI) and were planning to cause caste-based unrest in the state. The intelligence agencies found that PFI and SDPI had assisted in preparing the website “Justice for Hathras” which hosted misleading and inflammatory content aimed at ginning up caste-based riots in Uttar Pradesh. Moreover, it was revealed that funding of Rs 50 crore was sourced by the Popular Front of India (PFI) from Mauritius to instigate caste-based riots in Uttar Pradesh following the Hathras case.
The radical Islamist outfit suspected of funding violence in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The PFI was also suspected of funding violence in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that the PFI has spent around Rs 120 crores to fuel riots across the country. As per ED’s investigation into PFI, it found a link between the Rs 120 crores deposited in 73 bank accounts allegedly belonging to PFI from various sources and the anti-CAA protests held in Uttar Pradesh, as per sources. 90 withdrawals were allegedly made in a day during the protests against the CAA, as per the bank documents and proof procured by the ED.
PFI and its link with the Bengaluru riots
Moreover, a fact-finding committee on the Bengaluru Riots formed by Citizens for Democracy, consisting of retired judges, journalists, and bureaucrats, has said in its report that SDPI and PFI were involved in the planning and execution of the riots which were pre-planned and organised and specifically targeted certain Hindus in the area. During the investigation of the Bengaluru riots, police raided 48 places, and a huge cache of weapons was recovered from the offices of SDPI.
Hours after violent Muslim mobs went on a rampage on the streets of Bengaluru, the Bengaluru police had arrested a local SDPI leader Muzammil Pasha, allegedly the mastermind behind the in riots. The SDPI leader, along with two other SDPI leaders, Jaffar and Khaleel Pasha had allegedly instigated the Muslim mob to pelt stones and torch vehicles near the police stations in KG Halli area in Bengaluru city.
The outfit’s connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case
Moreover, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while probing the Kerala gold smuggling case revealed that one of the five accused having terror links was PFI member Mohammed Ali. The NIA had alleged that Ali had formatted all the data on July 19th when his role had surfaced in the public domain. However, from the limited data that the NIA has retrieved from his mobile, it was found out that there were materials pertaining to the death of the Indian origin ISIS recruits, posters supporting the members of the banned organisation SIMI. The NIA had also obtained images of paper slips depicting the details of huge transactions amounting in several lakhs.
