Legal activist group Legal Rights Protection Forum has filed a complaint against a foreign Islamic preacher Muhammad Saqib bin Iqbal Shaami alias Saqib Iqbal Shami who visited India on a tourist visa but attended the Islamic religious conferences organised in several cities. He had attended one such event organised by the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh.
The Forum tweeted tagging Home Minister Amit Shah and his office, the High Commission of India in the UK, the DGPs of UP and Telangana and Warangal CP, “Gross violation of Indian Visa provisions by Pakistan-linked UK-based Islamic Preacher Saqib Iqbal Shaami & his intervention into internal matters. Lodged complaint with @AmitShah ji, @HMOIndia @IndiainUK, @cpwarangal1 @TelanganaDGP @dgpup & immigration seeking ban on his entry.”
Gross violation of Indian Visa provisions by Pakistan-linked UK-based Islamic Preacher Saqib Iqbal Shaami & his intervention into internal matters.
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) February 3, 2023
Lodged complaint with @AmitShah ji, @HMOIndia @IndiainUK, @cpwarangal1 @TelanganaDGP @dgpup & immigration seeking ban on his entry pic.twitter.com/9go7cynlWV
According to reports, the Pakistani-origin preacher, who is a UK citizen, is touring India on a tourist visa and organizing Islamic religious events in various cities. As a part of his schedule, he will attend a massive religious event in Azam Jahi Mill Grounds, Warangal as a chief guest and principal speaker on 4 February 2023.
On 2 February 2023, he participated in a mass Islamic religious event at Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh. In fact, Saqib bin Iqbal Shaami had taken to Twitter to share glimpses of the event held at AMU, referring to it as the “biggest political, cultural, social & Islamic gathering of all time”.
A glimpse of the historic event in Aligarh Muslim University from only inside the auditorium!
— Saqib Iqbal (@ShaykhSaqib) February 2, 2023
Shaykh Saqib Shaami Sahibs Hh event last time was the biggest Islamic gathering but last night according to the professors from different faculties of Ali Ghar Muslim university, pic.twitter.com/i6suyzmhaO
Notably, the hardline preacher Saqib bin Iqbal Shaami, who has 776 thousand YouTube subscribers, leads an organisation called Kanz Ul Huda, through which he regularly conducts religious sermons and engages in da’wa or Islamic proselytising. In fact, his YouTube channel is littered with videos of him coercing his non-Muslim followers to convert to Islam.
The Forum, in its complaint, noted that Saqib bin Iqbal Shaami is interfering in Indian internal policy matters. “Given the above circumstances and the most serious matter, we humbly request you to take preventive steps to stop his event scheduled in Warangal and take action against him and the sponsors/organisers of the event under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act, 1946. We also request you blacklist him to prevent his further entry into India.”, LRPF said in its complaint to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It is notable that it is illegal for foreigners on tourist visas or any other visa to be involved in preaching in the country. For missionaries, the missionary visa is granted, with the condition that the missionary work does not involve proselytization. According to the Indian visa rules, India does not grant visa to preachers and evangelists who desire to come to India on propaganda campaigns, whether on their own or at the invitation of any organisation in India.
It may be recalled that in the year 2020, the Home Ministry blacklisted and cancelled the tourist visas of 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members for violating visa conditions by engaging in missionary activities while in India.
It has also asked the states and union territories where these foreign Tablighi Jamaatis are present, to take necessary legal action against them, for violating the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 which might involve their deportation after payment of a $500 penalty, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Home minister Amit Shah stated: “960 foreigners have been blacklisted and their Indian visas have also been cancelled after they were found involved in Tablighi activities on tourist visas”.
