Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar has obtained a recording of a phone conversation wherein a woman is heard persuading Shaikh Jafar Qureshi, an ex-Muslim to turn back to Islam. The 46-year-old Qureshi renounced Islam and accepted Hinduism in the Mandasaur district of Madhya Pradesh on May 27, 2022.
Qureshi was given the initiation to Hinduism by performing ritual worship by Mahamandaleshwar Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati at the Pashupatinath temple. From May 28 Shaikh Jafar Qureshi was known by his new name Chetan Singh Rajput.
In the telephonic conversation, the girl attempted to convince Qureshi to reaffirm his commitment to Islam. She rebuked Shaikh Jafar Qureshi aka Chetan Singh Rajput for allying with the ‘Kafirs'(non-Muslims). She claimed that Qureshi was convinced to convert to Hinduism with the sole intention of demeaning Muslims. She kept asking Qureshi to swear in the name of Allah and his parents that he would get back to Islam.
According to the reports, the ritual worship for Qureshi to adopt the Sanatan Dharma was organized by Mahamandaleshwar Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad Mahanirvani Sangh on May 27. Swami who gave Qureshi his new name asked to him clean his body with the cow dung and the holy gau mutra. Mahamandaleshwar Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati said that the religious ritual was not conducted for conversion, but ‘gharvapsi’ (homecoming).
It is notable here that in the Hindu faith, there is no concept of ‘conversion’, but those who had strayed away from the Sanatana Dharma can ‘come back’, by performing certain rituals. This process is popular as ‘Ghar Waspsi’ (coming back home) in Hindi-speaking areas.
Qureshi had also termed the process as ‘gharvapsi’. He said that he has been following the Hindu religion since his childhood and that he never liked the Islamist people who possess fanatical thinking.
A Dainik Bhaskar team, meanwhile, went to Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh to meet Chetan Singh Rajput, who told the Hindi daily that he has been receiving numerous calls since May 27 asking him to rejoin Islam. Chetan claimed that he has also informed the cops about this. However, when the Dainik Bhaskar team reached out to Anurag Sujania, the Mandsaur SP, he said that the police had not received any complaints regarding the same.
I want to be born a Kafir in every birth: Shaikh Jafar Qureshi alias Chetan Singh Rajput
Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, Shaikh Jafar Qureshi alias Chetan Singh Rajput recalled how the girl was trying to convince him in the name of Allah that he should come back to Islam. Further reminiscing how she admonished him for joining the ‘Kafirs’, Qureshi remarked, “I am ready to be born a Kafir in every birth I take”.
Qureshi further stated the woman tried to continuously convince him to renounce Hinduism and accept Islam by and scaring him with the concept of Jahannam (hell) in Islam. Qureshi recalled the woman telling him, “Brother, you will certainly burn in the ever-flaming pit of fire in Jahannam (hell). I asked her whether she has experienced Jahannam (hell). She called me up multiple times and each time I tried to give her a patient hearing, but eventually, I stopped picking up her call,” said Qureshi.
He went on to say that the woman had warned him that if he didn’t change his religion from Hinduism to Islam again he would not be spared. “After a while, these individuals who are presently willing to support you won’t care as much. I am aware of how dangerous they are. You won’t be spared by them. You will be killed, “Qureshi remembered her admonishing him.
He then added, “I was solely interested in knowing who her mentors were, and sure enough, they were the people I had doubted.”
‘My aim is to bring the divided Hindus together’, Qureshi told Dainik Bhaskar
“After formally converting to Hinduism, I now feel fulfilled. I will give my entire life to the nation and the Sanatan Dharma. Today, a lot of Hindus have strayed. My prime focus is to reintegrate these deviated Hindus. All individuals who desire to convert to Hinduism have my support and encouragement.” said Qureshi.
He added that he had a love marriage with a Hindu woman. “My wife is scared that the people I’ve left behind would do us some kind of harm. She hesitates to speak up because of this. My wife’s family has been supportive of my decision to convert to Hinduism. I’ve left behind a few individuals, and they’re the ones who are unhappy and have good reason to be so.”
It may be recalled how Qureshi had expressed his happiness when he embraced Hinduism in the month of May. Termed the process as ‘gharvapsi’, Qureshi said, “I am happy now that I am a Hindu. I have been visiting temples since I was a child. Later I had started performing Hindu rituals. During the time of Navratri also I used to keep fast for 9 days”, he said.
Elaborating his feeling about having a new name, Chetan Singh Rajput had said, “Forefathers of many Muslims were Rajput. So I decided to consider Rajput surname for myself. I am a devotee of Lord Shiva and was fascinated by Sanatan Dharma since childhood”, he reiterated. He also stated that now he will support and encourage all those people who want to adopt Hinduism as a religion.
