ISIS using 'intolerance', beef row to radicalise youth in India
To spread its influence in India, ISIS is using the current political narratives of 'intolerance', beef ban and alleged attacks on Muslims by the right wing groups.
In Short
- ISIS is using current political narrative of intolerance, beef ban for radicalisation.
- The chargesheet filed by Maharashtra ATS in Parbhani case has startling revelations.
- Maharashtra ATS had arrested four youths in July and August for suspected ISIS links.
The chargesheet filed by anti-terror agencies suggest that youths were brainwashed and radicalised using current political narrative of instances of alleged atrocities on minority in India.
Earlier, the radicalisation revolved around alleged attacks on Muslims in Gujarat and Kashmir, however, the new ISIS way to radicalised young Msulims was based on current happenings in India.
Maharashtra ATS filed a 3000-page chargesheet on the Parbhani module of Islamic State in which beef ban in Maharashtra and murder of a techie in Pune allegedly by Hindu Rashtra Sena were used to radicalise four men.
The four youth arrested by the ATS extensively discussed about beef ban in Maharashtra.
BEEF BAN
A local, whose statement has been included in the chargesheet, attended meetings between Naserbin Yafai alias Chaus, Shahed Khan, Iqbal Ahmed and Raisuddin Siddique. He recalled that the group's discussion revolved around the alleged atrocities on Muslims.
"We used to meet after dinner and Rais sir used to tell us about lynching of a man in Dadri for storing beef and we used to discuss how we can make Muslims safe in India. There was a WhatsApp group on which these things were discussed," read the statement.
READ: Maharashtra ATS files chargesheet in Parbhani ISIS case
MEDIA PROPAGANDA
The documents also include social media posts of these accused wherein they are seen defending Islamic principles to the core and proving that these accused assumed that Indian media carried out propaganda to defame Islam.
Shahed Khan wrote to a newspaper management asking to them to stop the propaganda against Islam as the paper used pig's illustration to show ISIS funding.
In another incident a post referred to a very famous news anchor's propaganda to sideline their religion.
PUNE TECHIE MURDER
During the course of investigation, accused Chaus, who was at the centre for recruitment and planning for operations, said that the youths were told that Pune techie Mohsin Sadiq Shaikh was killed he was wearing a skull cap and had a beard.
He also said that Muslims were being cornered in the country with instances of beef ban and alleged attacks by the right wing activists, who were accused of killing Shaikh.
READ: ISIS calls for terror attacks in US on election day, asks Muslims to not vote
KASHMIR ON ISIS AGENDA
Arrest of Mohammed Sirajuiddin by ISIS last December revealed that he recruited youths citing alleged atrocities on Kashmiris. He also confessed that ISIS wanted its caliphate in Kashmir.
According to chargesheet, accessed by India Today, revealed that in a conversation with one ISIS associate Iraq, Sirajuiddin said, "Kashmir is Kashmir IS (Islamic State). No one can take it, neither India nor Pakistan. Kashmir will be Islamic State Inshallah. No India, no Pakistan."
According to sources, the suspected ISIS operatives want Kashmir to be integral part of ISIS. They plan to turn it into third place of occupation after Syria and Afghanistan.
READ: Terror alert: US embassy warns Americans in India of possible ISIS attacks
THE FOUR ACCUSED
The four accused arrested by Maharashtra ATS from Parbhani and Hingoli between July and August are said to be very introvert persons. The statements recorded by the ATS, suggest that Chaus and other accused did not open up to many people. They kept their social lives to minimal and spent most of their time online.
First to be arrested was Naser BIn Yafai Chaus, 31 on July 14 for alleged links with a Syria-based ISIS handler identified as Farooque. Chaus had allegedly sent photographs of IED to Farooque.
Maharashtra ATS, later, arrested three more people. The second of them was a salesman, who worked for a mobile service company. He was identified as Shaheed Khan.
The third accused was identified as Iqbal Ahmed. Talking to India Today, Iqbal's father, Kabir Ahmed said, "If Iqbal is a terrorist, I will hang him on the road and ask the police to shoot him, but if he is not he should be released because he is the sole person on whom the family depends."
Iqbal is father of a six month old child. He helped his father and younger brother in meeting treatment expenses of his sister, who is terminally ill.
Kabir Ahmed further said that before arresting Iqbal, ATS had called him twice. On the third occasion, Iqbal was arrested. ATS seized two papers from him, written in Urdu, Kabir said, adding, "One of the papers was a prayer (taweez) for his sister's recovery."
The fourth accused to be arrested was Raisuddin Siddique, 37. He was a teacher in Zilla Parishad school. He came from a family of teachers and doctors.
Raisuddin was a national level football player, who played for Western India Football Association.