India: Islamic preachers convicted for preaching Islam

By M Ghazali Khan

London (The Muslim News): A sessions court in Lucknow, the capital city of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has convicted well-known Islamic scholars Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, Maulana Umar Gautam, and fourteen others for illegally converting individuals to Islam.

The preachers are scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday, with punishments ranging from ten years to life imprisonment.

Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, Maulana Umar Gautam, and sixteen others were arrested in September 2021 by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) under the draconian anti-conversion law. They were accused of involvement in clandestine activities aimed at converting people to Islam through monetary incentives.

State governments, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, have made religious conversion a criminal offence. Under the pretext of this law, Muslims who assist individuals in converting to Islam by choice are often criminalised and imprisoned.

Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, Maulana Umar Gautam—a former Hindu who converted to Islam years ago—his son, and sixteen others were charged with illegal religious conversion and detained under the Anti-Terrorism Act (UAPA). In April 2023, they were released on bail.

In a message, that has since gone viral on social media, Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui urged his family members and young Muslims to remain patient and steadfast. “We firmly believe that nothing happens without Allah’s will. He is the most kind and merciful. We may not fully understand His judgement, but surely there is wisdom and blessing behind it. Remain calm and content. Turn to Him and pray, and He will remove this difficulty. My family members and dear youth, focus on your obligations,” he said.

M Ghazali Khan is Freelance Journalist

[Map of India by CIA]

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