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Indian Muslim Group Challenges Indian Accusations
WASHINGTON, May 6 (IslamOnline) - Deendar Anjuman, a heterodox Muslim sect based in the city of Hyderabad, India, alleged to be behind a spate of attacks on Christian Churches last year, said that it will challenge the Indian government's decision last week to ban the group.
Syed Sidique Hussain, general secretary of the Anjuman told news agencies Saturday that his group will challenge the ban via appropriate forums.
"The union government has taken a unilateral, unjust and hasty decision to impose a ban on our organization. It is patently improper and unnecessary," Siddique said.
He added, "We are peace-loving people and have nothing to do with anti-national elements. We consider dabbling in politics as a crime and raising a revolt against the country as the greatest sin."
The Indian government accuses the organization of being behind 12 bomb blasts at several churches in South India between May 21st and July 9th of last year, injuring 24 people.
It is also accused of having links with Pakistani "extremists", for indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of India, and attempting to incite hatred between Christian, Hindus and other communities.
The government's directive to ban the group released last week, however, makes some bizarre accusations and leaves many questions unanswered.
One such accusation that, "The Deendar ... has been organizing bands of disgruntled Muslim youths in India into a militant outfit for launching Jehad with the avowed objective of total Islamization of the sub-continental [sic]," is based on total ignorance of the secular nature of the Indian constitution. There is no law which says that the objective of "total Islamization" of the "subcontinent" is unlawful.
Similarly, even if the Deendar Anjuman is "creating suspicion and ill will among the Christians and Hindus as well as among other communities," observers point out Hindu extremist organizations doing the same thing.
Extremist Hindu outfits have been specifically named for being involved in several incidents of killing and rape of Christian missionaries and Muslims.
An Indian scholar studying the Deendar Anjuman told IslamOnline that the entire affair is a "stunt" doctored to hide the activities of Hindu organizations that might actually be behind the attacks.
The Deendar Anjuman, founded by Siddique Deendar, a scholar with varied talents, in 1924, has been declared as outside the pale of Islam by several mainstream Muslim organizations and leaders.
Its founder had claimed himself to be a reincarnation of a Hindu deity. It is primarily involved in inter-faith activities with Hindus and uses their own scriptures to prove the truth of Islam. It currently has about 15,000 followers.
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