PFI Ban: Govt Treating Symptoms Not the Disease
On 28 Sep 2022, Govt of India imposed a 5 yr ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) vide Gazette notification no. CG-DL-E-28092022-239179. In its detailed notification, Govt banned the rogue Islamic outfit PFI along with its sister concerns having a clear orientation to Islamic Jihad. These sister associates / affiliates / fronts included Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala…all having clear Jihadi intents even though their names appear misleading. However, experts in this field feel that by leaving the SDPI out of the purview, the ban action is incomplete. SDPI and PFI are two sides of the same coin “Islamic Jihad”.
It is worth mentioning here that the nefarious acts of PFI have been on the govt radar for several years but hesitated to act prematurely without sufficient evidence, expecting reprisals by the sympathisers of the Jihadi organization both within and abroad. After the partial revelation of the PFI intent at Fulwarishareef (Patna) revelations, the writing was on the wall of a wider crackdown; and that came in the pre-down hours of 22 Sep 22 following simultaneous raids by the NIA on the PFI offices and hideouts in 15 states. This was further followed up at several other places with the seizure of incriminating documents and digital evidence, of their involvements confirmed. Now the question arises, what next?
The PFI ban for now means only three things. One that the PFI top cadre will be under detention for some time, unlikely to indulge in any major violence or retaliate immediately. Secondly, their assets will be under freeze, limiting their abilities and activities to some extent…but we must remember that SDPI is still active. Parts of PFI assets are being shared with them. Thirdly, the Union Govt will be able to keep them on Radar irrespective of the various State Govt’s law & order jurisdictions. This will allow them to keep them under the scanner and check even in the states like Kerala, West Bengal, Telangana, Bihar and Rajasthan where the respective govt may be sympathising in their nefarious intents.
PFI had been expecting the crackdown for quite some time and after being banned today, immediately dissolved itself following the ban thus getting more time to switch allegiance/ name in the coming days. The larger question today is whether this ban will yield any significant result in the terms of curtailing their anti-national and anti-Hindu activities? Possibly ‘No’. The govt action confirms the narrative that this magazine expressed several months earlier (read ‘Islamic Hate & Intolerance: Treat the Disease not the Symptoms’ https://articles.thecounterviews.com/articles/islamic-hate-and-intolerance-treat-disease-not-symptoms/) and also Kerala Governor HE Arif Mohammed Khan’s statement confirming that we are treating symptoms, not the disease.
The world has witnessed how the Jihadi outfits effectively change their names and identites after being banned. Today there are numerous UN-proscribed Jihadi organisations, several of which changed their names within the shortest of time following the ban and are equally active if not more. Many such groups are active in Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere. In the history of banning the Jihadi groups, not much of their activities have been controlled in the nations that either sponsor or support them. However, in the context of India, it might be useful to some extent. PFI and its affiliates are the offshoots of the earlier banned SIMI. Since Modi govt has the intent to curb terrorism, they might act effectively but the day other political parties sympathetic to them come to power, as are already in some states, the effect will be minimal, if at all. The rogue PFI must have already penetrated into the system esp in the states where their sympathising political parties are ruling (like Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, J&K etc)...into the police, administration, service sectors, Islamic institutions and so on. They may remain underground for some time now to surface later, maybe under different names. Law & order being State subject, their roots may remain intact along with the hidden functionaries. Surely, the banned group will remain on the NIA’s radar but it will remain a potential threat.
Islamic intolerance is taking a very heavy toll on world peace. Jihadists, the radical Islamists, are causing violence…both against Islamic other sects as well as the other religions and faiths. Several Islamic nations have been committing genocides against their own religious minorities, making them vanish. There are several other symptoms of Islamic disease…of widespread Jihadi terrorism, mob violence against so-called blasphemous expressions and so on.
Islamic Religious Hate and Intolerance is manifest in several parts of the world (read ‘Islamic Hate, Intolerance, Bigotry and Fascism’ https://articles.thecounterviews.com/articles/islamic-intolerance-bigotry-fascism-global-caliphate/). The early medieval period is long past but the ill doings of Islam continue even today because of the teaching of their religious books of Quran and Hadith which are intolerant to the followers of non-Islamic religions (Read ‘60 Hateful and Intolerant Verses of Quran’; https://articles.thecounterviews.com/articles/60-hateful-intolerant-verses-quran-part-1/ and https://articles.thecounterviews.com/articles/60-hateful-intolerant-verses-quran-part-2/). These verses are undoubtedly discriminating, hateful, intolerant and often bigoted. Islamic disease lay in these verses.
Right from the time of the foundation of Islam, its intolerant dictums remain the same…that the Arabs faced in 7th century, the Parsis in 10-11th century, the Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 and the Yezidis in 2014 (read Looking back at Ralive, Tsalive ya Galive; the Kashmiri Genocide”; The Counterviews; Issue 4:02 https://articles.thecounterviews.com/articles/ralive-tsalive-ya-galive-january-1990-genocide-kashmiri-pandits/). Non-action by the world bodies against the Jihadists have led only to their proliferation to over 170 such organisations the world over with just one aim...Jihad against the believers of other ideologies.
Islam might have been enforced by Mohamed and saved from disintegrating after his death by inserting a penalty of death for leaving, today it is the second largest faith in the world. Islam has many things good…like compassion for the fellow Muslims, remain united as a force, be subservient only to their Allah. It is other matter though, that Quran doesn’t draw equivalence among Gods of other faith equivalent to their Allah unlike the very ancient concepts of Vedic religion recognising “Vishwedevah ‘विश्वेदेवाः’, the many Gods of the world” or the most of the world faith recognising that there is only one almighty whom the followers of different faiths have given different names. In recent years Jews and Christians are trying to reconcile with Islam as ‘Abrahamic Faith’. However, there is a sharp difference in the approach by Muslims and others. Hindus may be singing “अल्ला ईश्वर तेरो नामAllah and Ishwar are the same” in their temples, Muslims never pay any regard to any other Gods in their prayers. On the contrary, they take offence to chant any name other than their Allah. In fact, Islam is hateful to all other Gods when Quran quotes it in several of its verses like the followings: -
Hate & intolerance enshrined in Quran is causing the numerous conflicts in the world. Islam is so intolerant that they fight even other sects for sheer supremacy. Today radical Islam is responsible for the unrest the world over…Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Gaza strip, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, CAR and so on. Although there are some other reasons for the conflicts in several States, Islamic intolerance is the main cause (read ‘Is Quran a source of hate & intolerance?’ https://articles.thecounterviews.com/articles/is-quran-a-source-of-hate-and-intolerance/). This disease of ‘Hate and Intolerance’ in Quran and Hadith and is spread over by the vectors called the Mullah & Imams teaching tender minded children in the Madrassas. It is these ‘Hate Preachers’ who spread hate against the believers of other faiths whom they term ‘kaffirs’. Worst, Islam has formed Jihad as one of its seven tenets with one main aim…to fight for the cause of Islam…that we saw happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria. We see the crimes committed in the name of Jihad in Pakistan, Bangladesh…that has also infiltrated into the adjoining Indian states. Islamic fascism especially against non-Muslims is becoming more and more evident in the recent times (read ‘The new Islamo-Fascism in the world’ https://articles.thecounterviews.com/articles/islamo-fascism-paris-jihadi-attack-macron-pakistan-turkey-malaysia-mahathir-muslims-islam-radical/).
In every Friday sermon called ‘Khutba’, these Mullahs/Imams talk of Islamic brotherhood and compassion for their fellow Muslims, but they never forget to remind them of the ‘Kaffirs’…and also that Islam shall prevail the world over. This was also the root cause why Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi of ISIS gave a call for Global Islamic Caliphate…and this is why Islam is at conflict with most, if not all other religions and faiths in the world. In many countries, these Mullahs and Imams are the ones who interpret and preach the Quranic verses in their own desired ways…radical when wanting to incite the attendee and considerate when not. This may also partly explain of the many violent indulgence after Friday Namaz. The French govt in 2019 found that several Mullahs in their mosques came from the nations where open hate and intolerance are commonly preached…like Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq.
The pathogens for disease lay in the Islamic (un)Holy books of Quran and Hadith and the Vectors are their radical Mullahs / Imams who spread hatred to the children in Madrassas and radical adults in their Friday Khutbas. Hence, present-day manifestation of the symptoms of Islamic disease in their many forms of jihadi intents are only manifestations in the societies. In India, the symptoms are manifested in the forms of mass conversions, mob violence, loud Azans, Hijabs & Burqa, skull caps & Lungi, Halal, occupying public places for Namaz, sacrificing Cows, love-jihads and so on. The banned PFI group may try to indulge in some terror acts in the coming days/weeks...just to prove that their tentacles are still active and effective. The Home Ministry must issue an alert to keep vigil in this regard.
The treatment of the ongoing Islamic Jihad the world over is not only by rapprochement by the different communities but also by removing those hateful & intolerant verses from the unholy books that Muslims call ‘Holy’. These verses must not be preached firstly to the tender minds and secondly, in the Secular & Democratic nations. A Chinese model of dealing with such hate & intolerance of Quran may be followed where all Friday Khutbas are screened out for hate elements by the authorities and Quran teaching is prohibited among children. World needs to take a joint call for confronting the Islamic disease and not merely treating the symptoms.