A poison called Zakir Naik and his role in radicalising Kerala detailed by an ISIS recruit

New Delhi, Nov 12: The heat is back on Dr. Zakir Naik, the controversial Islamic preacher, who is hiding in Malaysia. His name has emerged right on the top of the investigations being conducted by the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the case of the missing persons from Kerala, who have joined the Islamic State in Afghanistan.

Nashidul Hamzafar, the 26 year old management student from Kerala's Wayanad was in September arrested by the NIA after he became one of the first ISIS recruits to be deported from Afghanistan.
During his interrogation, he details the role played by Islamic preachers such as Naik and what sort of an influence they had on him, which ultimately prompted him to join the ISIS.

Hamzafar says that he was not attracted to the ISIS ideology for long. I found them to be too brutal and the outfit only scared me, he says. My ambition was to pursue my education and find a good job in Dubai.

A lot changed when one of his friends, Shihas sent him an audio clip regarding the Islamic State. My perception towards the outfit changed. Then I began listening to audios of Zakir Naik, Noman Alikhan among others. Their speeches inspired me and my approach towards life changed.

I began telling my family members to become stringent followers of Islam. I told them not to watch television or even lend money for interest. These were anti-Islam, I would tell them, Hamzafar told the NIA.

Going by his statements, it becomes clear that the likes of Zakir Naik through his Islamic Research Foundation and the Kerala based Peace Educational Foundation have played a huge role in the radicalisation of youth in Kerala.

He said that in May 2017, he had left for Bahrain for a job. He however maintained contact with Shihas and others who had joined the ISIS in Afghanistan. Shihas who was working in the media department for the ISIS advised me to reach Iran after I expressed interest in Hijra. I came back to Kerala and then left for Oman in October 2017. From there I reached Tehran. From there I left for Isfahan, where I was picked up by a man and left off at a safe house.

A poison called Naik:

Recently a Mumbai court had framed charges against Arshi Qureshi. The case relates to the indoctrination of Ashfak Majid and his associates into extreme jihadi ideology by a group of like-minded youths from Kasaragod district of Kerala. It was also stated that some members of the Zakir Naik run NGO, Islamic Research Foundation too were involved in the radicalisation process.

It was further alleged that these persons had motivated the youth to join the Islamic state.

Investigations also revealed that Qureshi was involved in unlawful activities and also spread hatred against India.

The National Investigation Agency had recently said that members of the Popular Front of India had conspired to kill Sasi Kumar, a spokesperson of the Hindu Munani. The murder of the leader from Coimbatore was carried out to create terror among the people, the NIA has also said in its supplementary chargesheet.

During investigation, NIA conducted searches at the houses of 4 accused persons on March 18 and recovered PFI donation receipts, PFI literature, PFI Unity March CDs, mobile phones, Compact Disks and pen drives, DVD of Zakir Naik of Islamic Research Foundation and other incriminating documents relating to PFI.