ISIS fear: Iraq bars young Indian Muslim males from applying for pilgrimage visas

Baghdad, Dec 4: One of the Iraqi-government-organized travel agency Alshaya Nasser Travels has issued an advisory barring single Muslim males below 30 from applying for pilgrimage visas.

A report published in TOI said that the agency has asked tour operators not to accept passports from applicants who are single, under 30 and unaccompanied by family members. [Areef Majeed expresses remorse]

In an attempt to prevent potential extremists, the move comes after the four youths from Kalyan, Maharashtra reached Iraq via pilgrimage route in May this year and joined the Islamic jihadi group ISIS.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs said that it has not issued any such advisory to the tour operators.

Kalyan youths had reached Iraq via pilgrimage route in May this year.

The four youths- Arif Majeed, Fahad Shaikh, Aman Tandel and Shahim Tanki had gone missing and reportedly told theor tour operator that they are going for shopping but never returned.

One of them, Areef Majeed returned to India six months after on Friday, Nov 28 and revealed the horrific stories of ISIS and how it operates. [Why 3 youth left the ISIS to return to India]

Areef was reportedly radicalized over the Internet and felt very strongly about the cause being espoused by the ISIS.

He told the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the National Investigating Agency (NIA) that he managed to escape from the ISIS and landed in Turkey from where he is said to have been rescued. [How ISIS bullied radicals who wanted to join jihad]

Areef Majeed has been booked by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and an FIR has also been filed against him.

OneIndia News