No strikes: Jihad in Kerala is focused more on changing mindset of the local Muslim

New Delhi, Aug 19: The mother of a girl from Kerala has once appealed to the Indian government to help bring her daughter back from Afghanistan. The mother of the girl who joined the ISIS in Afghanistan has been released by the Taliban it has been claimed.

This claim comes in the backdrop of raids that were conducted by the National Investigation Agency relating to the ISIS Kerala module. Two highly radicalised women from Kannur in Kerala were arrested by the NIA and the agency said that one had even travelled to Iran to join the ISIS in Syria. They have been identified as Mizha Sideeque and Shifa Haris.

The agency said that the arrests were in connection with the ISIS Kerala module case and pertains to the activities of Mohammed Ameen alias Abu Yahya. He along with his associates were running several ISIS propaganda channels in a bid to radicalise and recruit new members. It was Yahya who had helped Mizha travel to Tehran. She has also been accused of radicalising several others, the NIA said. Shifa on the other hand transferred money to fund ISIS activities, the NIA probe has also found.

Earlier this month, the NIA had raided five locations in Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka. Four operatives of the ISIS part of the Kerala module too were arrested.

The NIA had registered a suo-motu case against 7 known and other unknown accused persons pertaining to terrorist activities of Ameen from Kerala and his associates.

During investigation, it was found that following the decline of the ISIS Caliphate in Syria/Iraq, Ameen had visited Kashmir in March, 2020 for Hijrah (Religious migration) and for engaging in terrorist acts.

He had also raised funds in association with a Kashmir based terrorist, Mohammad Waqar Lone.

This is a pointer to how dangerous the situation remains within India where the ISIS is concerned. An Intelligence Bureau official tells OneIndia that the problem is that the ideology is spreading fast and quick and this is largely thanks to the modules in Kerala. Former DGP of Kerala Loknath Behra said that terrorists have chosen Kerala as their recruitment base. They target highly educated youths in the state to accomplish their agendas across the world, he also said in an interview with a news channel. He further added that terrorists recruit educated youth from Kerala and use their for unlawful activities.

Another official said that the idea is recruit and radicalise. The module in Kerala operates in such a manner that it wants a huge population of Indian Muslims to be radicalised. Carrying out an attack immediately is not their priority. The aim is to change the mindset of the youth and make them extremely radical and this is extremely dangerous the official explained.

While Kerala has been termed as the state with the highest literacy rate, the fact is that the recruits are highly educated as well. It has been described as a ticking time bomb, thanks to problem of radicalisation and the very fact that the maximum number of cases of people leaving for the Islamic State have been reported from this state.

NIA officials probing the Kerala ISIS case say that the prime concern is that all those who have left for the ISIS in Afghanistan are educated. The officer says that a person by the name Shihas had played a major role in building up the module. He had managed to rope in several persons including one Nashidhul, who was initially opposed to the ideology of the ISIS.

During investigations, the NIA learnt that the brainwashing was so strong that many who did not subscribe to the view of the outfit ended up getting convinced. They are repeatedly told that as Muslims they are living on unholy land and they could lead a better life and become good Muslims only if they subscribe to the view of the ISIS.

Abhinav Pandya, a Cornell University graduate in public affairs and a policy analyst specialising in counterterrorism says that in the Islamic concept of Jihad there are various strategies. They know when to take a step back and take a step forward. Jihad should not seen only in the prism of a terror strike alone and there is much more to it.

I think that the policy of not letting the ISIS recruits returning to India is a right call. They can be extremely dangerous if allowed to come back. When they return they come with a tag and we should exhibit no such tolerance and let them return. They will become heroes and can be an inspiration for many, Pandya also adds.