Radicalising is a lucrative job in Kerala: You could earn up to Rs 40 lakh

New Delhi, Jan 02: Rs 40 lakh can be quite a lucrative amount. This is the amount that is being offered in Kerala to those who are ready to radicalise people.

Kerala has over the years become a hub of radicalisation and there are several groups in the state, which preach radical Islam.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has now sought a report on the funding for radicals. The various agencies have reported that radical outfits have been receiving funds from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey.

Recently a person part of a radical group was paid Rs 40 lakh. He was asked to identify youth and radicalise them. It was also found that the person in question had visited Dubai in September. Over there he was offered the amount and told to undertake a major radicalisation.

The MHA was told that there are several such small groups in Kerala, which have been actively radicalising the Muslim youth. The groups abroad have identified these groups in Kerala and are offering huge sums of money, the MHA was also told. An officer with the Home Ministry told Oneindia that they are in the process of identifying these groups. They need to be on the radar for a sometimes time, identified and then acted upon.

While the Indian Intelligence Bureau has always warned about the lurking danger of radical groups, now a study in Pakistan too has identified Kerala as the state which has the most affiliation towards the ISIS.

A study titled 'Prospects of Daesh's Expansion in South Asia," conducted by Abdullah Khan, the managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies says that Wilayat-e-Hind is the new chapter of the Daesh which is quickly attracting educated youth in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It says the Indian citizens, especially from Kerala find the Islamic State more attractive than another group. This observation comes in the wake of 54 people from Kerala joining the ISIS in the past three years.

The affiliation towards radical and terror groups in Kerala stems out of several factors. This is the state where radical groups such as the PFI and SDPI are extremely strong and enjoy a large amount of political patronage. These groups have played a major role in the radicalisation of the youth, which in turn led to the major Wahhabi influx into the state from Saudi Arabia.

Several 1,000 Wahhabi preachers came into the state, spread their ideology, pumped in money and then left. They funded the construction of new Mosques heavily, with an intention of ensuring that the ideology was preached from these places of worship.

The newer Mosques that are coming up in Kerala are also constructed in the manner in which they have done in Saudi Arabia. This is just one small indicator of how much people of the state are willing to follow the radical style preached by the Wahabi scholars.

Moreover, the inflow of funds into Kerala from Saudi is the highest when compared to any other part of the country. It was in Kerala that one got to see posters mourning the death of Osama Bin Laden and also a prayer for Ajmal Kasab after he was hanged. Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that a large number of youth appear to be attracted to this radical style of Islam, but also add that there are some elders who are trying to oppose it.