33 people converted in UP in last 18 months, foreign nexus unearthed

Following the arrest of Mohammad Umar Gautam, 57, and Jahangir Alam, 52, both residents of Jamia Nagar in New Delhi, by the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for their alleged involvement in large-scale illegal conversions of people to Islam in UP and other parts of the country, details of 81 pages of conversions carried out have come to the fore.

The ATS has claimed that the racket was allegedly funded by international organisations, including Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, for the conversion of specially-abled children and other vulnerable groups of society. The accused were involved in conversion of over 1,000 people. Sources told The Daily Guardian that it has been revealed during interrogation, that in the last-one-and-a-half years, Umar Gautam has converted 33 people through their Islamic Dawa Centre. 

The conversions were carried out by Mohammad Umar Gautam and Mufti Jahangir Qasmi, who were related to the Islamic Dawa Center. Under the signature of Mufti Qazi Jehangir Alam Qasmi, 33 people were converted between 7 January 2020 and 12 May 2021, and included 18 women and 15 men. As far as states are concerned, 14 people from Delhi, nine from Uttar Pradesh, three from Bihar, two from MP and one person each from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Jharkhand and Kerala converted to Islam during this period. 

Among the 33 people whose conversion details have come to light, only one person, a resident of Khurja in Bulandshahr in UP, was the least educated (class six pass), who recently converted at the age of 28 on 8 June 2021. 

The 33 people whose conversion details have come to light so far include mostly educated people, including those doing government jobs, teachers who have studied up to B.Tech, are doing jobs after passing MBA, youth, senior software engineer, Delhi’s hospital staff nurse, MBBS doctor from Gujarat, diploma holder in electricals, MPharma, MCA, and PhD-holding youth. 

Each one has also attached an affidavit with the prescribed conversion form of the Islamic Dawa Center, in which they have said in writing that they left their original religion without any greed and accepted Islam. The last conversion done by Qazi Mufti Jahangir Qasmi at the Islamic Dawa Centre took place on 12 June 2021. After seven days, UP ATS arrested Jahangir Qasmi.