Date Written : Sep 28, 2001
Date Modified : Sep 30, 2001
What is SIMI and why is it banned in India?
"Al Qaida" means "The Base". This organisation is run by the Leader of all Terrorists Osama bin Laden. Al Qaida has close contacts with Terrorist outfits all over the world, irrespective of whether they are Shia or Sunni Muslims. Students Islamic Movement of India is one of such outfits operating in India.
SIMI started on April 25, 1977, as a front organization for the Jamat-e-Islami Hind having students and youths below 30 years of age as its members. Today, it has 450 ‘‘Ansars’’ or cadres and more than 20,000 ‘‘Ikhwans’’ or students who regularly attend its programmes. The group has a strong presence in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala, Delhi, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh and its members are expected to follow a strict Islamic code of conduct. According to Police and Home Ministry records, SIMI has been linked to a series of blast cases:
Creating Communal tensions in Pune and other cities of the state of Maharashtra
The planting of an IED in a parking lot near North Block (Delhi) in April, 2001
Blast in a garbage heap near South Block (Delhi) on May 9, 2001
Blast in a cycle parking near canteen opposite Sena Bhavan on May 9, 2001
Grenade attack on BSF headquarters, CGO complex, Lodhi Road, on May 20, 2001
Planting of IEDs in the lawns of India Gate recovered on January 23, 2000
Explosion near Red Fort (Delhi) on January 26, 2000
Twin blasts in Kanpur (UP) in August 2000
Blast in Gomti Express in February, 2000
Blast in a bus near Agra (UP) in March, 2000
Blast in Sabarmati Express in August, 2000
Various states, of which the state of Maharashtra was the first, had given evidence that SIMI is involved in unlawful activities and trying to create communal tensions all over the country. The Government of India was long thinking of banning this organisation. The Islamic Terror Attack in US may have been one of the reasons to hurriedly ban the organisation.
Why should we condemn the step of banning SIMI and other terrorist organisations?
Will banning the organisation stop the terrorist activities of SIMI or Al Qaida? NO WAY .... In fact many of the terrorists will now go underground and use the tactics of their guru Osama bin Laden and keep hiding here and there and strike back any time. This will be more dangerous and the small step of banning SIMI and other terrorist groups will not work and hence need to be condemned. Then the question is what needs to be done? Read on ......
Prior to the ban, SIMI has floated other organisations like Islamic Dawah Mission and Islamic Youth Movement of Kerala to accommodate cadres who leave SIMI after they cross 30 years of age. Lot of us are aware and have seen on TV how Palestine youths come on street and have gun battles with the Israeli Police. Even the school going children of the age of 10 years are involved in throwing stones at Israeli Police. SIMI also has floated Saheen Force-a group of essentially school-going children. Time will show that these school going children will also revolt and engage themselves in criminal activities followed by terrorist activities.
SIMI in India is capable of carrying out terrorist activities and they have done it in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh (UP) earlier. It has been proved that these terrorist-cum-students have contacts with other Terrorist organisations like Hizbul Mujahidden. Before banning SIMI, Deendar Anjuman of Hyderabad was banned for bombing and attacking Churches in India, but the attacks have not stopped yet.
The Global Islamic Terrorist Network
The Islamic terrorist groups in India and the world are someway or other linked to each other, from South Philippines to US. Even the attacks on WTC and Pentagon were planned by students in Hamburg, Germany. These groups operate under variety of names and interact closely with local terrorist and student outfits. In India itself, apart from SIMI their are other foreign student groups who are carrying out terrorist activities in India and abroad. The most dangerous are the Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO), Hizbollah (some times called Islamic Revenge Organisation), Armenian Secret Army for Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP - which has about 300 members in India), Muslim Students Union of Palestine (MSUP - Students wing of Hamas, Headquartered in Delhi).
UN has passed Anti-Terrorism resolution without defining Terrorism, but the news of UN lifting sanctions on Sudan has gone unnoticed. Indian worries will now increase because the Islamic Movement of Sudanese Students are into creating troubles in India. This group has a base in Pune and like SIMI, may have links to Al Qaida. The same Sudanese group had earlier planned to blow up a section of the US Embassy in Delhi. The person involved was a Sudani national, Abdul Raouf Hawash and was in contact with Al Safani, one of the Osama bin Laden's global networkers.
What is the solution to the Global Terrorism ?
All these Student-cum-Terrorists have the backing of the countries like Pakistan, Sudan, Libya, Palestine (not a nation yet), Iran and other Islamic countries.
Banning them will create more Terrorist with some other names. If the ultimate motive of the World Governments, is to finish Terrorism then the only way is to crush Terrorism. For this the terrorists need to be "hunted down" (as US President Bush has said) and the hunting needs to go on till the Global Terrorist Networks like Al Qaida and others become extinct and with the last terrorist killed.
Mail your to Comments to : Webmaster
Hindu World Wide Web -- News Update