Students Islamic Movement of India

The Students Islamic Movement of India was formed in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh state, in April 1977. The stated mission of SIMI is the ‘liberation of India’ from western materialistic cultural influence and to convert it into an Islamic society. This organization is believed by many, including the Government of India, to be involved in terrorism [http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/simi.htm Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) ] ] .

SIMI was banned by the Indian Government in 2002 for its involvement in terror activities in India. However, in August 2008, a special tribunal lifted the ban on SIMI. The ban was subsequently reinstated by the Supreme Court of India on 6th August 2008

Fears exist in government circles that SIMI has been penetrated by Al-Qaeda [http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369953 Students Islamic Movement of India: A Profile ] ] . It is suspected that SIMI is now also operating under the name of Indian Mujahideen, an outfit that has taken responsibility for the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts, Jaipur blasts and 2008 Delhi blasts [cite news|url=http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/27sld1.htm|title=Investigators say Indian Mujahideen is SIMI v2.0|accessdate=2008-07-27] .Indian Mujahideen has taken responsibility of several terrorist acts in India and communicates with the Indian media under the pseudonyms of Al-Arbi and Al-Hindi [ [http://www.hindtoday.com/Blogs/Docs/The_Rise_of_Jihad.pdf Letter from Indian Mujahideen] ] .

Founding & separation from JIH

SIMI's founding president was Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi, now professor of journalism and public relations at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. SIMI originally emerged as a student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH). Inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran, it stood for radical social change in India and the waging of Jihad in India, an approach not appreciated by the leadership of JIH. The alliance was short-lived. In 1981, SIMI activists protested against PLO leader Yasser Arafat’s visit to India, and greeted him with black flags in New Delhi. Young SIMI activists identified Arafat as a "western puppet", while the senior JIH leaders saw Arafat as a champion of the cause of Palestine. JIH realized that SIMI was slowly adopting an extremist line and tried to take SIMI workers away from it. But when SIMI sought self governance and independence of operation from JIH, JIH declined. SIMI separated from JIH and continued as hardline Islamic organization.

Philosophy

SIMI has been influenced by Deobandi Islam which is a Muslim revivalist movement that started in India in 1879. Deobandi Islam is perhaps most famous in the west as the philosophy of the past Taliban government in Afghanistan. Its slogan is "Allah is our Lord, the Qur’an is our constitution, Muhammad is our leader, Jihad is our way and Shahadah is our desire". SIMI believes that Osama bin Laden is an outstanding example of a true Mujahid{reference}, who has undertaken Jihad on behalf of the 'ummah'. They also claim that 9/11 attacks were perpetuated by Israel's Mossad.

Their ideology stands accused by certain watchdog organisations as diametrically opposed to all "un-Islamic" streams of thought, including Hinduism and a secular government as practiced in India. They are also against Western values . Among its various objectives, SIMI aims to counter what it believes is the increasing moral degeneration, sexual anarchy in Indian society and the ‘insensitiveness’ of a ‘decadent’ west. SIMI maintains that the concepts of secularism, democracy and nationalism, keystones of the Indian Constitution, are antithetical to Islam. [cite news|url=http://www.twocircles.net/2007jun27/seeds_extremism_communal_riots_sayeed_khan.html|title=Ex-SIMI member talks about SIMI|accessdate=2008-08-21] They aim to restore the supremacy of Islam through the resurrection of the Khilafat, emphasis on the Muslim Ummah and the waging of Jihad .

Organization

SIMI claims to have about 400 Ansar or registered members and about 20,000 supporting members known as IKHWANS. SIMI published several magazines in various languages, including Tahreek in Hindi, Iqraa in Gujrati, Rupantar in Bengali, Sedhi Madal in Tamil, Vivekam in Malayalam, Movement in English and Shaheen Times in English for children.

After being banned, SIMI faced serious differences of opinion among its members about starting an armed struggle. SIMI President, Misbahul Islam along with the majority of SIMI members strongly opposes any armed conflict, believing such an approach to be against the interest of India and its citizens.

However, some members, driven by emotional issues such as the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Gujarat riots and India's growing friendship with the United States have advocated armed struggle against the government of India. According to some media sources this faction is led by the former general secretary of SIMI, Safdar Nagori. Nagori has denied responsibility for the recent bombings in Indian cities, although security agencies claim that they were carried by his group under his leadership.

Clash with Hindu Organizations

SIMI identifies the Hindu organizations such as Sangh Parivar as enemies of Islam. As such, SIMI combines a social discourse with an Islamist one. In 1986 SIMI organized a national convention under the slogan "liberation of India through Islam". SIMI’s "Khilafat Campaign" denounced nationalism and advocated the return of Khilafat to the Muslim world, although SIMI’s campaign was universal, rather than pertaining strictly to India in particularFact|date=February 2007.

SIMI organized violent protest against the demolition of the Babri Mosque, in the nationwide violence that followed the demolitions, SIMI activists clashed against police and the Sangh Parivar [http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/publication/faultlines/volume16/Article%205.pdf] .

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has noted that if it comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, it will ban SIMI. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1815456.cms BJP to curb SIMI activities in UP: Naqvi] Times of India - March 27, 2007]

Allegations of terrorist activities

Indian authorities (federal and several state governments) frequently charge that SIMI is involved in terrorist activities. SIMI has been accused of carrying out bombing campaigns across India resulting in loss of lives. For complete list of allegations against SIMI see the incidents section.

After the recent 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings, there have been 300 people detained as suspects in the attack. The police have said that most of the people that have been detained are part of SIMI. Activists of the organization have also been accused of being part of an earlier bombing in Mumbai in 2003 where 55 people were killed. Also in August 2008 a lot of attacks(in Ahmedabad(17 sequential bomb blasts in which 50 were killed and over 200 injured), Bangalore (9 sequential bomb blasts in which 8 were killed and over 47 injured), Surat(more then 30 live bombs and material for making bombs & detonators were found)) and Delhi (5 sequential bombs blasts in which 30 people were reported killed 4 live bombs were found) were considered as an act of SIMI.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Lalu Prasad Yadav, Amar Singh, Former Chief Minister of Bihar took back proceedings against SIMI and said that it was not a terrorist organization. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/regionalnews/story/2006/09/060906_simi_case.shtml BBCHindi.com ] ] .

There have been reports of associations with Osama bin-Laden and al-Qaeda from media recovered by Indian Authorities . Bin-Laden has urged SIMI to wage Jihad against India.

Ban and aftermath

The Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs by notification dated 08-02-2006 has banned Students Islamic Movement of India(SIMI) for the third time. SIMI was first banned on 27 September, 2001 immediately after the bombing of twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, USA on 11 September 2001. SIMI remained banned from September 27, 2001 to September 27, 2003 during which period several prosecutions were launched against its members under the provisions of Terrorist And Disruptive Activities Prevention Act(TADA), the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act(MCOCA), and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

SIMI was banned for the third time on 08-02-2006. In fact, the second ban of SIMI dated 27-09-2003 came to an end on 27-09-2005. Therefore SIMI was in existence between 28th September, 2005 and 7th February, 2006 but it was unable to function in any manner because all its members were demoralized or had crossed the age of 30 years which automatically dis-entitled them to continue as a member of SIMI, as SIMI has an age limit of 30 years for membership and due to lack of offices and as all its accounts were frozen, some of the erstwhile members also had to fight the criminal cases foisted against them by the State.

However, on July 27 2006, a spokesperson of the Indian government told the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal held in New Delhi that contrary to notions that SIMI's activities declined following its ban, the organization "had stepped up its subversive activities and was involved in almost all major explosions, communal violence and circulation of inflammatory material across the country.

The ban notification was issued by the Joint Secretary Home Ministry Mr. B.A. Coutinho. The ban notification and the background note stated that SIMI deserved to be banned for clandestine activities and links with 20 odd organizations through whom SIMI was allegedly operating. The background note clearly says that there was no violent incident in which SIMI was involved in the last 2 – 3 years.

To prove its case against SIMI, the government cited several cases under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act registered between 1998 – 2001.

The third ban on SIMI was lifted by Delhi High Court Tribunal on 5 August 2008. "Material given by the home ministry is insufficient, so ban cannot be continued,” Justice Geeta Mittal, a sitting Delhi High Court judge, said while lifting the ban. [ [http://www.twocircles.net/2008aug05/tribunal_lifts_ban_simi.html Tribunal lifts ban on SIMI] ]

Incidents

2003

•November 11: A court in New Delhi acquits SIMI president Shahid Badar Falah in a case of sedition, which was filed against him in September 2001.

•September 12: Five persons, including two SIMI activists, are arrested for the removal of railway sleeper

•July 21: POTA court in New Delhi sentences two SIMI activists to a five-year imprisonment under POTA for their membership of the proscribed organization and seven years imprisonment for sedition.

•July 16: A POTA Court in Delhi convicts two SIMI activists for their active involvement with the banned outfit.

•May 26: Mumbai Police arrest two suspected activists of the SIMI in the Ghatkopar bomb blast case and remand them to police custody till June 5.

•May 14: Mumbai Police arrest three persons from Padgah village and foil a plan that envisaged a series of explosions in Mumbai and Kerala, which was allegedly hatched by the SIMI and Lashkar-e-Toiba.

2004

•November 1: Maulana Nasiruddin, president of the Tahaffuz Shari'at-e Islam (Protection of Islamic Sharia) a

2005

•July 11: Police in Uttar Pradesh arrest six persons, including four of a family, from Faizabad in connection with the July 5-attack on the disputed complex in Ayodhya. The arrested family members were associated with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, according to official sources.

•June 11: All eight accused in the Ghatkopar blast case, allegedly cadres of the SIMI, are acquitted by a POTA court in Mumbai due to lack of evidence.

•March 8: Delhi Police arrests a SIMI member, Mohammad Iftikar Ehsan Malick, from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand.

2006

•October 30: Noor-ul-Hooda, a SIMI activist, was arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in the 2006 Malegaon blasts. Authorities said the bombs used in the blasts were assembled in the garage of "main conspirator" Shabbir at Malegaon. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/239612.cms Malegaon blasts: SIMI activist held-India-The Times of India ] ] Maharashtra police claims that 2006 Malegaon blasts were the handiwork of ex-SIMI members. [ [http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/nov/27malegaon.htm Malegaon blasts case solved: Police ] ]

•July 21: 3 men were arrested for the bombing in Mumbai, all three of them are part of SIMI.

•July 13: Mumbai Police arrested around 200 SIMI activists from different part of Mumbai.

•July 6: The Supreme Court rejects a plea by the Students Islamic Movement of India to lift the ban that the Government of India imposed on the organisation in 2001.

•July 1: The Uttar Pradesh government on 1 July withdrew a "treason" case against the banned SIMI president Dr Shahid Badr Falahi. The state government order 26-21-wc-7-Nyaya 5-2006/10wc10-14-wc-2004 ordered the withdrawal of the case. The document signed by district magistrate Bahraich and submitted in the designated court along with an application of the special prosecution officer, Bahraich. The Bahraich Kotwali police had arrested Shahid Badr along with seven others for allegedly making an inflammatory speech at Sir Syed Girls College in Bahraich in 2001. A case (no 532/01) was registered against him on charges of sedition, creating communal disharmony, inducement for armed struggle and hurting religious sentiments, under sections 124A 120B, 153A, 153B, 505 and 298 of IPC. But the concerned authorities failed to substantiate these claims.

2007

•February 15: Supreme Court describes the banned Students Islamic Movement of India as a "secessionist movement." [ [http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/feb/15simi.htm SIMI a secessionist outfit: SC ] ]

2008

•March 27: SIMI Ex-General Secretary Safdar Nagori (Mahidpur), Amil Parvez(Unhel) arrested from Indore, along with 10 alleged members of the group by Madhya Pradesh State Police's Special task force [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/SIMI_chief_Safdar_Nagori_arrested_in_Indore/articleshow/2904263.cms SIMI chief Safdar Nagori arrested in Indore-India-The Times of India ] ]

•July 26: Just after a day of serial blasts at the IT hub of India, 17 serial blasts ripped the city of Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat, for which too the outlawed SIMI or the IM claimed responsibility. Via suicide bombing & targeting hospitals around 40-45 minutes after all other blasts in the city they maximised casualties.

•August 5: Delhi High Court Tribunal lifts ban on SIMI. The ban is subsequently stayed by the Supreme Court of India on 6th August 2008

•September 13: Group calling itself Indian Mujahideen(SIMI) claims responsibility of serial bomb blast in New Delhi. 30 people were killed in these blasts & more than 90 injured. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Terror_strikes_Delhi_30_killed_in_5_blasts/articleshow/3479914.cms Serial blasts rock delhi] ]

References

External links

* [http://raviwar.com/news/80_simi-president-interview-rajeevyadav.shtml We are not involved in Terrorist activies : Simi Chief Falahi]
* [http://www.twocircles.net/2007jun27/seeds_extremism_communal_riots_sayeed_khan.html Ex-member of SIMI talks to TwoCircles.net]
* [http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/simi.htm South Asia Terrorism Portal]
* [http://www.ipcs.org/Terrorism_kashmirLevel2.jsp?action=showView&kValue=2088&subCatID=1014&status=article&mod=g IPCS]
* [http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=146&page=8 SIMI arrests reveal Pak nexus]
* [http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Ne230808whatif_itwasme.asp Tehelkas' Investigative Report on SIMI and Authorities hunt]
* [http://directory.wiu.edu/display.php?M-Siddiqi' M-Siddiqui]