Sufi Islamic Board condemns the PFI’s Unity March, calling it an attempt to radicalise Muslims

*Paromita Das

Shaukat Ali of the Sufi Islamic Board has been lobbying for a ban on the Popular Front of India.

The Board has launched a countrywide effort to have the outfit banned.

The Board recently discussed the PFI’s hosting of the Unity Marches. The Board claims that these marches are intended to radicalise adolescents and incite them to act against the nation.

The PFI has requested permission to hold the unity march in five locations in Tamil Nadu: Kanchipuram, Salem, Ramanathapuram, and Vellore. Tenkasi and Pudukkottai.

According to the Board, the PFI shares its philosophy with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. According to the Board, the PFI was implicated in the gold smuggling operation in Kerala, as well as sponsoring anti-CAA riots in Delhi and organizing hijab protests across India.

Currently, the NIA is looking into a number of PFI members in various cases around the country. Furthermore, the ED is investigating the organization for allegedly sponsoring the Delhi riots in 2020.

On March 2, 2022, Y Shaukat Ali Mohammad, the Advisor of the Sufi Islamic Board, requested that the Popular Front of India’s permission be revoked by the D.G.P. Tamil Nadu.

Shaukat Mohammad approached the Madras High Court, anticipating that PFI cadres would breach the law. He requested a directive against individuals who would violate the law.

The DGP of Tamil Nadu stated in court that the police will not allow the PFI to hold the Unity March in Tamil Nadu. Following the recording of the DGP’s statement, the petition was closed, and the Judge stated that the police would take action against anyone who violated the law.

The PFI’s Tamil Nadu section held a news conference during which it claimed that intelligence agencies were working against it. They also accused the Sufi Islamic Board of acting on the RSS’s behalf.