IS links: Focus on students' wings too

KOZHIKODE: Intelligence sleuths are taking a re-look at  the activities of students’ wings  of religious organizations in the wake of the suspected IS links of the missing youths. Programmes targeting professional students are under the scanner and officers are baffled by the enormous fund spent for organizing them. “These students’ programmes are routinely watched from the beginning.  As the missing youths include medical and engineering graduates, we are taking a thorough re-look at  them. The conferences are being held spending huge funds  involving the participation of Islamic students from many foreign countries,” said an intelligence cop. 

‘Profcon’ (Professional students global conference) is being organized for the past two decades by Mujahid Students’ Movement (MSM), the youth wing of the official faction of Kerala Naduvathul Mujahideen (KNM). The conference is open to all professional students irrespective of community but intelligence sources say that the ‘interfaith’ dialogue and debates held as a part of Profcon are an eyewash.

“The main agenda is to ensure that youths stay within the strict orthodox parameters of religion. The funds  and the effort put in for these programmes are baffling,” added  sources. Musthafa Thanveer, the state president of MSM, affirms that Profcon has a clear purpose.  “Profcon tries to wean away students from the clutches of substance abuse, political clashes and immoral life. It supplements the education with moral lessons about religion and life,” he explained. 

All the student wings of religious organizations were conducting moral classes on campuses regularly, including MSM. “Around 1,500 students participated in the three-day Profcon held in Wayanad this year,” he added.  According to Mr Thanveer, the deviation from the original text of Quran is the cause of all problems,  including terrorism. In the last Profcon conference held in Nedumbasserry last March, delegates from UK, Philippines, Russia and from across the country took part.

Mr Jaleel Maamankara,  state president of the MSM (Madavoor faction), admitted that an overdose of religion had  caused medically qualified Muslim girls to sit at  home on the pretext that touching a man as part of consultation is un-Islamic. They have been conducting religious classes for students under the initiative ‘Signs’.