A non-local youth who last year embraced Islam has testified in court that he converted of his own free will and without any pressure or coercion.
His statement comes after police registered a case against a religious cleric under allegations of unlawful conversion.
The case, filed under FIR number 55/2024, was registered at Nigeen Police Station under Sections 188, 153, and 153A of the Indian Penal Code. The accused, religious cleric Kamal Farooqi, had been booked on the insistence of the Jammu & Kashmir Wakaf Board after he publicly announced the conversion at the Hazratbal Shrine. Subsequently, the Board removed him from his position.
Appearing before the Judicial Magistrate Incharge 1st Additional Munsif, the convert, now known as Muhammad Abdullah, son of the late Radhe Sham from Haryana, testified that he willingly embraced Islam on April 5, 2024. As per the news agency Kashmir News Trust, he had approached cleric Kamal Farooqi at Hazratbal Shrine, who then recited the Kalma Shahadah for him without any compulsion or influence.
“I accepted Islam at my own will and in full presence of mind. Nobody forced me or influenced me in any manner,” Muhammad Abdullah stated in the court of law, effectively countering any claims of forced conversion.
The incident had sparked controversy after Farooqi’s public announcement, leading to his removal from the Wakaf Board and subsequent police action. However, the latest court proceedings appear to have vindicated the cleric, as the convert’s testimony confirmed that the conversion was voluntary. [KNT]