Deport Tablighi preachers, MHA advises all states

New Delhi: The intelligence agencies have warned the Narendra Modi government of a threat posed by rising instances of Tablighi preachers entering India on tourist visas and starting religious preaching. The Union home ministry has alerted all states and UTs in an advisory that there is a major surge in individuals coming to India with tourist visas and then preaching Tablighi doctrine.

The Tablighi Jamaat is a kind of back-to-basis movement that aims to turn ordinary Muslims into believers and to revive the faith. The movement has been banned in many countries as it is seen as encouraging extremism. The MHA letter last week says foreigners coming from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, UAE, Qatar, Myanmar, France and Bangladesh, among others, were found indulging in this practice, and it asked states to identify such persons on an urgent basis and deport them immediately. Other countries from where such individuals have come include Algeria, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

The home ministry has reminded the state governments that they already have the power to deport those violating visa conditions. In all such cases, the relevant MHA division must be informed so that these individuals can be put on the Central government’s blacklist for future travel. As of now, India gives specific visas to individuals to attend religious conferences and seminars, but foreigners are not allowed to indulge in religious preaching.