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A family of four Pakistani nationals, living under the false name of Sharma, was arrested from the outskirts of Bengaluru on Sunday.
Rashid Ali Siddiqui (48), his wife Ayesha (38), and her parents Hanif Mohammed (73) and Rubina (61) had been living in India illegally since 2014.
The four have told the police they are linked to the Mehdi Foundation International (MFI), for which they faced persecution in Pakistan.
What is the MFI, and why was a Muslim family facing religious persecution in Pakistan? How has India dealt with MFI members before this? We explain.
The Mehdi Foundation, also known as Messiah Foundation, was started in Pakistan in the 1970s. Earlier, it was called Riaz Gohar Shahi International, after its founder Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi, a Pakistani spiritual leader. It was formally named as MFI in 2002. The organisation preaches interfaith peace, harmony, humanity beyond religion, and Sufi traditions.
The MFI claims that today, it has a presence in several Asian countries, and in Europe and the USA. Its popularity does not sit well with Islamic clerics in Pakistan
According to Amjad Gohar, MFI president and Pakistan national who has taken asylum in the United Kingdom, after Pervez Musharraf took charge as President of Pakistan, hundreds of blasphemy cases were filed against MFI members and many were killed.
“Islamic clerics in Pakistan were not happy with the idea of our organisation. We believe that everyone is equal in the eyes of God, but the clerics were against this. Any question we raised about Islam was seen as a crime in Pakistan,” Amjad Gohar told The Indian Express.
Blasphemy cases were filed against MFI members, including against Gohar Shahi. The Pakistan government banned the books written by Gohar Shahi, and declared the MFI an outlaw organisation under the anti-terrorism law.
Amjad said he has more than a dozen cases against him in Pakistan and he will never return to the country. Some Mehdi Foundation leaders have been convicted in blasphemy cases, receiving sentences like 99 years in prison and even the death penalty.
The primary allegations against Gohar Shahi and the Mehdi Foundation involve claims of heresy and promoting beliefs that contradict orthodox Islamic teachings. Religious authorities have accused the organisation of misguiding Muslims and disrespecting Islamic tenets. These accusations have led to fatwas (religious edicts) declaring Gohar Shahi an infidel, further endangering the lives of his followers.
In the mid 2000s, five members of MFI were paraded naked and beaten over allegations of blasphemy. In 2008, Mohammad Iqbal, an MFI member, was murdered in the Punjab province of Pakistan. In 2009, Paras Masih, another MFI member, was killed in Karachi.
Today, the MFI does not operate in Pakistan and any information dissemination related to the MFI is treated as a crime. The government has also banned the Instagram accounts of MFI.
Many MFI members have moved to Bangladesh and India. In 2007, as many as 63 Pakistani MFI members obtained tourist visas to India and upon reaching New Delhi, staged a protest in front of the Pakistan embassy. They burnt their Pakistan passports and visas.
While they were arrested for staying in India illegally, the Indian government in 2011 granted them refugee status and they were sent to Canada, USA and countries in Europe.
How has the MFI responded to the current arrests?
The MFI said that while it does not support its members flouting laws, they are desperate because of the situation in Pakistan.
“I have come to know about the arrests and we do not support those who break the law. But one has to understand that the members fled Pakistan only when it became very hard for them to survive. I would request the Indian government not to deport them to Pakistan, as they will be killed. They should be allowed to live in India or given help till they find a country to stay,” Amjad said. “What we preach is very similar to the idea of India, where it accepts and respects all religions,” he added.
