Ahmedabad blasts: Dalit converts to Islam suspects

Ahmedabad blasts: Dalit converts to Islam suspects 14 Sep 2008, 0427 hrs IST,TNN

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AHMEDABAD: Mohammed Umar Kabira, a dalit convert to Islam, is among the suspects picked up by the crime branch from Ahmedabad's Juhapura in connection with the July 26 serial bomb blasts. Kabira isn't alone. The crime branch sleuths have claimed before Ahmedabad's metropolitan court that SIMI members have been involved in the conversions and that they indoctrinated many neo-converts into Jihad to use them in terror acts. Abdul Rehman Shaikh (earlier Jayanti Parmar) another neo-convert remained in police custody for a while after the blasts. Shaikh, a scrap dealer who embraced Islam, was picked up on August 12 and released seven days later. Kabira, formerly Ashokbhai Kalabhai and an employee with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, converted to Islam five years ago. He was released on Friday after 38 days in custody. But he was called back on Saturday. Police has assured his wife Sumaiya (formerly Parulben) that he would return on Monday. Sumaiya converted after Kabira threatened to divorce her. When she finally converted, the couple changed the names of their children too — Shweta to Kulsum, Saloni to Taslim, Khushbu to Maria and Akash to Abdullah. While Kabira embraced Islam after the 2002 Gujarat riots, his brother Kishore, an AMC employee, became a Muslim a year back on his brother's insistence. He has changed his name to Zafar. "Now, our relatives who are still Hindus are ridiculing our decision," said Zafar. Police stumbled upon new conversion cases during their investigations. Abu Bakar, born in a dalit family as Jivanbhai Ramjibhai, seems to have inspired these conversions. Bakar works as a masonry contractor and used to convince other dalits to embrace Islam. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Ahmedabad_blasts_Dalit_converts_to_Islam_suspects/articleshow/3480937.cms