Both scholars are respected figures within the Muslim community for their contributions to religious education and dawah work
Mohammad Alamullah | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — In recent years, religious conversion cases have sparked heated debates across the country, with prominent figures like Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and Umar Gautam at the centre of attention. Both Islamic scholars, deeply involved in religious and educational activities, were arrested in 2021 by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on charges related to religious conversion. The following detailed report delves into their lives, their work, and the accusations they face.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui: A Renowned Scholar
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, hailed as one of the most prominent Islamic scholars in India, is a resident of Falat village in Khatoli, Muzaffarnagar district. He is well-known for his intellectual contributions to Islamic education and social work, particularly through his founding and management of educational institutions like the Jamia Imam Wali Allah Islamia, an Islamic seminary that he established in 1987. The seminary has served as an institution of Islamic learning where around 300 students study Arabic, Urdu, and the Quran. Additionally, he has set up many other madrasas across the country, earning a reputation as an influential figure in the field of Islamic education.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui is also the president of the Global Peace Centre and the Jamia Wali Allah Trust, through which he advocates for Islamic values and community welfare. His commitment to Islamic learning and social causes has brought him immense respect within Muslim circles. Siddiqui’s early life reflected his passion for both Islamic and secular education. After completing his early education at a local madrasa in his village, he pursued higher studies at Picket Inter College Khatoli, later completing his BSc from Meerut College.
For the last 15 years, Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui has been residing at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi, with his family. He has played an active role in shaping community discussions, leading efforts toward communal harmony, and helping the underprivileged. His family is also deeply rooted in social work. His elder son, Ahmad Siddiqui, runs a dairy farm in the village, while his younger son Asjad Siddiqui lives with him in Delhi. Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui is one of four siblings, and his contributions to Islamic education extend to various parts of India.
The Allegations and Arrest
Maulana Siddiqui came under the radar of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which arrested him in September 2021. His arrest was part of a larger probe into alleged forced conversions in India. The ATS accused Maulana Siddiqui of running a large-scale conversion racket under the guise of educational and social organisations, allegedly receiving crores of rupees in foreign funding to facilitate these activities. According to the ATS, these funds were funnelled into various madrasas and institutions through referrals and donations from abroad. The police claimed that Siddiqui had links with organisations abroad and they contributed financially to his operations.
The ATS further alleged that Maulana Siddiqui had connections with other figures accused in conversion cases, including Mufti Qazi Jahangir Alam Qasmi and Umar Gautam, both of whom were arrested earlier on similar charges. The ATS investigation revealed a purported nexus between Siddiqui and these individuals, painting a picture of an organised effort to convert individuals to Islam through coercion and other means.
It is important to note that despite these serious accusations, Maulana Siddiqui’s supporters and several Muslim organisations have condemned his arrest, arguing that his work is constitutionally protected under India’s freedom of religion laws. The accusations of forced conversions, they argue, are politically motivated and aimed at curbing legitimate religious practices and charitable activities carried out by Muslim scholars and institutions.
The Role of Sana Khan’s Marriage
Another aspect that brought public attention to Maulana Siddiqui was his involvement in the marriage of former Bollywood actress Sana Khan, who chose to leave her successful film career to follow an Islamic lifestyle. In October 2020, she married religious scholar Mufti Anas Saiyad, and it was Maulana Siddiqui who performed the nikah (marriage ceremony). Sana Khan’s decision to embrace a more religious life and Maulana Siddiqui’s role in her transformation became widely discussed, with some media outlets linking her choice to the kind of religious work Siddiqui promoted.
Umar Gautam: A Journey of Faith
Umar Gautam, another central figure in the conversion case, has a story that reflects a deeply personal spiritual journey. Born as Shyam Pratap Singh in 1964 in a Rajput family from Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh, Gautam’s life took a pivotal turn during his college years when he embraced Islam. His decision to revert to Islam was based on an internal struggle with the religious beliefs he grew up with. At the age of 15, he started questioning idol worship and reincarnation, which are significant aspects of Hinduism. He approached several Hindu scholars to clear his doubts, but their answers did not satisfy him.
While studying at Pratapgarh University, Shyam Pratap Singh immersed himself in the study of Hindu religious texts, but even that left him with more questions than answers. His search for spiritual solace led him to consider abandoning worldly life and becoming a hermit in the mountains. However, his encounter with a Muslim neighbour, Nasir Khan, in 1985 changed the course of his life. After a severe accident, Nasir Khan took care of him, driving him to college and hospital, providing meals, and answering his spiritual questions.
Through Khan’s generosity and kindness, Shyam Pratap Singh began studying Islam and eventually accepted it as his faith in 1986. When he made his conversion public, he declared himself Muhammad Umar, shedding his previous identity of Shyam Pratap Singh. His conversion led to personal hardships, including alienation from his family and multiple murder attempts, but Gautam remained resolute in his new faith.
Umar Gautam went on to become a well-known Islamic scholar and the founder of the Islamic Dawah Centre (IDC), an organisation that promotes Islamic teachings and offers support to new converts. Over the years, he was involved in numerous interfaith dialogues and helped hundreds of individuals embrace Islam, according to his organisation. His work earned him recognition among Muslim communities and also placed him under the scrutiny of law enforcement agencies.
The Arrest of Umar Gautam
In June 2021, the Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Umar Gautam, alleging that he and his associate Mufti Jahangir had forcibly converted around 1,000 people to Islam. The ATS claimed that Gautam was part of an organised network of forced conversions and that he had close links with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Gautam and Jahangir were accused of luring individuals, particularly the disabled and economically disadvantaged, into converting to Islam by offering them financial and social benefits.
The arrest of Umar Gautam ignited widespread condemnation from Muslim organisations, human rights groups, and political leaders, who argued that the charges were baseless and infringed on his constitutional right to propagate his religion. They emphasised that conversion by choice is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, and no evidence had been presented to prove the allegations of coercion.
Gautam himself denied the charges, maintaining that all the conversions facilitated by his organisation were voluntary and that he had never forced anyone to embrace Islam. His family, too, rejected the claims, stating that Gautam’s work at the IDC was centred on providing guidance and support to individuals who were already interested in converting to Islam.
Legal and Social Implications
The arrest of Maulana Siddiqui and Umar Gautam brought the issue of religious conversion into the national spotlight, with broader legal and social implications. Religious conversion has been a contentious topic in India, a country with a rich history of religious diversity but also deep-seated communal tensions. The legal framework surrounding conversion is complex, with some states implementing anti-conversion laws that prohibit conversions carried out through force, fraud, or inducement.
The case against Siddiqui, Gautam, and others has sparked debates about religious freedom, the role of foreign funding in religious activities, and the boundaries between proselytising and coercion. While the Indian Constitution guarantees the right to freely practice and propagate one’s religion, the charges against Siddiqui and Gautam suggest that their activities may have crossed legal lines.
At the same time, their arrests have raised concerns about the potential misuse of anti-conversion laws to target religious minorities, particularly Muslims. Critics argue that these laws are often applied selectively, and the arrest of prominent Muslim figures like Siddiqui and Gautam is part of a broader attempt to stoke communal tensions and undermine the Muslim community’s religious institutions.
Maulana Siddiqui and Umar Gautam, despite the serious charges against them, remain respected figures within the Muslim community for their contributions to religious education and dawah (the practice of inviting others to Islam). Their arrests reflect the ongoing tensions in India around religious conversion and the role of religious scholars in society.
