Police are working with universities to clamp down on the practice of 'Aggressive Conversion' that has seen girls beaten up and forced to abandon university courses, announced Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. However, he was left red-faced as a storm erupted simultaneously over conversion tactics and alleged Racial and Religious hatred being spread at the Islamic Society at Coventry University.
Police assured the community that it will take action against aggressive conversion techniques and intimidation being employed against girls by radical Muslim groups in university campuses. It was stated that those most at risk are Hindu or Sikh girls, who are especially vulnerable.
This was announced on Wednesday at a conference organised by the Hindu Forum of Britain and the National Hindu Students Forum.
At the same time, in Coventry University furore erupted within the Sikh and wider Indian community over how the Student Guild, an academic body, allowed an event which is in direct breach of UK legislation by inciting religious hatred in the Sikh and Hindu communities as well as racial hatred in the wider Indian community.
It is alleged that in the meeting, a youngster called 'Aman Dhaliwal' (a former Sikh) announced he was no longer a Sikh and had now embraced Islam and strongly encouraged others to do likewise. Sources say leaflets and literature were distributed with the same intent. The same group of extremists have appeared at Islamic Societies across the UK. This is a flyer for an event distributed in Central London:
Joanne Thomas, General Manager, claimed that "Coventry University Students’ Union is conducting a thorough investigation of this matter".
The conversion tactics of extremists resembles a group called Al-Muhajiroun, which is currently underground in the UK. In previous years the group organised similair large events wherein previous non-Muslims would criticise and denounce their faith and exclaim why they embraced Islam. At the last official event organised by the group in 2004, similair furore was created and members of the Sikh, Hindu and wider Indian community peacefully protested in London against the incitement of hatred. Thousands of members of the BNP also protested although their protest was less peaceful.
Islamic extremist groups have utilised University Islamic Societies for many years, with the Police and University authorities only talking but with little action in reality. Last November, Higher Education minister Bill Rammell stated University campuses had become focal points for Islamic extremism.
Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain said, "The Police and other agencies have no idea about the high levels of resentment building up in the Hindu and Sikh communities over aggressive conversion techniques and intimidation by radical Islamist groups on campuses. Families are breaking down, while some of our girls have been beaten up and had to leave university. We need to look at positive action rather than just speaking on these issues."
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