Mohammad Aamir, the Uttar Pradesh SIMI president needed the right political climate to surrender. He found the Mulayam Singh government. Now all he wants is the withdrawal of the treason case - the only hurdle between him and freedom.
When the HT met him in the court campus to get his reasons for his 'famous surrender', Aamir was more than a bit surprised about the news being leaked out. But he was frank enough to name another accused in the March 16 riots, Dr Abrar Ahmed, as the man who arranged his surrender. Dr Abrar, however, denied this.
"All these years I waited for government policy regarding us to change. Dr Abrar called me one day to say that I could surrender now. Now after getting bail in most cases, only the treason case slapped by the Bajaria police is left. By Allah's grace, I will sail through it," he says.
What does he expect from the state government? Aamir's answer: It should withdraw the treason case. "You know that LK Advani and Rajnath Singh are responsible for our ordeal. We were all falsely implicated. One day, Allah will answer all our prayers against these oppressors," he says.
Does he still idolise Osama bin Laden the same way that SIMI cadres used to before the ban? Aamir counters: "Laden is not a terrorist. He's just an enemy of the United States, not India. He's doing great service to humanity by taking America headon. America should realize that it is the number one killer of humanity. That is my view and it does not matter to me how my opinion is taken," he says.
{{/usCountry}}Does he still idolise Osama bin Laden the same way that SIMI cadres used to before the ban? Aamir counters: "Laden is not a terrorist. He's just an enemy of the United States, not India. He's doing great service to humanity by taking America headon. America should realize that it is the number one killer of humanity. That is my view and it does not matter to me how my opinion is taken," he says.
{{/usCountry}}He denies that SIMI had helped but reiterates his loyalty to the organisation. "My association with SIMI changed my life. I understood my religion well. SIMI made me a good community man," he says before the constable pushes him back in the cell.