Pakistani cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri along with cricketer turned politician Imran Khan has virtually taken Pakistan by storm demanding the resignation of the democratically elected Nawaz Sharif government. But a little-known fact is that Qadri also has a strong Indian connection. As a report in a prominent Indian newspaper suggests, he has more than 10,000 followers in India and his popularity is only increasing.
Qadri's organisation Minhaj-ul-Quran started its Indian chapter last year. He is one of the most visible faces of the Hanafi school of Islam, considered as a liberal form of the religion compared to the rigid stream followed by Wahabbis. Qadri's followers look up to him with great respect. Qadri's organisation has worked in Western countries too.
He has issued a 600-page fatwa against terrorism which earned him lot of brownie points within the community.
Qadri is a highly educated person with a doctorate degree and has attracted many educated Muslims. Some even want to send their kids to Pakistan to study under Qadri but visa restrictions have impeded the process. Qadri though known for his preaching and thoughts over a decade, gained considerable fame in India after his visit couple of years ago. In India his organisation works out of Mumbra, a suburb of Thane district in Maharashtra.
Qadri has also courted his fair share of criticism. Many believe his teachings are blasphemous and some of his claims of receiving instructions from the Prophet grossly boastful. The Indian government even refused to grant him a visa this year. Yet for his supporters, Qadri remains a huge figure. His ethos of liberal Islam have attracted a lot of people and this is only likely to increase in the coming times. They even refer to him as Mujahid, known by the 'faithful' as a man sent down at the turn of every century to revive Islam and restore it to its glory.
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