Uday Raj Kori a young Dalit boy left his family at the age of twenty to move to the city of dreams, Mumbai in search of a job. He found a welding job and started living with his cousins who do tailoring work. His father is a labourer and it’s difficult for them to make ends meet.
In Mumbai, he met a boy named Danish who introduced him to Islam. A troubled Uday opts for this path. He began listening to Islamic preachers, started offering Namaz and within months he felt Islam has a solution to all his problems.
When he returns home (Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh) on vacation and goes to a nearby Mosque to offer namaz, his family finds the truth. By then he was brainwashed to an extent that he could go against his family as well. After struggling for days, Uday’s father finally registered a police complaint against the boy Danish.
The FIR was registered on January 28 this year and on March 2 the district court Kaushambi granted the accused bail who was booked under charges of the Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.
FIR registered in January 2023
A First Information Report (number–21/2023) was registered at the Paschim Sharira police station on 28 January 2023 by the victim’s father Deshraj Kori.
In his complaint, Deshraj told the police that; his son lives in Mumbai for the past six years and there he met one Danish who lured and got him converted to Islam. Uday was alone in Mumbai and hence Danish with his friends got him converted. They have given him a new name, Mohammad Hussain.
On his statement police booked the accused Danish Mohammad under sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Freedom of religion Act.
The police arrested Danish within a week of the complaint from Mumbai.
Udayraj says Islam treats everyone equally
In a telephonic interview with Organiser Weekly, Udayraj said, he lived in a rented place with Danish who works as a carpenter. He did welding at the under-construction buildings. After meeting Danish he started watching videos (Takrir’s) of clerics which had an impact on him. The clerics include Jarjis Ansari, Zakir Naik, Tareeq Jameel and others.
One day he reached the Mosque with Danish and recited ‘kalma’. His name was changed to Mohammad Hussain. From that day he started visiting the Mosque regularly and learned how to offer namaz by watching other people in the Mosque.
He added, being a Dilt he faced discrimination based on caste and in Islam he was treated equally.
When this correspondent told him that there is a caste system in Muslims as well, he said there is no caste in Islam.
Taking the conversation forward this correspondent asked Uday what did he liked the most in Islam.
He said, that they have only one god ‘Allah’ here we have hundreds of gods and goddesses. I lost my faith in them and believed in Allah.
Asked if believing in him solved all his problems. He said, no but he had mental peace.
Asked if they offered him a job. He said they told him that Islam can make his life better and that loyalty to Allah will bring everything to him.
Asked if ever been to a Jamaat, he said yes. About Jamat he said, they teach people about deen and ask others to give dawaat to non-muslims. They also teach how one can be a good Muslim.
This correspondent asked him about the qualities of a good Muslim, he said, he must offer namaz five times a day, must follow sunnat (things the founder of Islam did), should not do ‘sajda’ in front of idols and be on the path of deen to reach the almighty ‘Allah’.
Asked what did the cleric say about non-believers of Islam or the Kaffirs?
He said nothing but did answer when asked about Jannat and Jahannum.
He said, all the believers of Islam will go to Jannat as Allah is the only god. Hindus make idols on their own, how can a man create their god? God created man and those worshipping idols are non-believers and they will burn in hellfire.
Uday has been following Islam for the past two years in Mumbai. He used to go to the Mazar, and offer namaz but never lived like a Muslim. For the past two months, he grew a beard and started wearing a skull cap it was then his brothers informed the family and they called him back.
On returning home he went to offer namaz one day and then the whole village assembled they tell him, this was wrong and then the complaint was registered. After Danish was arrested Uday’s family did his ‘shuddhi’ and sent him to their relative’s place.
As far as this correspondent understands, Uday has been to multiple Jamaats where he has been brainwashed. Uday’s father said, these Muslims might have given his son something to eat, he is in their control completely.
They belong to the Dalit community and want to remain the same. They will never accept their son who wants to be a Muslim. Uday is the youngest of all the siblings, he is easily manipulative and hence became a soft target for people like Danish.
Deshraj Kori says, his son is a victim of forced religious conversion. Danish manipulated his son and took him to a cleric who got him converted.
The court order says, Danish has been released on Bail on March 2
As per the order (case number–250/2023) the accused Mohammad Danish has been released on bail on March 2. The order is not uploaded yet but the status of the case shows it is ‘disposed’ and the nature of disposal is ‘contested–allowed’ which means the bail is granted.
Within two months of the arrested, an accused booked under charges of Uttar Pradesh’s Anti Conversion Law walks freely.
This correspondent called the victim’s father again on March 11 and he informed us that Uday is back in Mumbai so is Danish after the bail.
Asked if, they can meet again and if his son can again start following Islam. Deshraj with a heavy voice said, “I have asked my son not to go away from Hinduism”.
Are people like Udayraj, the soft target for the conversion mafia? They can easily manipulate them for the fact that they are barely educated. Uday was struggling financially so they can offer him monetary support. He is young so they can offer him a better job, a good home and a wife as well. Accused like Mohammad Danish deserve a detailed background check, rather than getting released so easily as they can be a member of an active conversion racket.
