Police focus on visitors to Iran

By Mateen Hafeez
Mumbai: The hunt for bombers responsible for the 7/11 serial blasts has led the crime branch to passport and visa agents. Sleuths are now poring over records to see how many Muslim males between the ages of 18 and 50 visited Iran for pilgrimage in the last few years, hoping that it will lead them to the truth behind Terror Tuesday.

Police officials, in their defence, say they are concentrating only on those who have police records. “It’s our job to explore all angles. We don’t want to take any chances,’’ an officer said on Wednesday. The police suspect that some of these visitors to Iran could have gone to Pakistan on the sly for arms training. So far, the police have been concentrating on those who have travelled to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

But Iran, the spiritual centre for Shia Muslims, has many shrines. Lakhs of followers visit Mashad, every year where the shrine of Hazrat Imam Ali Raza, the eight descendant of Prophet Mohammad, is located. Qom city has a popular Islamic institute and is also known to be the nerve-centre of the Islamic revolution.

However, the police are unlikely to have it easy as over 10,000 Muslims from India visit Iran every year on the death anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic revolution in Iran. Rizwan Hyder, a Shia student, said, “There are various types of packages offered by over 50 tour operators in the city and many of them cover Syria, Iran and Iraq. Many tour operators also offer a package that includes a visit to Pakistan to listen to Majlis (religious lectures).’’

The Times of India, July 27, 2006