Controversies of ‘Ajmal Foundation’ run by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal

On December 4, the Police complaint filed against Ajmal Foundation in Guwahati district of Assam. The complaint lodged by Satya Ranjan Borah, under IPC Sections 120B, 124A (sedition) 420 and Section 13 of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The complaint based on the report of Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), a legal rights body. This article focuses on the LRO allegations and other controversies of Maulana Badruddin Ajmal and Ajmal Foundation.

LRO’s Allegations

On Twitter, LRO claimed that Ajmal Foundation run by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, Member of Parliament from Assam, received Rs 69.55 Cr in foreign funds for educational activities. But only Rs 2.05 crore was spent for it, and the rest of the funds went to the political party named All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), which was founded by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal on October 3, 2005. LRO further claimed that Maulana Badruddin Ajmal's 2nd NGO Markazul Maarif got Rs 54.60 Cr from 5 ultra-radical terrorist Islamist groups including Islamic Brotherhood's arm Social Reform Society (SRS), Kuwait. By claiming the violation of the FCRA, LRO wrote to the Union Home Ministry and the Assam Government regarding the above offences.

LRO provided the following list of donors of Ajmal Foundation along with their terror connections

Al Imdaad Foundation: The UK-based group is directly linked to Palestinian Intifada spearheading terror group Hamas which financed numerous suicide bombings in Palestine against Israelis. Ummah Welfare Trust: The UK based organization is accused of money laundering and terror financing.

IHH- Insani Yardim Vakfi (Foundation for Human Rights & Freedoms n Humanitarian Relief): The Turkey-based organization is flagged by many Government agencies from across the world, think tanks, and media houses for its direct links with Al-Qaida terror group and Global Jihad Network.

Muslim Aid: The UK based organization is known for its direct connections with Kashmiri terror group Hizb-Ul-Mujahiddi.

About Ajmal Foundation

Ajmal Foundation was founded in 2005. The head office of the Foundation is located in the district of Hojai in Assam. The Foundation claimed that it is a non-political, non-profitable and non-commercial organization. According to their website, the organization running 25 educational institutions including madrassa and professional courses like LAW, Medical and Engineering collages across the Assam. The Foundation also claimed that it is working for Women Empowerment, Skill Development and Environmental Issues. Dr Khasrul Islam is the director of Ajmal Foundation.

In the interview, Sherman Ali Ahmed, Ex-MLA of AIUDF, alleged that the Ajmal Foundation receives huge foreign donations every year but not used for said purpose. He said, "I have been closely watching this man (Maulana Ajmal) and his leadership and found him a big hypocrite. Ajmal Foundation brings millions of rupees in the name of charity from Gulf countries but the money hardly utilized on the said purpose. Ajmal Foundation schools and a hospital are being run as commercial ventures; there is no mercy for poor people as they have cough up hefty fees treatment at Ajmal Hospital. It is an undeniable fact that the Foundation gets donations for running all these institutions regularly from the Sheikhs of Gulf. Ajmal Foundation never declares that money being spent on welfare activities is from alms given by Arab Sheikhs."

About Maulana Badruddin Ajmal 

Born in Assam, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal has been regularly listed among the 500 Most Influential Muslims of the world. He established the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), now All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and consolidated its position in Indian politics especially in Assam. Currently, his political party AIUDF has 13 MLAs and 1 MP in Assam. The Party got 13 % vote in Assam's Assembly Election 2016 and got 7.8 % vote in Lok Sabha Election 2019.  He is also the President of the Assam State Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. He holds master's degrees in Theology and Arabic from Darul Uloom Deoband, which is known for issuing controversial fatwas. Several controversies regarding Maulana Ajmal have been reported in media so far. According to the report, on State's children policy, Maulana Ajmal had said, "Muslims will keep producing children, and no laws will have any impact on them". 

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In another report, Union Joint Home Secretary (North-East) Shambhu Singh had claimed that Maulana Ajmal was behind the violence erupted in Mumbai's Azad Maidan in protest against the atrocities on Muslims in the BTAD areas of Assam. One report claimed that Ajmal faces charges in seven cases pending against him — obscene acts, intent to cause a riot, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, a false statement on oath or affirmation to a public servant in seven cases pending against him. He has six cases registered against him at various police stations across the State and one case pending disposal at a court of a judicial magistrate. The same report claimed that Maulana Ajmal declared income for 2017-18 was 4.29 crore, with assets worth more than Rs 75 crore, a rise of Rs 32 crore since the last election.

Government on misuse of foreign funds received under FCRA

So far, the Indian Government had cancelled FCRA license of more than 20 thousand non-Governmental organizations (NGOs). Out of these, several NGOs had been accused of misuse of foreign funds. Some of these organizations are also under investigation for their involvement in anti-national activities. LRO has exposed some Islamic terrorist links associated with Ajmal Foundation run by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal. After exposed by LRO, Maulana Ajmal and Ajmal Foundation may appear under the scanner of the Government agencies.