Several European converts to Islam have started to take up residence in the suburbs of Peshawar, an area where militancy is growing, police officials said on Wednesday.
“We were surprised to learn that European converts to Islam are staying in Peshawar in areas where the security situation is extremely volatile,” said police officials monitoring the areas of Peshawar where militancy has increased recently. Requesting anonymity, they said that the converts were of Scottish, British and Norwegian origin.
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The police officials said that they had been apprised of the whereabouts of six European converts in the past five months. “The number of such people could be much higher as the matter has not been fully investigated. There could be converts from other countries as well,” they added.
A senior government official who met one Norwegian convert at a social gathering said that the foreigner had told him: “I am very impressed by the life of a Muslim. My soul feels good ever since I converted to Islam.”
One of the police officials quoted another convert as saying: “I am impressed by Shia Islam.”
The converts have been spotted living in Mattani, 15 kilometres south of Peshawar, and close to Darra Adam Khel and Mathra, just six kilometres north of Peshawar and close to Mohmand Agency. The two areas are considered hotbeds of militancy and the provincial government has been continuously monitoring the situation to stave off any serious threat to Peshawar.
“It is not clear whether these converts want to join jihadi groups yet. You also cannot be certain that these people are merely converts, as they could be here to collect intelligence on militancy,” the police officials added. |