Exactly eight months after their brother was brutally murdered for converting to Islam, Faisal’s sisters have decided to follow in their brother’s footsteps as well. Two of his sisters have now converted to Islam, along with their five children. A brother-in-law of Faisal has also decided to embrace Islam.
“They are currently in some learning centres to study about the religion,” one of Faisal’s relatives told TNM. “I cannot give more details about them. It is their wish how they want to live.” he added.
Faisal P alias Aneesh Kumar was hacked to death on November 19, 2016, in Malappuram district, months after he converted to Islam. The police have so far arrested eight persons, including Faisal’s brother-in-law Vinodh in this regard.
Vinosh is an RSS member, and according to the police, the accused had threatened Faisal for converting to Islam and had killed him out of anger. All the accused are currently out on bail.
Following the conversion of the eight members of Faisal’s family, there is some tension in the area over the possibility of violence.
AP Unnikrishnan, Malappuram district Panchayat President, told TNM that he had called for a peace meet after the conversion, to avoid an issue.
“We had called a peace meet, but BJP did not participate. As of now there is no problem in the district, and we will try our best to avoid communal violence,” he said.
Unnikrishnan also said that the family did not convert out of rage over Faisal’s death.
“They were influenced by the religion as far as I know. They had gone for learning it. The conversion was not out of rage, it is all about individual beliefs,” he said.
Meanwhile Sangh parivar groups have placed some flex boards in the village claiming that they are okay with an individual’s choice in religion, but they are against those people who speak about secularism and conduct religious conversions for monetary as well as other benefits. The poster also warns that it is Sangh Parivar who rules the country.
This isn’t the first time that members of Faisal’s family are converting. In December 2016, Faisal’s mother had converted to Islam to honour him, and changed her name from Meenakshi to Jameela.
“My son lost his life for no fault of his. Faisal, his wife and their three children converted to Islam by their own volition. They never harmed anyone by doing so. Yet he was killed…brutally. This is my way of getting even with his killers. I too have converted to Islam exercising my own free will. I will now spend the rest of my life with my son’s wife and children,” Jameela had told TNM earlier.