BHOPAL: The families of two students in Bhopal who are pursuing Islamic studies in Iran have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to work for peace between Iran and Israel.
The two families from the Nishatpura area of Bhopal are hoping for a lasting ceasefire between the two warring nations to ensure the safety of their children – even as one of them, Abrar Ali, doesn’t seem to be willing to return to India.
“We desperately want him to return home. He (Abrar) has been living there in Iran for four years and says when he was there in their good times, how can he leave them in their bad times. Earlier, we used to talk to him via video call every alternate day, but since the war broke, we’ve hardly spoken to him. The last time we managed to talk to him, he said he can’t leave Iran in the country’s bad times and that he's even willing to fight for them if the need arose,” Abrar’s mother Shahnoor Begum told TNIE on Tuesday.
“Many of his Indian friends who studied with him at the madrasa in Qom have returned home to Maharashtra and even MP including Jaora town of Ratlam. When we talked to them, they said he doesn’t want to return. He has said he may return if peace returns to Iran after Muharram,” she added.
Abrar, 30, is the third among four brothers from a family that runs a gems and spectacles business. The family resides near Shia Masjid in Karond locality of Nishatpura area.
Pursuing a five-year course of Maulana Maulviyat in Qom, Abrar is currently in the fourth year. His eldest brother Ghulam Ali and mother Shahnoor Begum have appealed to PM Narendra Modi to mediate between the two warring neighbours to usher peace in that war-torn region. “Our PM has cordial relations, both with Israel and Iran. He can talk to both nations and play an important role in ushering peace there.”
The other student from Bhopal, Gul Afsha, 29, has been in Iran for the last six years, pursuing Islamic studies at a university in Mashhad.
“While we’re concerned about her safety, she (Gul) says till now she’s safe and will try to return to India, once peace returns to Iran. Many of her friends who hail from Kashmir have safely returned home, but she is still staying back, waiting for the situation to normalize. We appeal to our PM to work for peace in that region, which alone will help bring our sister back home,” Gul’s eldest brother Mohd Jawad said.
Gul’s father Migdad Nusvi too reportedly pursued religious studies in Iran and returned home in 1990.
