Syed Ali Mujtaba

The “All Arunachal Pradesh Tribal Muslim Youth Forum,” (AAPTMYF) was voluntarily dissolved on August 8, 2024, at Itanagar the capital of Arunachal Pradesh state.

The Tribal Muslim Youth Forum was being mooted to check the growing RSS push for making tribals in Arunachal Pradesh lean towards Hinduism.

Mr Giah Limpeah Sultan, the chairman of AAPTMYF, while announcing the discontinuation of the Tribal Muslim Youth Forum, said; “We respect the people’s sentiment and therefore dissolved the organization as Arunachalis seem to be apprehensive about it. But it was formed to work for the welfare of tribals who follow the Islamic religion. People misunderstood, thinking that we would support non-Arunachal Pradesh State Tribal  Muslims and that we might support illegal Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants, which is wrong.”

Sultan said; “People should understand that we live in a democratic country. I have the right to follow whatever religion I like. My grandfather and my father were Donyi Polo priests. During my early days, I even attended church. But I found peace in Islam and therefore converted to it. But I am first a Nyishi and a tribal. I will never work against the indigenous tribal people,” he added.

Sultan said, he took the Islamic religion in 2012 and is living as an Islam till today. He alleged that “certain sections of people have spread hatred against the followers of Islam in Arunachal. “By embracing Islam, we did not commit any crime. I have the freedom to choose the religion of my choice.”

He urged the people to stop making threatening calls to the executive members and added that “religion is a personal choice and no one has the right to question those who choose Islam as their religion.

The “All Arunachal Pradesh Tribal Muslim Youth Forum,” (AAPTMYF) was conceived due to RSS incursions to make Arunachal tribals lean towards Hinduism, says Taba Ajum of the Arunachal Times.

 ‘This forum came in reaction to the decision of the Arunachal Pradesh government to create the Department of Indigenous Faith and Cultural Affairs (DIFCA) that has footprints of RSS in marking,’ he adds.

 “The RSS for years has been trying to develop a connection between Hinduism and indigenous faith. The RSS has been playing the scene role of propagating indigenous faith and has often alleged Christian missionaries of converting tribals. It considers Arunachal as a crucial state to make inroads into tribal society in the entire North Eastern region of India,” the journalist concluded.

Arunachal Pradesh is a protected state under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, of 1873. Muslims in Arunachal Pradesh make up 27.05 Thousand (1.95 percent) of the state’s total 13.84 Lakhs population. Christian Population is 4.19 Lakhs (30.26 percent). The Hindu population is 29.04% of the total population.