CHENNAI: With the Sri Lanka-based National Thawheed Jamaat coming under the terror scanner in the wake of the serial blasts in Sri Lanka, its namesake, the Tamil Nadu Thawheed Jamaat ( TNTJ ) has been dragged into the media spotlight. The Muslim outfit's general secretary E Mohammed told TOI in Chennai that it was an apolitical Islamic organisation and had nothing to do with NTJ.

The TNTJ has, however, collaborated with Sri Lankan Thawheed Jamaat (SLTJ), a different outfit, in several social campaigns, preaching 'true Islam' and the concept of 'Thawheed' (monotheism). Founded in Tamil Nadu in 2003, it has thrown itself into social work and charitable activities including blood donation and disaster relief. "We have collaborated with TNTJ in social causes and strongly campaigned against terror," said SLTJ president Abdul Gaffar Hisham from Colombo.

Denying that his outfit has come under scrutiny in the wake of the serial blasts, Hisham said, "None of our members have been picked up for questioning nor arrested so far." There are several Muslim outfits in Sri Lanka including the All Ceylon Thawheed Jamaat, Ceylon Thawheed Jamaat besides the NTJ. "The confusion has risen because of the inclusion of 'Thawheed' in the names of these organisations. But the similarity ends there," he said.

TNTJ state president M Shamsulluha said his outfit focused on organising peaceful protests across TN on issues affecting Muslims. On allegations of their association with NTJ, TNTJ leaders denied all links with the outfit, pointing out that their basic ideologies differed with the former.

