KOZHIKODE: Abdul Rashid Abdullah , leader of the Islamic State (IS) module from Kerala, has come up with a serious allegation against Salafi preacher M M Akbar and his Peace International School. In the fifty-fifth audio message sent from Khorosan province in Afghanistan, Rashid claimed that there were IS supporters among the teachers and parents of the students at the school. The 12-minute-long message came as a reaction to the remarks Akbar made in an interview given to a Malayalam TV channel.

Rashid, who hails from Thrikkarippur in Kasaragod, said Akbar had concealed the names of two former employees of the school who had joined the IS in the interview. “One is that of Shias from Kasaragod who was the supply chain manager of the Peace Foundation. Shias was with us but he and family became martyrs recently,” he said. Another name concealed by Akbar was that of Yahya alias Bexton Vincent who, according to Rashid, was a teacher trainer of the Peace Schools at Ernakulam, Kollam and Mathilakam. Rashid said Yahya had also taught students at another institution owned by Akbar.

Rashid countered Akbar’s assertion that he had left the Peace School as he could not win over others to the IS.

“To tell you frankly, there are IS supporters among the members of the Peace Foundation, teachers and the parents of the students at the school. I am not disclosing their names because I do not want to trouble them,” Rashid said.

The IS leader claimed that the students of the Peace School would be the majority among those who would join IS in the next 10 years. “This is because they are being taught Salafism in the school,” he said.

Akbar’s interview was aired shortly after he was released from the judicial custody. He was detained at the Hyderabad airport when he was travelling from Australia to Qatar on February 25.

He was arrested in a case related to ‘objectionable content’ in the textbook taught at the Peace School.

When contacted, Akbar declined to comment.

