Students Islamic Movement of India
| Abbreviation | SIMI |
|---|---|
| Formation | April 1977 |
| Type | Designated terrorist organisation |
| Location |
The Students' Islamic Movement of India (Hindi: स्टुडेंट इस्लामिक मूवमेंट ऑफ़ इंडिया; abbreviated SIMI) is a banned Islamist organisation that was formed in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, in April 1977. The stated mission of SIMI is the "liberation of India" from Western materialistic cultural influence and to convert its Muslim society to live according to the Muslim code of conduct. The Indian government describes it as a terrorist organisation, and banned it in 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Ban was lifted in August 2008 by a special tribunal, but banned again by K.G. Balakrishnan, then Chief Justice, on 6 August 2008 on national security grounds.
On 25 April 1977, SIMI was founded in Aligarh, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, with Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi as its founding president. (Siddiqi currently serves as a Professor of English and Journalism at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL.)
SIMI originally emerged as a student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) in an effort to revitalise the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) established in 1956. In 1981, SIMI activists protested against PLO leader Yasser Arafat's visit to India, and greeted him with black flags in New Delhi. Young SIMI activists viewed Arafat as a Western puppet, while the senior JIH leaders saw Arafat as a champion of the Palestinian cause. The JIH also became uncomfortable with SIMI's support of the Iranian Revolution and oriented itself towards the SIO as its student wing. When SIMI sought self governance and independence of operation from JIH, JIH declined. SIMI separated from JIH and continued as a hard line Islamic Organisation.
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