Maulana Saad Interview: 'No Illegal Activity Happened At Markaz', Tablighi Jamaat Chief Responds To Accusations Of Spreading Covid-19

Maulana Saad, the chief of the Tablighi Jamaat, has opened up about several allegations leveled against him in a recent interview.

Maulana Saad

New Delhi: Maulana Saad, the chief of the Tablighi Jamaat, has opened up about several allegations leveled against him in a recent interview to the Hindustan Times newspaper. When asked about rumors of foreign funding, non-cooperation with authorities and other much talked about concerns, here's what he had to say: 'Didn't think permission was needed' A question that has been asked several times is why was the congregation held without any permission from concerned authorities. When asked about this, the Maulana said that Markaz Nizamuddin is a masjid and since all the religious meetings were being held inside the premises of the Markaz, he did not think permission from authorities was needed. 'No illegal activity has happened at Markaz' According to the Maulana, the allegations of money laundering are baseless. He maintains that no illegal activities were carried out inside the Markaz. He said that he hasn't yet received a notice from the ED and even denied knowing about the allegations in the first place. 'Not an expert on social media or creating a narrative' When asked about his silence over the allegations against him, the Tablighi Chief said that he is not an expert at setting a positive narrative for himself in the media and social media. But he was in quarantine and was asking the Tabligh members to cooperate with the authorities in terms of getting tested and committing to quarantine. 'Cooperated with authorities in every manner' The Jamaat head denied the accusation that he had not cooperated with the police. He said he has been supporting the investigation and has duly responded to all notices by the Delhi Police. 'How is Markaz responsible for spreading the disease?' Saying that the majority of those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation have tested negative, he questioned how is then the Markaz responsible for spreading the disease. He said that the authorities need to be questioned as to what was done after the first Coronavirus positive case was reported in India and account for all other mass gatherings that have taken place since late-February. 'We discontinued program when Junta Curfew took place' A question being asked repeatedly since the event garnered attention and controversy was that why was it not canceled? To which, he emphasised that the event was a pre-scheduled one and people has started coming in from other countries. He defended the continuation by saying that the situation was normal till March. He added that when the Junta Curfew was imposed, the program was discontinued and everyone was evacuated. 'Urge friends from Jamaat to donate plasma' Finally, the Maulana Saad urged the members of the Jamaat who have recovered to donate their plasma to help the treatment for other Covid-19 patients. Watch: Jamaat's hide & seek game, a big danger for India | Seedha Sawal