No information on an organization called "Islamic Seva Sang" (ISS) could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

The following information may be of interest, however.

The Muslim organization called the Islamic Sevak (Sewak) Sangh (ISS) was one of five groups-three Hindu and two Muslim-banned by the Indian government following the 6 December 1992 destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu fundamentalists and the ensuing communal violence (IPS 14 Dec. 1992; All-India Radio 15 Dec. 1992; Reuters 5 June 1993). On 5 June 1993 the Delhi High Court upheld the ban on the ISS (ibid.; The Commercial Appeal 6 June 1993). As of 4 April 1998, the ISS was still banned (Rediff on the Net 4 Apr. 1998).

According to an 8 August 1993 AFP report, in southern India the ISS was the Muslim rival of the Hindu fundamentalist Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). The ISS had a "sizeable" following in Chennai (Madras) (AFP 8 Aug. 1993) and had offices in West Bangal (All-India Radio 15 Dec. 1992) and Kerala (ibid.; Reuters 7 Aug. 1992; Rediff on the Net 4 Apr. 1998).

In early 1992 the ISS was formed in Kerala "to counter the Hindu RSS" (Reuters 7 Aug. 1992) and based its headquarters in Kollam (Rediff on the Net 4 Apr. 1998). The ISS chief in Kerala's Quilon district was Abdul Nazir (or Nasser) Madani (Reuters 7 Aug. 1992; Rediff on the Net 25 Apr. 1998). According to a 25 April 1998 Rediff on the Net article, however, "the movement [ISS] fizzled out in Kerala as people with a higher level of awareness could not be easily lured into terrorism. But Kerala remains the ideological centre for the movement [ISS] that has struck roots in Tamil Nadu."

According to an early 1998 Frontline article covering the 1998 elections, an Abdul Nasser Mahdani, "leader of the Islamic Sevak Sangh," launched the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Kerala following the Babri Mosque demolition (21 Feb.-6 Mar. 1998). The town of Kollam in Kerala is the "nerve centre" of the PDP leader's activities (Redif on the Net 4 Apr. 1998). In April 1998 the PDP leader Abdul Nassar Madani was arrested in Kerala in connection with the Coimbatore bombings (Rediff on the Net 4 Apr. 1998) . Madani is "alleged to be the go-between" for al-Umma (the organization accused of the Coimbatore bombings) and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) (ibid.). According to the Rediff on the Net article, Madani has allegedly arranged for training for al-Umma activists in Pakistan, among other things (ibid.).

In an 1997 article in The Indian Defence Review, Major Sudhir Sawant (Retd.) MP states the following:

The [Pakistani] ISI has infiltrated many organisations of the country [India]. Front organisations have been established, which are exclusively backed by the ISI and funded by questionable means. For example, organisations such as the Islamic Sevak Sangh and SIMI. Through these organisations, [t]raining is provided in the use of weapons and explosives or subversive activities...

The following two incidents are examples of activities the ISS was suspected of being involved in. Protesting an early August 1992 bomb attack against Madani in the state of Kerala, his supporters attacked a police patrol, as well as a government bus depot in Kottayan (Reuters 7 Aug. 1992). On 8 August 1993, the RSS suspected the ISS of bombing its regional headquarters in Chennai (Madras), killing ten and wounding four (AFP 8 Aug. 1993).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 8 August 1993. "Blast Kills 10 in Hindu Seminary, Alert in Southern India." (NEXIS)

All-India Radio [in English]. 15 December 1992. "Over 2,000 Members of Banned Organizations Arrested, CBI Team Off to Faisabad." (BBC Summary 17 Dec. 1992/NEXIS)

The Commercial Appeal [Memphis]. 6 June 1993. Final Edition. "Briefly: An Indian judge upheld a ban on the Islamic Sevak Sangh... ." (NEXIS)

Frontline [Chennai]. 21 February-6 March 1998. R. Krishnakumar. "Elections '98: The Campaign Phase: Kerala." [Internet] http://www.thehindu.com [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

The Indian Defence Review. 1997. Major Sudhir Sawant. "Internal Security: Dangers of Narco-Terrorism." [Internet] http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LANCER [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

Inter Press Service (IPS). 14 December 1992. "India: Peace Returning, Offices of Banned Religious Groups Sealed." (NEXIS)

Rediff on the Net. 25 April 1998. Rajesh Ramachandran. "IB Fears Escalation of Terrorism in South." [Internet] http://www.rediff.com [Accessed 10 Dec. 1998]

_____. 4 April 1998. D. Jose. "Was Madani the Link Between ISI and al-Umma?"

Reuters. 5 June 1993. BC Cycle. "Indian Judge Confirms Ban on Moslem Group." (NEXIS)

_____. 7 August 1992. BC Cycle. "Police Open Fire in South India Injuring Five." (NEXIS)