The Saudi ban on the Tablighi Jamaat
Recently, Saudi Arabia banned this Islamic missionary organization ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ in its country, making it a topic of discussion once again. Earlier it was also in discussion during the Corona period in Delhi.
- In fact, ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ means the society that spreads religion. It is a Sunni Islamist movement, which happens to be a conservative Muslim organization.
- It aims to reach out to the common Muslims and revive their faith especially in matters of ritual, dress and personal behaviour.
- It has a significant base in various countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, USA, UK, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Start of Movement:
- ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ was started in the year 1926 in Mewat (Haryana) by the prominent Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandlaw. Its roots lie in the Deobandi tradition of the Hanafi sect of theology.
- Maulana Ilyaz trained many youths from Deoband and Saharanpur and sent them to Mewat, where a network of madrassas and mosques has been established by the Tablighi Jamaat.
Tablighi Jamaat is based on the following six principles:
- Kalimah (Declaration of faith): A religious text in which the Tablighi accepts that there is no God but Allah and that the Prophet Muhammad is his messenger.
- Salah (Prayer): means the one who prays five times a day.
- Ilm-o-zikr (Reading and Remembrance): Remembering Allah and holding knowledge gatherings about Him, thus fostering a sense of community and identity.
- Ikraam-e-Muslim: Respect of Muslim.
- Ikhlas-e-Niyyat: Sincerity of intention
- Dawat-o-Tableegh (Proselytizaton): Or conversion.
The reason for the criticism of its functioning:
Although the scope of this organization appears to be limited to the spread of ‘Muslim faith’, the group has been accused several times of having links with fundamentalist organisations. According to some observers, radical organizations can take advantage of its open organizational structure. In addition, these organizations do not publish any information regarding the scope of their activities, membership or the source of their finances. However, it is believed that the ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ does not believe in donations, and to a large extent, senior members of the organization finance it.
Source – The Hindu
