Tablighi Group

Table of Contents

For Prelims:

Tablighi group

For Mains:

Religious extremism

Why in discussion?

Recently, the Islamic organization Tablighi Group Jamaat organization was in the news when more than a dozen people from a religious congregation organized at the Delhi headquarters of this organization were found positive from COVID-19.

main point:

At least 2,000 people from countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Nizamuddin (Delhi) in early March.
Delhi Police has registered a case against the leader of the group under the ‘Epidemic Disease Act- EDA’.

Emergence of Tablighi Jamaat:

The Tablighi Jamaat (ie Society of Religion) was founded by Deoband Islamic scholar Mohammad Ilyas al-Kandhalawi in Mewat (India) in the year 1926.
Mewat is a historical region of the states of Haryana and Rajasthan in northwestern India.

Organization goal:

India saw ‘ Deoband ideology ‘ in the late 19th century and Hindu revivalist movements in India in the early 20th century, such as the ‘Shuddhi movement’. It was at this time that the Tablighi Jamaat was established as a religious revivalist organization.
The goal of this organization was to set up a group of campaigners dedicated to the revival of Muslim society, who would work towards reviving ‘true’ Islam.
The organization worked towards inculcating faith in Islam on the basis of the main teachings and lifestyle of its leaders in the early times of its founding.

Organization Expansion:

The Tablighi Jamaat was founded in the Mewat region. There the ‘Meo community’ (which originally belonged to the Rajput ethnic group) among the Muslims followed the traditions of this organization.
The organization expanded rapidly in British India and around 25,000 people attended the annual conference of the organization held in November 1941.
After partition, this organization became very strong in Pakistan and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh formation). At present, Bangladesh has the largest national branch of Tablighi Jamaat.
Presently this organization is working in more than 150 countries and has millions of followers in these countries.

Organization Ideology:

The Tablighi Jamaat asked the Muslims to live life like the Prophet. They oppose the ideology of Sufi Islam on religious grounds. They support their members to dress like prophets (trousers that should be above the ankle). Men usually keep their upper lip mustaches clean and have a long beard.
The main function of this organization was focused on ‘purification’ of Muslim religion and not on converting people of other religions to Islam.

Organisation Structure:

The organizational structure is very common. The organization’s international movement is led by a leader named Aamir, who is always related to the group’s founder, Mohammad Ilyas al-Kandhalawi. The current leader is Maulana Saad Kandhalvi who is the grandson of the founder of this organization.
The group also consists of a Shura Council, which serves as an advisory council.

Organization activities:

The Tablighi Jamaat sees itself as an institution that does not support non-political and religious violence. This community believes that Prophet Mohammad has commanded all Muslims to deliver the message of Allah and the Tabligi people perform it as their duty.
They divide themselves into small Jamaats (societies) and travel around the world to spread the message of Islam to Muslims. During this visit, they stay in local mosques.

National Security related issues:

The group works in a peaceful manner and it works mainly for the Muslim community. According to the National Security Advise- NSA of India, the organization has a culture of mysticism, which raises doubts about this organization.
The movement was never viewed negatively by the government, but the Tablighi Jamaat has been banned in some Central Asian countries, such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, believing that the purist movement run by this organization would have promoted extremism. is.