Tablighi Jamaat — is it a movement involved in strictly religious activities and spreading the teachings of Islam or is it one that has developed links to “Islamist terror” in recent years? If WikiLeaks is to be believed, then the over eight-decade old Tablighi Jamaat is one that has links to the now dead Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda and was
being used by his outfit as a “cover” for terror activities. A charge that is stoutly denied by those who have links to what is often described as an Islamic movement.
On Monday, Maulana Mahmood Madani, general secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hindm, issued a statement rubbishing WikiLeaks reports about the Tablighi Jamaat’s links to Al Qaeda. He described the contents of WikiLeaks as being “a pre-planned conspiracy to defame religious organisations whose activities are confined to religious issues”.
Incidentally, those associated with the Tablighi Jamaat which was founded in 1926 by Maulana Mohammed Ilyas describe it as a movement rather than an organisation. Said to now have millions of followers across the globe, the Jamaat believes in six principles that revolve around the faith.
Noting that the Jamaat confines itself to religious issues and social reforms, Maulana Madani condemned the linking of the Jamaat to the Al Qaeda. Interestingly, while some scholars believe that the Jamaat has radicalised and infiltrated by terror groups such as Al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba turning it into a source of “Islamist terror”, others contend that it is not involved in any terror activities.
The Maulana also noted that post-9/11, increasing attempts are being made to brand Islam, madarsas, the Tablighi Jamaat, etc. as “a menace to the world”. He further maintained that this is because anti-Muslim forces in the West are unhappy with the Jamaat’s popularity and impact owing to its constructive work and therefore indulge in maligning it.
It is noteworthy that both the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and the Tablighi Jamaat can trace their roots to the influential Darul Uloom seminary at Deoband. While the Jamiat is often described as the clerical and political wing of the seminary, the latter too has strong links to Deoband. So for instance, Maulana Madani has links to the Tablighi Jamaat too. Indeed, the work of the Tablighi Jamaat in India is largely carried out by fazils (graduates) from Deoband.