Tablighi Jamaat should be banned
One critic says that the movement has served as a fertile breeding ground for radical Islamic militancy in many countries.
The whole of India had eagerly looked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s TV speech on 3 April, Friday. Unfortunately, it was hugely disappointing if not eviscerated. He appealed to one-hundred thirty crore Indians to stand in the balconies of their houses, switch off all the electric lights, followed by...i need not repeat the rest such as switching there torches etc., at 9 pm on Sunday— today.
His first speech had inspired and boosted the morale of the country, the second one did not. Criticism was muted. It would have been futile and hazardous to take on the Prime Minister who is under immense pressure. People had expected him to say what would happen after lockdown was over.
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Alami Markaz in Nizamuddin is the headquarter of the fanatical Tablighi Jamaat. Its leader is Maulana Saad Kandhalvi. He is a foul-mouthed fanatical Muslim with a considerable following. He is absconding. Many of his followers are responsible for a large number of coronavirus deaths, particularly in Tamil Nadu. These fanatics spread the pandemic in various parts of the country, by not observing the guidelines laid down by the Central government—social distancing, no shaking hands and above all stay “at home”. These Jamaat fanatics flouted each of these instructions. Maulana Saad Kandhalvi recently told his followers not to worry as the coronavirus would not touch the Muslims. He further asserted that the mosque was the best place to die if anyone was infected by the virus. Every member of Jamaat, when apprehended, should be severely punished and their communal organisation banned.
The Jamaat has an estimated adherents numbering between 150-200 million. The majority of them live in South Asia. Its members can be found in over 180 countries, according to one estimate. It is deemed as one of the most influential religious outfits in 20th century Islam.
The Jamaat was established in 1927 by Muhammad Ilyas Al Kandhlawi in the Mewat region, Alwar, Bharatpur, and parts of southern Haryana. The teaching of the Tablighi Jamaat is expressed in six principles: Kalimah (declaration of faith), Salah (prayer), Ilm-o-zikr (knowledge), Ikram-e- Muslim (respect of Muslims), Ikhlas-eniyat (sincerity of intention), Dawat-o-tabligh (proselytization).
It focuses on the Quran and Hadith. It claims that it rejects violence as a means of evangelism. However, one critic says that the movement has served as a fertile breeding ground for radical Islamic militancy in many countries.
Its foreign missions were sent to Hejaz in western
Saudi Arabia and Britain in 1946. In the United States, in the 1970s. It has a large presence in Europe, particularly France. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the movement spread to Central Asia. It is claimed that in Kyrgyzstan there are 10,000 Jamaatis. It is also very active in Malaysia and Pakistan.
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Human beings have an enormous capacity to adapt themselves to events not always to their liking. Today human beings face a health hazard which goes by the name of coronavirus, it is invisible, it is as yet almost incurable. There is no sign of its abating. It is beyond the capacity of human beings to adapt themselves to this situation. The US is running short of medicines, beds, ventilators and masks. China has sent medicines and masks to the US. The unemployment figures in the US are staggering. Wall Street is nervy, the US economy will take years to bounce back as will that of many countries.
In Italy and Spain, the pandemic has killed a total of over 20,000 people. Wonderful places like Florence, Urbino, Rome, the Uffizi in Florence, the Louvre in France, the Alhambra in Spain—who will restore the glory of these wonderful places? Italy and Spain are now near wilderness. Economically, both countries face ruins. European culture and civilisation have never taken such a beating.
Vast number of human beings are living incommunicado lives—living in a room or two, with solitude, loneliness, claustrophobia and depression.