Jamaat-e-Islami Hind

The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is the Indian offshoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Primarily a religious organisation, the Jamaat is also an active political organisation but it does not contest elections.

History

The Jamaat-e-Islami was formed in Pathan Kot (now in Pakistan) by Maulana Maududi in 1941. After the partition of India, Maududi moved to Pakistan but a small group of Jamaat activists remained in India and established a separate organisation, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. Later Kashmir wing got separated and formed Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir. While the Jamaat in Pakistan and Bangladesh are influential and active political parties, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind does not participate in elections. Yet, it remains one of the foremost Islamic political organisations in the country.

Mission

The Jamaat seeks to establish an Islamic State in India, which it advocates as the only solution to India's social and economic problems. It advocates the abolishment of secularism and democracy and the imposition of Shariah Islamic law. It seeks to promote conversion to Islam of India's Hindus, Christians and other religious communities. It often leads political agitation on the cause of Islamic law and other issues of the Muslim communities. The Jamaat has also worked to influence India's foreign policy to favour Muslim nations and condemn the policies of Israel and the United States. The Jamaat remains a fervent advocate of the independence of Palestine in India. The Jamaat frequently associates itself with the Indian National Congress. In 1986, the Jamaat exerted considerable pressure on the Congress-led government to overturn the verdict of the Shah Bano case, which threatened the separate Islamic law code in India.

The Jamaat has an organised youth wing and is led by Muslim clerics, known as the ulama. Its organisation spreads across mosques throughout India. The Jamaat also maintains religious charities and Islamic schools, known as madrassahs. Many political observers assert that the Jamaat is financed by organisations based in Saudi Arabia and seeks to promote Wahabbism in India. The Jamaat also has strong links with the Deobandi Islamic school.

Controversies

In post-independence India, the Jamaat has provoked many controversies. It formed a separate organisation for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and refused to support India's position in the territorial conflict with Pakistan. It also refused to condemn Chinese aggression during the Sino-Indian War and did not offer support the government during the Indo-Pakistani Wars. The Jamaat has also refused to condemn Islamic terrorist groups such as the Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. In the early 1990s, the Jamaat's youth wing the Students Islamic Movement of India split from it and began advocating a violent overthrow of the Indian government. It was banned in 1999 for fomenting communal unrest and supporting terrorism. The Jamaat has been accused of offering political protection and covert support to terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists, especially in Kashmir.

See also

• Jamaat-e-Islami
• Maulana Maududi
• Islam in India

External links

• Official website
• Jamaat-e-Islami history
• Interview with Jamaat Amir