Tablighi
Jamaat Markaz, One Of World’s Biggest Puritanical Movements
Saeed Naqvi
In the early 70s, Indian missions in
West Asia received a curt directive from South Block: do not issue visas to
applicants travelling to attend the international conference (Ijtema) of the
Tablighi Jamaat, Missionaries for purification of Muslims, at their Markaz
(centre) in New Delhi. There were Arab applicants, ofcourse, but also some from
the West, including the US.
There are missions and missions: some
follow instructions others are more precocious and make inquiries. The subject
came up for discussion over drink and discreet, diplomatic dinners. Some of the
western diplomats did not hide their anxiety. The exponential growth of a
little known religious, but totally apolitical organization across 150 countries,
with a membership of 150 to 250 million caused raised eyebrows. The TJ was
different from any other Islamic group: it did not seek to convert non Muslims.
It was not the Islamic version of the Salvation Army. It only sought to bring
its flock more in the line with the teaching of Prophet Mohammad.
This dour, dark, vision of Puritanism
would have seemed a distant, dream. But the hundreds of millions of dedicated
foot soldiers across the globe keeping the flock on the straight and narrow, a
sort of double distillation of faith, made them out to be an enormously
successful organization with extraordinary reach.
The 70s were a period of great
contestation between the West and the Muslim world. In Egypt, Nasser had made
way for Anwar Sadat in 1970, who eventually turned up in Israel in 1977; Black
September; war between Jordanians and Palestinians in 1970-71; Yom Kippur war
of 1973 leading to Arab quadrupling of oil prices.
In the midst of so much conflict, the
ant-like precise movements of Tablighi Jamaat attracted western notice and for
a good reason. At a time when the West was trying to pull the Muslim world out
of narrow Islamism, laying out North Tehran under the Shah as worthy of
emulation the TJ was weaning Muslims away from modernism into deadly, pious practices.
And they were doing it successfully.
Pressure must have been brought to bear
on South Block. Which explains the instructions to the Indian missions in the Muslim
world to deny visas to luminaries headed for the Markaz at New Delhi’s Nizamuddin.
The address of the Markaz leads to an
unhappy mix up. One of the great Indians of all time, the 13th
century Sufi Saint of the Chisti Silsila, or lineage, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia,
had his khanqah or abode in the area. Nearby was his favorite disciple, the
multitalented genius, Amir Khusro, poet, musicologist, jurist, statesman and
soldier. Their shrines, around which the colony evolved bearing the great guru’s
name, became the centre of what is celebrated as India’s syncretic culture.
That the Nizamuddin shrine should be
overshadowed by the Markaz, a six story structure with a capacity to house
10,000 Tablighi volunteers is an aesthetic affront. It also misleads the world which
sees the address, “Markaz, Nizamuddin” as same or similar entities. Now that
the Markaz has been cleared for fumigation for the mess the TJ have foolishly
left behind, there is a case for the centre to be moved to a suitable location.
The Jamaat was founded in 1927 just when
there were reverberations across North India after the British moved from
Kolkata to New Delhi in 1911. In 1930, Lutyen’s Delhi was inaugurated. The
British, who had taken power from Muslims, were now in close proximity to
Maulana Mohammad Ilyas of Khandal, near Meerut. The Maulana started his mission
to secure his flock against blandishments of modernism. The target area for
Maulana Ilyas’ mission were the Meos of Mewat, spread over Haryana, Rajasthan
and a portion of Western UP.
Even though the Meos were converted to
Islam in the 16th century, they obstinately held onto their Hindu
culture. Not too long ago, night long recitations of their exclusive Mahabharat
called Pandun ka kada were common. Meos claimed descent from characters in the
Mahabharat. All Hindu festivals – Holi, Diwali, Dussehra were mandatory. My
friend, Ramzan Chaudhary, a lawyer and chairman of the All India Mewat
Association, remembers his father as a professional singer of Holi and Mewati
Mahabharat. His grandmother wore a “Ghaghra” and performed Govardhan puja – all
taboo in Maulana Ilyas’ book.
The Maulana must have been an
organizational genius. Today, in each one of the 1,500 or so villages in Mewat
is a Tablighi Jamaat Markaz. The number of volunteers is simply staggering.
Two things can therefore be said about
the Jamaat. No violence or “Jehadi” activity can be traced to them. Also, they
are simply not interested in proselytizing non Muslims.
They are saving the saved. Indeed, they
are the Muslims variant of humourless, Calvinism, exactly the sort of self
appointed religious constabulary whom Urdu poet describes as Sheikh, Zahid,
Mohtasib, Waiz – in brief, an interfering bore.
A puritan, said H.L. Mencken, is someone
who is always worried that someone, somewhere may be having fun. In the TJ book
the way Bangladesh celebrates Poila Baisakh on April 14 is all “shirk” fit for
damnation. Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Bangladesh, in brief, people of Bengali
heritage celebrate Poila (which means pehla or first) in the same way quite
irrespective of religious belief. In fact, in my experience, celebrations in
Bangladesh are by far the most spectacular. Women in the celebrated Dhaka
sarees apply a bindi on the forehead of any woman guest who enters the house.
Parks are filled with men and women singing Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul geeti. While
Tagore’s songs are secular, Qazi Nazrul Islam’s geets are charged with Tandav,
Shakti, Kali, Durga. At this Maulana’s group would through a fit.
The present leader of the group, Maulana
Saad Khandawi’s stupidities during the corona crisis, compounded by police and
administrative negligence call for an independent inquiry. Baying for Muslim
blood as some channels seem to suggest is rank bad taste.
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