Jamaat-e-Islami

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Jamaat-e-Islami http://www.jamaat.org/ (Arabic: جماعتِ اسلامی, "Islamic Assembly" Jamaat, JI) is an Islamic political movement founded in Lahore by Syed Ab'ul Ala Maududi on 26 August 1941. [1] Today it is one of the largest Islamic parties in the Indian sub-continent spanning 4 countires Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Members are often referred to, usually by others, as Jamaatis. The latter is also used as an adjective for certain political viewpoint or attitude. They stand often accused by Western and secular organizations of participating in terrorist acts and of propagating Islamic Fundamentalism in Pakistan. Their rhetoric instil "the spirit of jihad and martyrdom" among their adherents and portray India and Russia as the enemy of Pakistan.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

The party was founded in British India in the year 1941 by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi as a religious movement to promote Islamic values and practices. Initially, it was against the Pakistan movement (also known as Muslim Nation movement proposed by Muhammed Ali Jinna and said that India constituted of two nations and should be devided into two nations - India and Pakistan) on the basis of the Unity or Jama'ah and the Universalist ideas imbibed in Islam. That position changed during the Partition of India. The JI's position was redefined in 1947 to support an Islamic State in Pakistan. Their goal was to realize this by purging society of what they viewed as "deviant behaviour", which would lead to the establishment of Islamic law (Shari'ah) in the region. They became heavily opposed to western decadent culture (Hesperophobia), capitalism, socialism, and practices such as loans and bank interests on the grounds that it conflcted with Islamic Sharia Law.The writings of Maududi gained a wide audience. He eventually retired in 1972[3].

During the military dictatorship of Yahya Khan, the JI started to collaborate with the military junta. Their student wings turned into violent militant bodies and forcibly suppressed the rise of leftist movements on university campuses. They also tacitly supported the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities, opining that Pakistan's failure to maintain the unity with East Pakistan or now Bangladesh was the result of "failure to apply Islamic principles of Unity"

Confident of state support, the Jamaat contested the 1970 elections, only to suffer big reversals.It was clear that many people in Pakistan did not support Islamic Alternative at the time.

In 1953 Maududi started his campaign against Ahmadiyya Muslims, denouncing them as heretics in his book , Qadiani problem[4]. They demanded that they are officially be known as non-Muslims and the ensuing incitement resulted in 2,000 Ahmadiyya deaths in Pakistani Punjab. Eventually, martial law had to be established and Governor general Ghulam Mohamed dismissed the federal cabinet. This anti-Ahmadiyya movement led Pakistani prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to eventually declare the Ahmadiyyas as "non-Muslims"[3][4].

Liberal groups in Pakistan raised questions of whether the JI could be regarded as a political party or a subversive group. The Pakistani supreme court ruled in favor of the JI as a "legitimate political group".Eventually, Ji became the dominant voice for the Islamic ulema with regards to Pakistan's first constitution. They became an opposition party from 1950-1977[3].

By 1976, Jamaat's street power multiplied by 150,000 new entrants when it swore to organize marches to Islamabad for implementing sharia. In 1977, Maududi cobbled together a grand alliance of rightist religious parties and launched a "civil disobedience campaign", leading to his arrest. So powerful had Jamaat become in Islamist ranks by then that the Sunni Wahhabi government of Saudi Arabia personally intervened to secure Maududi's release by dangling the specter of "revolution" in Pakistan[4].

The JI were ardent supporters of Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization in Pakistan. As Zia went about consolidating power on a string of broken promises (elections in 90 days, etc), humility and hypocrisy his most effective weapons, the Jamaat virtually acted as his civilian auxiliary, its student wing, the Islami Jamiat-i-Tulaba, ever ready to use violence against Bhuttos supporters[5].

However, they had conflicts with the Zia-ul-haq regime when he chose to ban student unions, including the ones under JI, such as Jamiat-i-Tulaba-i-Islam (Islamic society of students). At this time, the JTI grew increasingly militant and clashed violently with other student organizations in Pakistan. the JTI became major recruiting grounds for the ranks of the JI[3].

In their aggressive support for Islamization of Pakistan, they piloted the Sharia bill through the Pakistani senate in 1986. Over the course of the 1990s their influence diminished somewhat. In the 1993 national elections, the JI captured only 3 seats in the national assembly[3].

During the democratic interlude of 1988-99, the Jamaat continued to act as an "eternal opponent" of un-Islamic rulers, while grabbing power-sharing chances, especially under Nawaz Sharif[4]. The 1999 Pervez Musharraf coup was welcomed by the JI, but once Musharraf started reforms, they turned against him and started preaching radical Islamism, warning that "Pakistan's destiny lay in the Islamic revolution" and that party workers "were ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Almighty Allah and His Prophet"[4]

In the legislative elections of Pakistan on October 20, 2002, Jamaat-e-Islami got 11.3% of the popular vote and 53 out of 272 elected members.

[edit] Public Declarations

  • Delaying tactics should not be used in the implementation of Islamic Sharia, and it should be specified as ‘The Supreme Law’ of the country, in the Constitution. The nation should be delivered of the curse of Interest from the economy. Immediate action should be taken, to end the Interest system, according to the recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology, the Federal Sharia Court, and follow the report of the Economic Commission, which was established by the government itself.
  • The government should avoid taking actions which are contrary to the dignity and freedom of the country; as, by handing over of Aimal Kansi to the American commandos, in violation of the country’s law, the government provided a cause of national disgrace.
  • All the looted wealth of the nation should be recovered, by carrying out judicious accountability of previous rulers and newly elected Members of the Assembly. Very large amounts, deposited in the foreign banks, should be recovered through effective arrangements, and the process of accountability should be meaningfully applied without any discrimination, to everyone.
  • The nation should not be deprived of its right to protect itself against any nuclear blackmail, through the NPT or CTBT, or under the pressure of some global power.
  • Radio and TV should be stopped from spreading obscenity and vulgarity.
  • Friday should again be declared the weekly holiday, instead of Sunday.
  • Regarding the Golden Jubilee, instead of organising events and shows contrary to Islamic values, the people of the country should be made aware of the ideology of Pakistan so that they are able to pass their lives according to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. [6]

[edit] Branches

[edit] Student Wing

The Jamaat's student wings are known as the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) also known as the Jamiat (pronounced "jam-mee-at") or 'IJT'. The heavy-handed approach of Jamiat in educational institutes has actually fuelled anti-Jamiat feelings resulting in the creation of parties like MQM and its associated student wing. These in turn considerably reduced Jamiat’s influence in places like Karachi and Hyderabad. In the 1960s and the 1970s it was successfully challenged by Pakistan's two main left-wing student parties, National Students Federation and Democratic Students Federation. It lost most student body elections to these two parties, but gained ground after the arrival of General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq in 1977. However, ever since the late 1980s, the IJT has lost a lot of support and power especially in the face of the rise of Muttahida Qaumi Movement 's student wing, the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Federation in Karachi and Muslim Students Federation and People's Students Federation elsewhere in the country. The Jamiat also has a wing/counterpart for female students called the Islami Jamiat-e-Taalibaat.

[edit] Activities

The Jamat is very active in the field of Dawah (Missionary movement), Tarbiyah (Islamic education) and Tanzeem (organizations) almost in all the areas of Pakistan.

It has a strong body in each province which is further divided in district, cities, towns and village zones and sectors.

Jamat has also its unions for doctors, teachers and workers and the same is in the female wing of Jamat Halqa Khawateen (circle of women).

Neither the "Islamic theodemocracy" nor the "Islamic economy" of the JI have been attained, and though their leader, Qazi Hussain rhetorically claims that "Allah will rule in Islamabad in five years", his organization still remains on the fringes within Pakistan[4].

Their failures in Pakistan are matched by their successes in foreign Islamist support and militant actions.Their faith in Islamic Jihad and Islamic terrorism gave them sizable currency among the Mujahiddeen in Afghanistan, Kashmir and other areas troubled by Islamic terrorism. Their constant railing against "American imperialism" and "Judeo-Christian" peril earned them sympathy among radical Muslims in the region. They have links with many international terror groups, such as the Hizb-i-Islami during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan[4].Jamaat's profession of imparting "Muslims the religious instruction that they lack" has acted as a decoy for training and indoctrination of thousands of mujahideen to fight not only in Afghanistan but also as far as Chechnya, Bosnia, Sinkiang, Nagorno-Karabagh and Southeast Asia. One of the more fascinating strategies of the ISI-Jamaat nexus in Central Asia is to "disintegrate the Russian Federation itself and the recomposition of a new structure dominated by conservative Islamist regimes"[4].

The JI was initially supported by Pakistan's notorious ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence),but the capture of Kabul by the Taliban was as setback for JI on account of their sympathies with the Northern Alliance.Thus, the ISI, which backed the Taliban initially, alienated the JI. However, they have risen in support for the defanged Taliban groups in recent years, including a "strategic triangle" of Hizb-i-Islami, al-Qaeda and the Taliban, which is in place to dethrone the Hamad Karzai government in Kabul through a new jihad. Thus, the JI will once again rise to promincence in Afghanistan[4]. They also have contacts with terrorist groups in Kashmir. Jamaat is invaluable to the Pakistani state here because it is the only separatist outfit in Kashmir that demands unification of the valley with Pakistan. Jamaat's main tactic is to increase unrest in Indian Kashmir and then convince international public opinion through its offshoots in Europe and North America that Delhi is engaged in violation of human rights. Jamaat camps in Pakistani Kashmir have trained Pakistanis, Kashmiris and foreign infiltrators to wage the "Holy Jihad" against India.

The Ji has it's tentacles in many other countries through the use of Islamist fronts. They pretend to be liberal groups but work in secret for Islamism. They have links with radical madrassa schools in many countries like Britain, where they have incited race-riots[4].

Many Pakistanis criticize the ideology of the JI as "semi-fascist". Analogies are drawn with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in neighboring India[7].

Various Islamic groups are engaged in competition in trying to provide relief efforts to earthquake victims in Pakistan. JI and affiliated groups have been involved in such efforts in the Pakistani city of Balakot[1].

[edit] Terrorist links

In a 1993 US Congressional Report, it is stated that Hizbul Mujahideen has been supported by, and closely affiliated with Jamaat-i-Islami, "from which they receive funding, weapons and training assistance beyond the ISI's contribution. Following the organizational principles recommended by Tehran and Khartoum, the movement has transformed into the Kashmiri Jamaat-i-Islami, under Abdul-Majid Dar, with a quasi-legal character emphasizing educational and social activism, with the Hizbul Mujahideen as the clandestine terrorist arm." Regarding the training of Kashmiri Islamist terrorists, the report states that, "Islamist indoctrination and other assistance is provided the Jamaat-i-Islami of Pakistan." [8]

GlobalSecurity.org report that Hizbul Mujahideen was formed in 1989 in the Kashmir valley "as the militant wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami at the behest of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, to counter the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which had advocated complete independence of the State." [9]

Khurshid Ahmed, writes on Jamaat.org, "The reason of war is Islamic forces’ meddling in Kashmir where religious parties’ role, and particularly of Jamaat-e-Islami, is highlighted. Collaboration and cooperation between the military and the Islamic forces is held responsible for the situation." [10]

The Times of India reports, "The Hizbul Mujahideen had borne the brunt of counter-insurgency operations for the past two years. He also found its political wing, the Jamaat-e-Islami, and its ameer, Ghulam Mohammed Butt, stressing the necessity for dialogue." [11]

US intelligence officers posted in Pakistan have been making detailed enquiries into the likely links of the Jamaat-e-Islami with Al Qaeda of Osama bin Laden. These enquiries are reported to have been started following the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed at Rawalpindi, Pakistan[12].

[edit] Offshoot

The Tanzeem-e-Islami is headed by Dr. Israr Ahmed [13] is an offshoot of Jamaat-e-islami.

[edit] References

  1. ^ GlobalSecurity.org: Jamaat-e-Islami
  2. ^ The creed of Theo-Fascism,IDP
  3. ^ a b c d e Jamaat-i-Islami Federal Research Division US Library of Congress
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Grare, Fredric, Anatomy of Islamism, Political Islam in the Indian Subcontinent,Manohar Publishers, New Delhi, 2001. ISBN 81-7304-404-X
  5. ^ Yesterday’s battles by Ayaz Amir (DAWN)
  6. ^ Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan: Our Perception of the Situation
  7. ^ Dissent is Alive, by Yoginder Sikand
  8. ^ The New Islamist International:Task Force on Terrorism & Unconventional Warfare. Report February 1, 1993
  9. ^ GlobalSecurity.org: Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM)
  10. ^ Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan: Pakistan: Crises and the Way Out
  11. ^ The Time of India: Why the Hizb talked and why it'll talk again
  12. ^ JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI, HIZBUL MUJAHIDEEN & AL QAEDA by B. Raman, Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Convenor, Advisory Committee, Observer Research Foundation, Chennai Chapter
  13. ^ Tanzeem e Islami

[edit] See also

[edit] Personalities

[edit] Islamic

The Jamaat is often mentioned as a major Islamic party, being the largest "religious party" in one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. Topics related to the wider discussion include:

[edit] Islam-related

[edit] Other topics related to Muslims in South Asia

[edit] External links

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