3 JULY 2003

GUJARAT POLICE CAN DUB EVEN SUFIS AS MILITANTS

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: Only Gujarat Police can do it, dubbing Tableegh-e-Jamaat that originated from the Sufi movement as a hardline Muslim outfit and arresting eight Saudis and a Sudanese belonging to it in Bharuch district early this week on the charge of preaching "militant Islam."

It is another matter that the Government of India has been, of late, investing heavily for revival of the Sufi culture among Muslims that the Bharuch Police Superintendent felt to be dangerous to nab its preachers and press for their deportation.

The Home Ministry officials are embarrassed to react to the Bharuch arrests as in the Centre's view a Sufi outfit just cannot have anything to do with militancy. In fact, the Centre is promoting the Sufi culture on the premise that it is the best suited in the Indian environment as it champions the cause of co-existence and non-militarism.

Tableegh-e-Jamaat has its headquarters at Nizamuddin in New Delhi and its functionaries are hard pressed to explain the origin of their outfit and how it is particularly against the militant Islam so much so that they used to be called puppets of British and even today criticised by the hardline Muslims for their determination to keep out of all controversies. They are, in fact, accused of preaching to make the Muslim community "docile."

Wahiuddin Khan, a Tableegh ideologue who runs an Islamic Centre, is known for inviting the anger of the hardliners among the Muslims for criticising the Kashmiri Muslims for ruining the state with their so-called struggle and advocating handover of the Babri Mosque site in Ayodhya to Hindus for the Ram Temple for the sake of communal harmony.

Reacting to the arrest of its preachers in Bharuch district, the Tableegh functionaries point out that it is just impossible that any of its preachers can preach militancy or violence.

As they point out, theirs is a non-political religious movement that originated in India in Haryana (Mewat) and found strong support in Pakistan and Bangladesh and it has now spread to almost every Islamic country.

Pointing out that the Bharuch district police chief has himself admitted that police has not been able to establish links between their arrested foreigner members and any international terrorist group, the functionaries say they are, in fact, hated by all those who indulge in violence. They are, therefore, shocked at the reports that Gujarat Police is recommending to the Centre to bar their entry into India in future.

They say Police would not have aroused suspicion if they knew how their outfit operates. Its members undertake preaching trips for three to 40 days and for four to 12 months and as a matter of principle they spend their own money during the journey and often sleep in mosques and madarsas. In their sermons after prayers in the mosques, they urge the faithful to become better Muslims.

"Tableegh-e-Jammat focuses on Ibadah (worship) and solidarity of brotherhood. The distinctive characteristic of this movement is that they don't get involved in politics or Jihad but salah (namaz), siyam (roza), hajj and the forty day travels for Dawah, they have a good positive effect on guiding many astray people to the Masjid and leading them to maintain salah (namaz) and to get rid of Haram (vices)," a Tableegh activist pointed out.

The Tableegh members travel from masjid to masjid preaching and their activies centre mainly on reading a particular book 'Fazaail-Aamaal' at gatherings in masjids, inviting others to join their activities. In general, they stick to non-controversial issues and claim that their sole aim is to encourage people towards following the religion by mentioning the virtues of different acts of worship.

The Tableegh functionaries worried at the Bharuch arrests point out that these foreigner members were certainly touring the Muslim-dominated areas of Amod, Jambusar, Palej etc as the Police says but it was not to indulge in religious propaganda but for preaching brotherhood.

Maulana Mohammad Ilyas popularly know as Hazratji (d. 1944) was the founder and first Amir of the Jamaat. He founded Jamaat on sufi priniciple and incorporated many sufi practices like Muraqabah (meditation), chillah (40-day seclusion period) and the silent Dhikr (remembrance).

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