By Rajaque Rahman,
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has urged the likes of Syed Imam Bukhari and Zakir Naik to go to Iraq and preach peace to ISIS. Sri Sri is not only prodding them to take the responsibility of mitigating the sufferings in Iraq but also underlining that their brand of Islam runs the risk of encouraging ISIS-type of fanaticism in India.
What’s happening in Iraq and Syria is not a conventional Shia-Sunni conflict. It is a case of motivated groups of wrongly indoctrinated fighters going out of control and playing havoc. They are killing Sunnis, Sufis, Shias and Christians. Their call for Caliphate is just a camouflage to spread Wahhabism in areas traditionally dominated by spiritually-oriented liberal Muslim sects.
Tragically, rogue groups patronized by the Wahhabis rule thousands of square miles in this area today. And that’s scary. Following an orthodox form of Islam that insists on a literal interpretation of the Quran, the Wahhabis believe that all those who don’t subscribe to their brand of Islam are to be hated, persecuted, even executed. And from Algeria to Afghanistan to Iraq, they have done that religiously.
Osama bin Laden to Mullah Omar to now Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, all are propagators of this school of thought. The root of hatred is systematically nurtured in the madrassas of Saudi Arabia and exported all over the globe. The religious curriculum in Saudi Arabia teaches children as young as 13 that in Allah’s eyes, people are of just two types. Wahhabis, the blessed ones, and the rest. The rest include all non-Wahhabi Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and others.
What Islam needs today is not a movement towards orthodoxy, but a dynamic interpretation of its tenets. There can be no debate or compromise about its core creed. But its interpretation and application should change from time to time. When it’s frozen at a certain period, it becomes outdated and loses its charm and appeal. And that is the biggest tragedy of the ummah today. The deviant behaviors are so rampant to make radical groups believe that a revivalist agenda and strict policing are the only way.
This distorted rigidity is what has kept the Arab world backward and is also making Muslims in India vulnerable. The rising influence of the Tablighi Jamaat, effectively the flag bearers of Wahhabism in the Indian subcontinent, is a worrying factor.
A recent news item talked about an Intelligence Bureau report which says some 25,000 Wahhabi preachers visited India last year, addressing over 1.2 million people in events organized mostly by Tablighi Jamaats. This is dangerous. It is a known fact that groups like Indian Mujahideen draw their inspiration from this ideology. Add to it the millions of petro-dollar flowing into Indian madrassas from Wahhabi groups in Saudi Arabia. Along with the investment comes a heavy dose of ideological and cultural preaching.
I was shocked when I recently visited an Islamic seminary in Bangalore. Barring the location sans the date palms and desert sands, it looked like a mini Saudi Arabia. It had nothing Indian. That way, the Wahhabis have already succeeded in insulating the Indian Muslims from the mainstream and sowing a rigid ideology. This ideological arrangement could also be behind Deoband’s stated apprehensions against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed plan for Madrassa reforms.
This trend can destroy Indian social fabrics. Not only it will create a chasm between an increasingly fanatical Muslim population and the rest but also has the risk of all hell breaking loose among different sects of Indian Muslims.
This ideological invasion needs to be checked immediately. ISIS may not dream of taking over Delhi but they will be keen to unleash their influence on radical Muslim groups in Kashmir and elsewhere in India. And they will sneak in not in combat uniforms but most likely as religious preachers. India needs to be alert to this.
Liberal Indian Muslims must stand up to join this national jehad of saving the nation from the clutches of orthodoxy! Condemning Osama bin Laden is not enough. We need to fight the mindset that gave birth to bin Laden. Let’s take it upon ourselves the task of ensuring that this radical ideology is not taught and preached in any form in India.
(The author is social worker and currently works as a volunteer of the Art of Living foundation. He can be reached on rajaque@gmail.com. The views expressed in the article are personal.)
I suggest first you preach your stone worshippers to behave well with women. When I see news papers I feel ashamed to read about your people rapists, father raping daughter, son raping mother such shameful of your people they need radical approach
first of aLL U DONT KNOW WHO IS WAHABI ………TEHY R THE REAL SUNNI AHLE SUNNA WAL JAMAA .THESE SUFIS HAVE GIVEN THEM THIS NAME WAHABI….BEC IN THEIR SCHOLOR LIST THERE WAS A GREAT SCHOLOR ABDUL IBN WAHAB R.A …………WHO STARTED THE SAME REVOLUTION WHAT MOHAMED [PBUH] DID …..TAWHEED THERE IS NO TRUE GOD BUT ONLY ALLAH ……..LAST MR SHRI U DONT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM SO PLEASE GO AND BARK IN UR BABAGIRI
I second you, brother.
This guy has zero knowledge about Islam and Muslims.
The term “Wahabism” is given by the haters to the people who have firm belief in Tawhid & sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.)
you are right bro.
Targeting tablighi jamaat is baseless . It has nothing to do with politics or jehad . It is only involved with preaching and reformation of ummah.The author seems to promote his ideology or sect
Very well written article. Inclusion is more important than excluding people based on their faith. Give space for any faith. Wahabi influence is there in Tamil Nadu also. There is a movement against “Dargha” in Tamil Nadu. “Dargha” is part of Tamil Muslim’s culture. Why these saudi influenced people should oppose it? The attitude of not respecting others faith is dangerous.
Thanks for publishing this article.
IF you want to worship the so called Waliyullahs or have brokers to GOD please make your own religion. Don’t do that in the name of Islam. When you break the basic tenet of islam which says thee is no one worth of worship but Allay.
It is sad that you want to follow your forefathers footsteps in the name of Tamil culture (don’t say muslim culture). But allah asks if you would follow your forefathers even if they were in the wrong path. Please be prepared to answer Allah in the hereafter. I don’t understand how many Wahibis in TN attacked people who come for worship in masjids (you so called Barelvis/ Dargha worshipers have beaten and departed so many muslims in so many villages).
It is absolute hypocrisy to call all the Wahhabis as extremists. yes there are few in Arab world who are brainwashed by some elements.
Since you are not able to battle out the concept of islam from its authentic books you take all these circuitous route to defeat islam.
It’s high time Tablighi Jamaat and other Saudi funded like institutions like Deoband should be banned nd closed or else nothing but hatred and blood spillled all will be inherited by our children.
Mam,
Tableeghi jamaat is not a Saudi funded group, infact it’s funded by nobody except the people participating in it.
U should be banned first, kicked out from muslim community and kicked out from India as well…don’t bark with ur saffron driven ideologies. ..sick
safeen i had a different idea about you but this comment has taken the mask off.
U R Wright, this people had created a big confilct among muslims,
there was no wahabbis in past of 200yrs. Where as there was no terrorism 200yrs back.When this groups came existence, they started creating a conflict between Muslim Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat with a new teaching which also opposed directly to the holy places of sufis,pious, walis os Allah & so the division started.
I currently resides in KSA. And i have seen all this evil teaching are done here.
How a wahabis will be right who had destroyed the tomb of sahabis in Jannat-ul-baqi & had made a big road on their grave.is this is Jaiz in Islam.
Why this wahabis had changed the name Saudi Arabia which was called from time of Hazrat Ibrahim Alaihissalaam (Hijaz).
Who r saud?
have a look on History of hijaz.
This man sound like a looser. Once he humiliate by zakir naik in a logical debate so he raise a issue which he has less knowledge and illogical. If so much concern about extremism in india why he should not preach the goon of rss.
This man is sadly misinformed about the various groups he targeted in the article.
Man go get your facts correct & then talk about Islam & Muslims.
This author works as volunteer in art of leaving…which in name of yoga spreading polytheism, idol worshiping, believing fire, sun as God….and this nut interpretes abt Dr.Naik , tablig jamath n islam….and this website publishes here…and muslim named bjp , rss ppl lauds n echos this author’s idealogy….
Dear author if ur a true muslim plz come out of art of leaving, and do something better….even cleaning a masjid is pious job than volunteering art of leaving…..plz keep ur opinion with in ur shitty mind. …dnt talk ill abt madarsa n naik….this website I hope is controlled by saffron ….Shame on u author.
Just call Dr.Zakir naik.He will run away.He even doesnt know what he has written in his books.
what an idiot this author is,no substance and no reality all distorted perceptions and imaginations,i am living in saudi arabia for past three years,working as an orthodontist,which allows an close rapport with youngsters,i have never come across any sort of fanaticism, infact saudis are more secular than our educated majoritarians,none is discriminated,that’s why hordes of professionals from majority community are flooding saudi,regarding tableegi jamat,i had been with them during growing years, they just talk about basics of islam, and sunnah of prophet muhammad(pbuh)nothing beyond,in realty they have reformed innumerable deviants bringing lots of good to society and by the way what is wahabism nothing but puritan form of islam.
The Writer has Zero understanding of these terms, it would be useless to take this issue here. First he has to them well.
will this self proclaimed saint SRI SRI will go to gujarat, muzaffarnagar and preach people there not to kill muslims or will he preach to radicals of orissa not to kill chriastians
U remember muzzafarnagar and forget Kashmir,in kashmir whole kashmir got intolrent against Kashmiri pandit have you shown any sympathy in muzafarnagar some no of people got extrimist ,but in kashmir 10 Lakh kashmiri muslim came out and shouted”kashmir me rahna hai to allah hu akbar kahna hai”,their were chunked of casetts crying “Hindu yahan se jayenge , aurto ke sath pakistan banayenge”,resulting 5 Lakh kashmiri forced to leave.have u ever thought of atrocity made by muslim in own country .u demand for justice when u in minoroty but when u become majority start ETHNIC CLEANSING.U may abuse 1000 times modi
But beleive me hindu can be safe only in BJP GOVT.Muslim govt will annhilate hindu
the society is dead and dum if no one raise a single point. true Muslim will congratulate author for raising appropriate point.; only dum and dead people curse others for their misery. always blames others like RSS etc etc .
India should realize the seriousness of the plan of wahabism and it’s growing influence in India and should strictly put ban on them, they are all terrorist and the followers of Abdul Wahab Najdi who him self was a big terrorist, and through this way he come into the power by his terrorism, today there followers spending billions petro-dollar in the countries where the Muslim reside, in the shadow of Mosques and Madaresa they want to impose a wahabi ideology, which is based on hatred, killing and destruction, if, today India will not pay attention on this grave concern , then tomorrow must pay it’s cost.