Jamaat-e-Islami

This article is about the religious organization. For the political party, see Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other uses, see Jamaat-e-Islami (disambiguation).
Jamaat e Islami
جماعتِ اسلامی
SuccessorJI Hind
JI Pakistan
JI Bangladesh
JI Kashmir
JI Afghanistan
Founded1941; 83 years ago (1941)
FounderSyed Abul Ala Maududi
Founded atIslamia Park, Lahore, Punjab, British India
PurposePan-Islamism
Religious conservatism
Islamic revivalism
Islamic fundamentalism
Shi'a–Sunni unity
Anti-communism
Anti-zionism
Anti-Imperialism[1][2]
Anti-western[2]
AffiliationsMuslim Brotherhood[2]
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Jamaat-e-Islami (Urdu: جماعتِ اسلامی, lit. 'Society of Islam') is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author, theorist, and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood.[3] It is considered one of the most influential Islamist organisations,[4] and was the first to develop an ideology based on the modern revolutionary conception of Islam.[5] Its founding branch in Pakistan is the nation's largest fundamentalist party.[6]

Jamaat-e-Islami was founded to spread Islamic values across the Indian subcontinent and advocate for an Islamic political system. It was formed on 26 August 1941 in Lahore under the leadership of Maududi, who believed that contemporary political ideologies resulted from Western imperialism, and that it was necessary to implement Sharia law to preserve Muslim culture.[7] Maududi believed politics was "an integral, inseparable part of the Islamic faith," and that Islamic ideology and non-Islamic ideologies (such as capitalism and socialism, liberalism or secularism) were mutually exclusive. He saw the creation of an Islamic state as both act of piety, and a cure for social and economic problems faced by Muslims, which he attributed to Western influence.[8][9]

Jamaat-e-Islami opposed the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan and actively worked to prevent it.[10] After the partition of India, the organisation spearheaded the movement to transform Pakistan from a Muslim homeland into an Islamic state. Madudi's efforts focused on transforming to a "theo-democracy" based on the Sharia which would enforce things like abolition of interest-bearing banks, sexual separation, veiling of women, hadud penalties for theft, adultery, and other crimes.[11] Jamaat seeks to spur an Islamic revival, implementing Islam as a universal religion.[12][13]

Jamaat-e-Islami is banned in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India[14] and has historically faced bans in Bangladesh, most recently in 2024.[15] Since 2003, the organization is designated as terrorist by Russia.[16]

  1. ^ "Jamaat to launch nation-wide 'anti-imperialism' campaign". Zee News. 10 December 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Gani, Jasmine K. (21 October 2022). "Anti-colonial connectivity between Islamicate movements in the Middle East and South Asia: the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamati Islam". Post Colonial Studies. 26. Routledge: 55–76. doi:10.1080/13688790.2023.2127660. hdl:10023/26238. S2CID 253068552.
  3. ^ Ahmad, Irfan (2004). "The Jewish Hand: The response of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind". In van der Veer, Peter; Munshi, Shoma (eds.). Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses from the Middle East and Asia. Psychology Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-415-33140-1. As is well known, Jamaat-e-Islami was formed in undivided India in 1941 by Syed Abul Ala Maududi (1903–1979) to establish Hukumat-e-Ilahiya, God's governance.
  4. ^ Roy, Olivier (1994). The Failure of Political Islam. Harvard University Press. pp. 35. ISBN 9780674291409.
  5. ^ "Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Islamic Assembly Jamaat-e-Islami-e-Pakistan (JIP)". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  6. ^ Canada, Immigration and Refugee Board of (5 June 2018). "Responses to Information Requests". Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  7. ^ "What is the Jamaat-e-Islami and Why is the State Cracking Down On It: News18 Explains". News18. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  8. ^ Kepel, Gilles (2002). Jihad: on the Trail of Political Islam. Belknap Press. p. 34.
  9. ^ Nasr, S.V.R. (1994). The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution: The Jamaat-i Islami of Pakistan. I.B.Tauris. p. 7. ISBN 9780520083691.
  10. ^ Oh, Irene (2007). The Rights of God: Islam, Human Rights, and Comparative Ethics. Georgetown University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-58901-463-3. In the debate over whether Muslims should establish their own state, separate from a Hindu India, Maududi initially argued against such a creation and asserted that the establishment of a political Muslim state defined by borders violated the idea of the universal umma. Citizenship and national borders, which would characterize the new Muslim state, contradicted the notion that Muslims should not be separated by one another by these temporal boundaries. In this milieu, Maududi founded the organization Jama'at-i Islamic. The Jama'at for its first few years worked actively to prevent the partition, but once partition became inevitable, it established offices in both Pakistan and India.
  11. ^ Ruthven, Malise (2000). Islam in the World (2nd ed.). Penguin. pp. 329–1.
  12. ^ Adams, Charles J (1983). "Mawdudi and the Islamic State". In Esposito, John (ed.). Voices of Resurgent Islam. Oxford University Press. pp. 105.
  13. ^ "Jama'at-i Islami | History, Political Group, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Govt extends ban on Jamaat-e-Islami (J&K) for 5 more years". The Indian Express. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Revival in Motion? The Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh and Pakistan". www.efsas.org. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  16. ^ Единый федеральный список организаций, в том числе иностранных и международных организаций, признанных в соответствии с законодательством Российской Федерации террористическими (in Russian). 2 December 2023. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024.