Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Religious, Political, Intellectual Leadership of Muslims in India

By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam 11 May 2023 Ujalun Main Safar: Tehreek E Islami Ke Saath Nisf Sadi (The Journey of Light: Half Century with Islamic Movement) Author: Intizar Naeem Publisher: Shahkar Publishers, Delhi, India Year of Publication: 2021 Pages: 424, Price: Rs 500 ------ Jamaat e Islami Hind (JIIH) has undertaken a huge task since its inception after the partition to provide religious, political and intellectual leadership to the Muslim minority in India. Mawlana Abul Ala Mawdudi (1903-1979), as a scholar, intellectual, leader and political activist interpreted Islam as a dynamic force that believes in changing every facet of human life and revolutionizing it to be synchronous with Islamic weltanschauung as conceived by him in his voluminous writings. The impact of his corpus of writings that he published in his journal Tarjuman ul Quran was so strong that hundreds of thousands of Muslims joined his organization Jamaat e Islami (JeI), that has its independent chapters in all South Asian countries and Muslim diaspora in the West. It also inspired Muslim intellectuals who had a religious bent of mind to explain and engage with issues in the light of writings and interpretations of Mawdudi. It is indeed a great feat of JeI, that it produced hundreds of writers big and small, among its ranks since its creation. However, the fact is that all these writers did not develop any independent or critical thinking, because after the death of Mawdudi, reading and writing continued in the ranks of JeI, but pondering and critical thinking stopped. Those who were critical left JeI, like Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and Javed Ahmad Ghamidi and numerous others. The current book under review is not a critical study of JeI or its founder, but is an autobiography of an important ideologue, leader, activist of Jamaat e Islami Hind (JeIH), that documents his journey spanning over more than five decades with the Islamic movement in India. Intizar Naeem, is a creative writer, poet, orator who previously has published scores of books in different genres ranging from serious deliberation of issues as well as poetry. This autobiography is very important to understand JeIH, its contours and how its leaders and members have depicted exemplary character. He details his personal journey in JeIH, Maharashtra chapter, where he was mentored by its Ameer Shams Pirzada, who himself was a great Islamic scholar and exegete of the Holy Quran titled Dawat ul Quran. Dawat ul Quran, has been a popular exegesis among the masses too. In 1972, he was transferred to Delhi. Earlier during his youthful years, he was introduced to the JeIH, through its official organ Dawat newspaper, that lead him to the writings of Mawdudi that changed the whole course of his life. Later in November 1967, he participated in all India convention of JeIH, held in Mumbai. He also got involved with the Dalits and tried to understand their politics and issues. His book about Dalits has been quite appreciated in the academic, literary and intellectual circles. After his initial association, he became a full-time worker of JeIH, and started editing the Mumbai edition of its newspaper. The communal riots were a common feature and Intizar helped in surveying the affected areas and prepare reports for JeIH. JeIH also undertook various efforts to maintain peace and cordial relations between Hindus and Muslims, while highlighting the atrocities of police and communal marauders. He also informs the reader about the involvement of JeIH, in the relief and rehabilitation of victims of anti-Sikh riots in 1984. He also engages with the impact of 1971 Indo-Pak war on the Hindu-Muslim relations in Mumbai. Hamid Dalwai, an important Muslim intellectual who raised prominent critical questions about Shariah and Islam, is dismissed by Intizar as someone who has not read Quran and knew very little about Islam (P-47), a claim that can be rebutted. But we are a witness that Islamic Movement, offers a very little space for dissent and has curtailed the development of critical thinking among masses. After migrating to Delhi, he started working for the Delhi chapter of JeIH. Being a poet too, he composed religious and Islamic verses, a few collections of which have been compiled and published too. Then an Emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi in India, and JeIH along with other rightwing organizations like RSS were banned and their leaders and members sent to jails. It was the jails that provided a unique platform to the leaders and members of these right-wing organizations to come together and develop mutual understanding about various issues particularly religious. Intizar informs about the editor of a Hindi Panch Jeena, Deena Nath Mishra who had never met a Muslim and once they met and developed nice relations that helped remove and expunge a lot of stereotypes and bias against Islam. RSS and JeIH members during their jail times, thanks to emergency developed very good relations that were spoiled in the aftermath of Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. He also documents his efforts to cater to the needs of families of those JeIH members who were incarcerated during emergency period. Madhur Sandesh Sangam, a publishing house has been printing Quran and other Islamic literature in Hindi, to reach out to the non-Muslim masses, and Intizar was sparing his efforts for it. The book is full of descriptions about his association with editing, and publishing of books, as he is essentially a writer. The information about attacks on JeI, particularly in Kashmir in the aftermath of hanging of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Pakistan by General Zia ul Haq is a gory chapter in the history of Islamic Movement in South Asia. There is also an eye witness account of Mawdudi’s death and burial in Pakistan as he was a part of the Indian delegation that visited Pakistan on his death. He also includes travelogues, encounters that he experienced during his travels in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, England, Kuwait and other countries. He also recited his poems in various public poetic gatherings during his visits. As a part of Radiance weekly, he had to undertake travels in various parts of country for reporting from the ground. These travels also depict a hidden trait of his personality, that of being a journalist. An important confession that Intizar makes is about Shah Bano controversy that he considers the court judgment to be not against the spirit of Islam. But the issue was not handled very well by the religious clergy and even JeIH, supported the ill-conceived move by All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), to oppose the judgement, whose repercussions resulted in the Hindu-Muslim polarization that ultimately led to the demolition of Babri Masjid and in its wake JeIH was also banned by the government. Post retirement in 2019, Intizar is engaged in writing and using Right to Information (RTI) law for empowerment and social activism. Till date he has filed more than 1400 RTI applications. He also has suggestions about maintaining discipline in the ranks of JeIH. This autobiography is an essential read for anyone who is interested in understanding how JeIH has navigated post partition in India. It has engaged as a movement with issues that has direct impact on Indian Muslims, while working towards judicial activism and communal harmony too. There is a dearth of literature documenting the official history of JeIH, although they regularly publish the seminar and national convention proceedings and reports, but this autobiography certainly does offer insights that are missing from those reports. Intizar Naeem needs to be congratulated for this work, although personal, but it helps to clear many smokescreens and stereotypes that are surrounding JeIH, its cadres, modus operandi and social engagement. This autobiography needs to be translated into English language for a wider dissemination. ----- M.H.A.Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir URL: https://newageislam.com/books-documents/jamaat-islami-hind-religious-leadership-muslims/d/129754 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism