The Impact of Wahhabi-Salafi Extremism on India and Islamic Traditions

By Sahil Razvi, New Age Islam 30 September 2024 Wahhabi-Salafi Extremism Has Undermined India’s Islamic Traditions, Promoting Division, Cultural Destruction, And Violence. Supported by Saudi Funding for Almost Half a Century, It Rejects Sufism and Fosters Radicalism, Damaging Islam’s Peaceful Heritage. Main Points: 1. Wahhabi-Salafi ideology rejects Sufi and Shia traditions as innovations. 2. It has caused divisions within the Indian Muslim community. 3. Wahhabi-Salafi extremism has attacked Indian Islamic cultural heritage. 4. It promotes terrorism and violence, damaging Islam's image. 5. Saudi financial support has fuelled its spread in India. ------ (Photo from Files) An offshoot of 18th-century Saudi Arabia, founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Wahhabi-Salafi extremism has been a religious movement that pushes for a strict and intolerant understanding of Islam, displaying animosity towards Islam's traditions, particularly Sufism and Shia belief. Rejecting the spiritual and cultural nature of Islam, the Wahhab ideology has badly affected India's Islamic tradition and its society mainly in the period during and after British rule. Traditions of Islam were also always represented in India by liberal traditions of Sufi saints and scholars. Such a representation, over the years, also ensured peace, tolerance, and brotherhood in society. Wahhabi-Salafi extremists, however, regarded these traditions as "bid'ah" (innovation). They questioned Sufism and the veneration at dargahs (shrines) and pilgrimages to such places, deeming these customs against the principles of Islam. This narrow vision divided the Muslim community and created dissensions and fights within it. The Indian Islamic tradition has been led by the mystic saints and scholars, who promoted love, spirituality, and service to humanity. However, the Wahhabi-Salafi ideology branded those traditions as involving "shirk," or something equivalent to idol worship, when it spoke of the worship of Sufi saints' tombs and dargahs. In many regions, an attempt was made to destroy those sacred places, which, to some extent, badly damaged the Indian Islamic cultural heritage and undermined centuries-old traditions of religious devotion. Wahhabi-Salafi ideology has also promoted violence and terrorism. Wahhabi ideologies have inspired numerous such organizations that have committed various terrorist activities and thus caused severe damage to the image of Islam worldwide. In India, extremist groups influenced by Wahhabi thought have committed violent acts that instilled fear among the members of this community. Wahhabi-Salafi extremism has been harmful to the practice of Hindu-Muslim unity in India. Indian Islam is deeply rooted in Sufism and supports Hindu-Muslim unity. Sufi shrines have become places of faith and worship for people from all religions and communities. Wahhabi extremists questioned the meaning of these shrines and helped grow religious divisions and communal tensions. Indian Islamic culture, which ranges from Qawwali (Sufi devotional music) to religious art and Sufi music, has long been a mainstay of the social setup. Such cultural traditions, however, are considered illegitimate as per Wahhabi ideology. Thus, Indian Islamic cultural entities have confronted existential threats; in other words, their credibility has been undermined. Wahhabi-Salafi extremism is aimed at derooting the harmony between Islamic thought and Indian cultural traditions that have existed for centuries. (Photo from Files) ------ Islamic education also suffered the worst at the hands of Wahhabi-Salafi extremism. Madrasas, which classically used to teach teachings of Sufi and liberalism, were replaced with Wahhabi-Salafi ideology-based rigid curriculums. This new-generation mindset changed the minds of Muslims, and Muslim youngsters and their intelligentsia began to dislike other branches and traditions within Islam and adopted an intolerant approach towards religious belief. Above all, the spread of Wahhabi ideology in India was largely facilitated by financial backing from Saudi Arabia. In fact, much investment was made by Saudi Arabia into the promotion of Salafi-Wahhabism. Financial backing paved the way for the rapid expansion of Salafi-Wahhabi ideology in India. The ideology also became a political tool to propagate extreme thought dislocated from the true and historical essence of Indian Islam. Wahhabi-Salafi extremism has significantly impacted Indian Islamic traditions, cultural diversity, and religious tolerance. It has nurtured a factional situation among the Muslims of India and promoted violence, thereby splitting the unity of Hindus and Muslims. The rigid and intolerant Wahhabi-Salafi ideology not only threatens the very essence of Indian Islamic traditions but also leads to discrediting the face of Islam all over the world. Muslim communities must vigilantly watch out for the dangers that Wahhabi-Salafi extremism might pose so as to keep the real essence of Islam intact in India. ------ Sahil Razvi is an author and research scholar specialising in Sufism and History and an alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/wahhabi-salafi-extremism-india-islamic-traditions/d/133317 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