TABLIGHIS ‘JIHAD’ AND CORONA NIGHTMARE

Pandemic COVID-19 has spread wings all over the world and in the absence of a cure it is recommended to maintain social distancing. However, Banglewali Masjid in Nizamuddin area of New Delhi – the capital of India came under spotlight when it was reported that there were 2,500 plus Muslims converged from all over the world. They were vulnerable to catch novel coronovirus and are careers. When asked by government to vacate the headquarters there was resistance, initially, as he claims were that diseases such as Corona doesn’t catching them. Later it was agreed upon mutually to vacate the centre.

Since last week scores of bureaucrats, health workers and the police have been searching for thousands of Tablighi Jamaat activists who are spread out in 700 centres countrywide. As Hindustan Times reported Indian authorities have counted atleast 9,000 Tablighis and their contact tracked down and put under quarantined. “It is a nightmare” an officer told HT. Know who Tablighis are, and Dissect it how they could have initiated a jihad for a fight against the pandemic.

• A revivalist band of preachers working for islam and persuading Muslims to follow the basic tenets propagated by Prophet Muhammed. The movement which has spread all over the world was started in 1926 from Mewat, now in Haryana a province in North India.
• It gets thousands of preachers form world over, who go back to their native places and connect to Muslims in a parallel set up out of the mosques. It has presence in 150 countries with 250 million followers. The Jamaat has two kinds of people moderates and radicals.
• Dr. Zakir Hussain former president of India was one of its active members and was known to Jamaat’s founder Maulana Muhammad Iliyas.
• A Tablighi can be identified as he wears long-loose kurta, short pyjama over the ankles, a scarf over the shoulder and a taqiyah (skull cap). Tablighis are also recommended to keep trimmed long beard, minus the moustaches.

Tablighi are centered for betterment of own religion, preaches Kalima (belief), salan (performing prayers), ilm (knowledge), iqram-e-muslim (respect for fellow muslims), ikhlas (reformation) and dawat-e-tablighi (inviting to the cult). They have strong presence in England and India and their style of functioning is under a close watched.