Politics and Islamization: The Case of the Tablighi Jamaat in Bangladesh
摘要
The Tablighi Jamaat, an international Islamic reform movement, began in India in the 1920s. The aim of the movement is to achieve spiritual purification through carrying out dawah among Muslims worldwide. In pursuing this aim, the Tablighi Jamaat is known to be reluctant to act upon political issues; hence, it claims to be ‘apolitical’. This is a deliberate strategy of the Tablighi Jamaat leaders because by claiming this, Tablighi Jamaat attracts many members and followers, which makes this movement ‘successful’. However, viewing the Tablighi Jamaat as ‘apolitical’ is problematic because it hides the immediate and long-term political implications of the Tablighi Jamaat. The specific agenda of the Tablighi Jamaat in establishing an Islamic society through various dawah activities certainly has long-term political implications for Islamizing Bangladesh. Based on the long-term ethnographic research with the Tablighi Jamaat followers in Bangladesh, the chapter argues that although Tablighi Jamaat appears to be an ‘apolitical’ movement, it has a long-term vision and implications in establishing Islamic rules in every sphere of society by transforming individuals into dedicated Tablighi Jamaat followers. The Tablighi Jamaat is closely tied to the Hefazat-e-Islam in Bangladesh, where both are historically linked with Deoband, and it has been clearer after the July uprising in 2024. Therefore, it is important to understand the interplay of the Tablighi Jamaat, Hefazat and Qawmi madrasa (traditional Islamic education system) to understand the political implications of the Tablighi Jamaat in Bangladesh.