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
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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.
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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
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