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The Jamaat-e-Islami in India, officially known as the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, is one of the religious service organizations of the Muslims in India. Originally created by Syed Abu Alaa Maudoodi, the Jamaat split into separate wings after the independence of India from the British, and the creation of Pakistan. The Indian wing reorganized itself as the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and dedicated itself for the betterment of the Indian Muslims.
While I have never been involved with the Jamaat-e-Islami, my last few trips to India have brought more awareness to their activities, mainly owing to the deep involvement of some family friends. I found myself impressed with their efforts and thought it would be beneficial to educate our Pakistani friends with some of the activities in India of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Legal – The Jamaat provides legal representation and help to many Muslims who are wrongfully incarcerated by the Indian police on frivolous charges. Many Muslims have been able to free themselves from the arbitrary charges that were slapped on them. In addition, it also helps Hindus, who want to convert to Islam, navigate the legal maze of ant-conversion laws in several states. In one case that I am familiar with, the Jamaat lawyers assisted a Hindu lady who wanted to convert to Islam, fill out the necessary forms and obtain no objection letters from her family.
Dawaah – The Jamaat does not actively proselyte Islam to non-Muslims, but at the same time, does not turn away any non-Muslim who approaches them for further information on Islam. Most of their efforts are dedicated to improving the knowledge of Islam within the Muslim community and strengthen their faith. Most of the membership of the Jamaat is made up of lower-middle class and middle class Muslims and as such, most programs are geared towards them.
An interesting side note here. While I was on a visit to one city, we ended up meeting with the Ameer of that city’s Jamaat chapter – a well-educated gentleman who runs several businesses in the city. He told me that in the evening, he was going to give a speech on Islam at the local RSS office. He said that a couple of weeks ago, the RSS held a session on different faiths and invited people from different religions to give a short 10 minute lecture on their religion. He was invited to speak on Islam. He said that following that speech of his, the audience wanted to hear more about Islam, and that is why he was being invited again to give an exclusive 1 hour lecture on Islam, followed by a question/answer session. We both had a good discussion on the wisdom of engaging with fascists, but he defended his decision to go (and I grudgingly accepted) that we Muslims cannot refuse to explain our religion when the other side is giving us an opportunity – and of course, who knows whose heart can be turned by the words of Islam.
Schools & Orphanages – The Jamaat has been instrumental in setting up orphanages to assist the poor within the Muslim community. In one of the cities that I am familiar with, the orphans were finding it difficult to adjust in the public/private school system of the city, so the Jamaat bought some more land adjacent to the orphanage and set up a school. Contrary to the belief that the Jamaat sets up and runs madrassas, the Jamaat set up a nice, modern school based on the SSC curriculum and set up evening classes on Islam for the students. The teaching staff hired was a mix of Hindu & Muslim. It was very encouraging to learn on my last trip that some of the early students have now graduated from colleges and were now accountants, technicians and medical staff. In my conversations I learned that this is the new formula of the Jamaat schools – all education will be modeled on the SSC board, with extra classes on Islam outside of the school hours. For those who associate Muslim education with madrassas and it’s symbolizing backwardness and non-employability, this should be welcome news.
Rehabilitation & Relief – Following the Delhi pogrom of 2020, the Jamaat collected funds and facilitated the reconstruction of many houses and businesses of Muslims that were burnt down. Jamaat volunteers also helped the victims sign up for the monetary compensation that was provided by the Delhi state government. This same effort is replicated in other areas of the country where Muslims have faced destruction, either from the state or natural disasters. Besides this, the Jamaat spends a large sum to provide daily provisions to the poor in the community. When I asked if these provisions are exclusive for Muslims, the answer was that anyone can avail of them, but most of the recipients are Muslims.
In summary, all of the Jamaat-e-Islami members I met were deeply religious and dedicated Muslims, committed to the upliftment of their community under the adverse circumstances of our times. All of them were either running their own businesses or employees and spent most of their free time volunteering in the Jamaat’s social and religious activities. All were deeply disappointed at the direction India had taken and admitted that the Muslims in India were now third-class citizens. They fully expected that the Jamaat could get banned anytime by the government, and things would get worse for the Muslims in India, before they get any better.
While I have never been involved with the Jamaat-e-Islami, my last few trips to India have brought more awareness to their activities, mainly owing to the deep involvement of some family friends. I found myself impressed with their efforts and thought it would be beneficial to educate our Pakistani friends with some of the activities in India of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Legal – The Jamaat provides legal representation and help to many Muslims who are wrongfully incarcerated by the Indian police on frivolous charges. Many Muslims have been able to free themselves from the arbitrary charges that were slapped on them. In addition, it also helps Hindus, who want to convert to Islam, navigate the legal maze of ant-conversion laws in several states. In one case that I am familiar with, the Jamaat lawyers assisted a Hindu lady who wanted to convert to Islam, fill out the necessary forms and obtain no objection letters from her family.
Dawaah – The Jamaat does not actively proselyte Islam to non-Muslims, but at the same time, does not turn away any non-Muslim who approaches them for further information on Islam. Most of their efforts are dedicated to improving the knowledge of Islam within the Muslim community and strengthen their faith. Most of the membership of the Jamaat is made up of lower-middle class and middle class Muslims and as such, most programs are geared towards them.
An interesting side note here. While I was on a visit to one city, we ended up meeting with the Ameer of that city’s Jamaat chapter – a well-educated gentleman who runs several businesses in the city. He told me that in the evening, he was going to give a speech on Islam at the local RSS office. He said that a couple of weeks ago, the RSS held a session on different faiths and invited people from different religions to give a short 10 minute lecture on their religion. He was invited to speak on Islam. He said that following that speech of his, the audience wanted to hear more about Islam, and that is why he was being invited again to give an exclusive 1 hour lecture on Islam, followed by a question/answer session. We both had a good discussion on the wisdom of engaging with fascists, but he defended his decision to go (and I grudgingly accepted) that we Muslims cannot refuse to explain our religion when the other side is giving us an opportunity – and of course, who knows whose heart can be turned by the words of Islam.
Schools & Orphanages – The Jamaat has been instrumental in setting up orphanages to assist the poor within the Muslim community. In one of the cities that I am familiar with, the orphans were finding it difficult to adjust in the public/private school system of the city, so the Jamaat bought some more land adjacent to the orphanage and set up a school. Contrary to the belief that the Jamaat sets up and runs madrassas, the Jamaat set up a nice, modern school based on the SSC curriculum and set up evening classes on Islam for the students. The teaching staff hired was a mix of Hindu & Muslim. It was very encouraging to learn on my last trip that some of the early students have now graduated from colleges and were now accountants, technicians and medical staff. In my conversations I learned that this is the new formula of the Jamaat schools – all education will be modeled on the SSC board, with extra classes on Islam outside of the school hours. For those who associate Muslim education with madrassas and it’s symbolizing backwardness and non-employability, this should be welcome news.
Rehabilitation & Relief – Following the Delhi pogrom of 2020, the Jamaat collected funds and facilitated the reconstruction of many houses and businesses of Muslims that were burnt down. Jamaat volunteers also helped the victims sign up for the monetary compensation that was provided by the Delhi state government. This same effort is replicated in other areas of the country where Muslims have faced destruction, either from the state or natural disasters. Besides this, the Jamaat spends a large sum to provide daily provisions to the poor in the community. When I asked if these provisions are exclusive for Muslims, the answer was that anyone can avail of them, but most of the recipients are Muslims.
In summary, all of the Jamaat-e-Islami members I met were deeply religious and dedicated Muslims, committed to the upliftment of their community under the adverse circumstances of our times. All of them were either running their own businesses or employees and spent most of their free time volunteering in the Jamaat’s social and religious activities. All were deeply disappointed at the direction India had taken and admitted that the Muslims in India were now third-class citizens. They fully expected that the Jamaat could get banned anytime by the government, and things would get worse for the Muslims in India, before they get any better.
