Increasing Wahhabism in IndiaTop Stories

July 10, 2014 17:56
Increasing Wahhabism in India},{Increasing Wahhabism in India

(Image source from: Increasing Wahhabism in India})

The ever growing conflict in Iraq has brought to the forefront the issue of increasing Wahhabism in India. Wahhabism is an extreme form of Islam followed in muslim counties like Saudi Arabia.

According to a report published by Intelligence Bureau (IB) of India, the preachers of Wahhabism are trying to take control of madrasas and masjids.

In Iraq, the militant group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has been trying to impose Wahhabism in the country and its effect are visible in various parts of the world.

Indian Muslims have been caught in this crossfire in Iraq unleashed by the ISIS. Muslims in India subscribe to the Hanafi school of Islam, which is moderate. But there are some muslims, especially those who have worked for some time in Saudi Arabia and returned home now, follow Wahhabism and are trying to impose this extreme form of Islam on Indian muslims in a big way.

An IB report suggest that the trend of tying to impose Wahhabism on Indian muslims began in 2010. That year many Wahhabis in Mumbai's Pathanwadi area laid siege to a Sunni mosque. They prevented the followers from entering the mosque.

Such incidents have been reported in mosques all over the country – including Lucknow, Kerala, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

According to an IB official dedicated persons have been assigned in Saudi Arabia. These people travel all over the world to impose the Wahhabi culture among muslims. In Kerala, the Wahabis have entered into tussles in order to take control of mosque. There have been cases where an attempt to bribe trustees of a particular mosque with funds from Saudi Arabia have been reported. These trustees have handed over the control of mosque to Wahhabis, said the IB official.

Another instance is that of a Nagpur mosque that needed renovation immediate. But the mosque did not have the fund to do renovation work. The opportunity was grabbed by Wahhabis, who pumped money for renovation and subsequently took control over the mosque.

These Saudi preachers have not only tried to take over mosques, but also madrasas.

India has more than 50,000 madrasas, out of which several are under the control of Wahhabis, said the IB official, while adding that they hope India's Muslim community view this development seriously.

India's IB is worried about the growing network of Wahhabi organisations in the country. Sophisticated methods of indoctrination has been developed to recruit muslim youths to this brand of Islam. For a wider reach they are operating at the grass root level - in madrasas and local mosques – in order to spread their message directly.

Pakistan-based radical groups like Al-Qaeda and other ideologues have been urging Muslims groups in India, through Internet, to participate in the global jihad. Over the years the radical groups have increased their intensity and sophistication. This has helped jihadi outfits in India to enlist Muslim youth into their fold.

After the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, the social fabric in the country has been polarised. The demolition led to the weakening of Sufi Islam in India, which is not in favour of Wahhabi culture that prescribes rigid code of conduct and practices.

But now radical ideologues have begun to approach muslim youths in schools and colleges to join Wahhabism. Many in the Muslim community were pushed into the Wahhabi fold out of apprehension after the communal riots in Mumbai and Gujarat.

Wahhabi culture is backward looking. It advocates child marriage, prohibits women's education and directs Muslim families to follow Sharia laws. Besides they are trying to change cultural norms. Muslims are being pressurised to use “Allah,” instead of the prevalent traditional “Khuda”. Indian muslims use the term “Khuda”, which is a Persian word for God, while “Allah” is an Arabic word.

The Wahhabis are against Sufi Islam. The Tablighi Jamaat and Ahle-Hadith have been indulging into regressive activities in some parts of India. Besides they have been attacking dargahs and Sufi shrines in Kashmir recently.

As of now, the impact of these hardcore religious groups have been minimal. But it's also a fact that their influence may increase in future and prove to be dangerous. States like Maharashtra, Gujarat and UP had a sizeable Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) cadres, where Hindutva is dominant and has a history of riots in the past.

The situation in Iraq is a wake-up call for the government to intervene positively and address the issue of communalism in these states.

Realising the growing influence of Wahhabism in India , many mosques in the country have started preaching the ill-effects of Wahhabi culture. The Fridays sermons in mosques refer to the barbarism of the ISIS in Iraq.

Maulvis have been heard telling people that a group that continues with its violence during the holy month of Ramzan is definitely anti-Islam. Besides they have said that a caliphate cannot be declared without approval of all Muslims. It's just not right.

(AW: Pratima Tigga)

If you enjoyed this Post, Sign up for Newsletter

(And get daily dose of political, entertainment news straight to your inbox)

Rate This Article
(0 votes)