The Saudi government has banned Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni Islamic movement, calling it “one of the gates of terrorism”.
The Saudi Ministry of Islamic affairs said in a tweet that the preachers in the mosque have been directed to allocate the next Friday sermon to warn people about the Tablighi Jamaat.
“Declaration of the misguidance, deviation and danger of this group, and that it is one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim otherwise; Mention their most prominent mistakes,” it said.
“Mention their danger to society; Statement that affiliation with partisan groups, including (the Tablighi and Da’wah Group) is prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministry added.
Originated in India in 1926, Tablighi Jamaat (Society for Spreading Faith) is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement that urges Muslims to return to a pure form of Sunni Islam and be religiously observant, especially with respect to dressing, personal behaviour, and rituals.
It is estimated to have somewhere between 350 to 400 million members across the globe. They collectively claim that their focus is only on religion and strictly avoid political activities and debates.
United States Institute of Peace has described Tablighi Jamaat as an “Islamic revivalist organization” noting that the group “has appeared on the fringes of several terrorism investigations, leading some to speculate that its apolitical stance simply masks ‘fertile ground for breeding terrorism’ in nations such as UK, France and America.
In India, the group the severely criticised for organisation a mass gathering in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area during the first wave of Covid pandemic for violating lockdown rules last year.
According to Pew Research Centre, Tablighi Jamaat operates roughly in 150 countries around the world, including Western Europe, Africa, and South Asia.
In South Asia, the Tablighi Jamaat has a great following, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Thailand.(WION)
