New Delhi: The statement which is given by the Islamic Affairs Ministry (IAM) of Saudi could create distance among the Muslim countries. The IAM of Saudi tweeted that “The preachers in the mosque have been directed to allocate the next Friday sermon to warn people about the Tablighi Jamaat.”
The Government of Saudi Arabia has banned Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni Islamic movement, and called it “one of the gates of terrorism”.
His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr.#Abdullatif Al_Alsheikh directed the mosques' preachers and the mosques that held Friday prayer temporary to allocate the next Friday sermon 5/6/1443 H to warn against (the Tablighi and Da’wah group) which is called (Al Ahbab)
— Ministry of Islamic Affairs
(@Saudi_MoiaEN) December 6, 2021
“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,” Statement of Ministry said.
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.
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.
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.
In India, the group was severely criticized for organization a mass gathering in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area during the first wave of the Covid pandemic for violating lockdown rules last year.
(_Vinayak Barot)