Islamism and Democracy in India: The Transformation of Jamaat-E-Islami

329 Pages·2009·13.687 MB·English

by  Irfan Ahmad

Islamism and Democracy in India
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Irfan Ahmad, Islamism and Democracy in India: The Transformation
of Jamaat-e-Islami
Islamism and Democracy in India
The Transformation
of Jamaat-e-Islami
Irfan Ahmad
p r i n c e to n u n i v e rs i t y p r e s s
p r i n c e to n a n d ox f o r d
Copyright © 2009 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock,
Oxfordshire OX20 1TW
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ahmad, Irfan, 1974–
Islamism and democracy in India : the transformation of Jamaat-e-Islami / Irfan Ahmad.
p. cm. — (Princeton studies in Muslim politics)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-691-13919-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-691-13920-3 (pbk. :
alk. paper) 1. Jama’at-i Islami (India) 2. Jama’at-i Islami (India)—Political activity.
3. Islam and politics—India. 4. Islam and secularism—India. 5. India—Politics and
government. 6. Democracy—Religious aspects—Islam. I. Title.
BP10.J343A46 2009
324.254'082—dc22 2009011056
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
This book has been composed in Sabon
Printed on acid-free paper. ∞
press.princeton.edu
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
TO
Ammˉı (Najma Khatoon)
Abbˉı jˉı (Fazil Ahmad)
&
Bhikhaˉri bhaˉˉı (Bhikhari Paswan)
¯ ¯
The simple truth is that whenever religion gets into society’s
driving seat, tyranny results.
Salman Rushdie, The Guardian,
March 18, 2005
Religion is like a candle that can illuminate one’s cottage;
it can also set it on fire: the choice is one’s own, what use is
made of it.
Persian adage, in Partha S. Ghosh,
BJP and the Evolution of Hindu Nationalism
Contents
List of Illustrations and Tables ix
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
Notes to the Reader xvii
Abbreviations xix
Introduction 1
Part I. Fieldwork and Historical Context
1. Doing Fieldwork in Times of War 31
2. Contextualizing the Formation and Ideology of Islamism 49
Part II. Zigzags to Allah’s Kingdom
3. Educating the Children 83
4. Mobilizing the Young 111
5. Defining Islam: Conflict and Democratization 137
Part III. Opposition and Negotiation
6. Invoking Jihad 163
7. Negotiating the Idol: Secularism, Democracy,
and Allah’s Kingdom 188
Conclusion 217
Appendixes 241
Notes 245
Glossary of Urdu-Hindi Terms 263
Bibliography 265
Index 295

Illustrations and Tables
Maps
1. India xxii
2. Aligarh showing the shahr and Civil Line 38
3. Map of Uttar Pradesh showing its districts 45
Figures
1. The many faces of Maududi 55
2. Ja¯me Masjid in Aligarh shahr 86
3. Children at the Green School offering the morning prayer 101
4. Signboard of the SIO’s office at Aligarh Muslim University,
Aligarh 115
5. The SIO’s wall magazine on the demolition of the Babri
mosque 123
6. Mosque on the campus of the Jamaat’s madrasa, Ja¯miatul
Fala¯h, Azamgarh 140
˙
7. The SIMI’s portrayal of the horror of anti-Muslim violence
in its organ, Islamic Movement 176
8. The SIMI’s wall slogan pledging to rebuild the Babri mosque 178
9. Islamic Movement’s depiction of the Indian political system
as a “secular circus” 182
10. The SIMI’s calendar with its radicalized motto 186
11. The BJP’s election poster featuring the SIMI’s ban 189
Graph
1. Number of students from 1971 to 1986, Green School 92
Tables
1. Number of Members and Associates of SIO, AMU Unit
1997 to 2002 113
2. Number of a¯lm¯ıyat and faz¯ılat Students at Fala¯h 143
˙ ˙
3. Voting criteria for Jamaat Members 203
4. Organizational Strength of the Jamaat from 1941 to 2000 241
5. Organizational Strength of the SIO from 1983 to 2001 242
6. Organizational Strength of the SIMI from 1977 to 1996 243