Some observers say that the statement from the Saudi government banning Tablighi and Dawah group is being misinterpreted by the media to target Tablighi Jamaat headquartered in New Delhi

NEW DELHI — The Darul Uloom, Deoband, the foremost Islamic seminary in India, has condemned the decision of Saudi Arabia authorities to ban Tablighi Jamaat over allegations of promoting terrorism, asking the kingdom to repeal its directive.

Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, rector of the Darul Uloom, asked the Saudi government to refrain from running a smear campaign against Tablighi Jamaat. The Kingdom authorities have accused it of promoting bidat (undesirable religious innovation) and shirk (indulging in idolatry) was baseless but Darul Uloom termed the allegations as baseless. A statement from Nomani said that Jamaat’s role is to spread deen, noting that it started in Deoband after the efforts of Maulana Mohammad Ilyas about a century ago.

Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif Al Alsheikh, took to  Twitter on December 06, 2021 directing the  Imams to warn during the Friday sermon about the Tablighi Jamaat and its activities.

The directions to Imams included talking about “misguidance, deviation and danger of Tablighi Jamaat, and that it is one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim otherwise”.It further asked for mention how Tablighi Jamaat poses “danger to society”.

Affiliation with partisan groups, including (the Tablighi and Da’wah Group) is prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the ministry asked the Imams to reiterate in the sermons.

There are, however, some observers who say that the statement from the Saudi Government is being misinterpreted. “The Saudi Government’s tweets seemed to be directed towards a particular group called Al Ahbab and not the Jamaat in general,” Musharraf Usmani, a senior journalist based in Deoband, was quoted by the Hindu as saying.

The developments come at a time when the government  is organising musical and dance concerts of top celebrities in the Saudi cities, a departure from the past. The kingdom ruled by Isamic Shariah is undergoing so-called “cultural transformation” under the leadership of powerful prince Mohammed bin Salman,. He has come under criticism from some quarters in the Muslim world for opening up to “unIslamic” practices in the country that hosts the two holiest cities of Islamic world.