Islamism, the radical political idea of Islam is India’s nightmare, it needs to be understood and tackled effectively
India is growing at a breakneck speed. The country is aspiring to become the third largest economy in the world by 2030.
Aspiring to become a ‘vishwaguru’ India is soaring to new heights almost every day.
But there is an issue- a highly pernicious one.
The issue or problem is the problem of Radical Islam or Islamism. But to win any battle one needs to know the adversary thoroughly.
Let’s understand what Islamism is.
Islamism-An Exposition
Islamism is a political doctrine emanating from the religion of Islam which is aimed at securing the religious goals of the faith by political means.
Every religion, be it polytheistic or monotheistic has a political side.
In Islam, it assumes its most extreme shape among all the known religions in the world.
While the term ‘Islamism’ is of recent origin, as a doctrine it originated in Arabia in the 7th century during the time of Prophet Muhammed.
It manifested itself in the establishment of the caliphate, to be governed by the caliph.
The caliph or Khalifa will be the religious as well as political head of Muslims all over the world.
He is the Zil-e-Elahi or ‘Shadow of God on Earth’.
There were four caliphates- Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid & Ottoman caliphate.
In recent memory, Islamism (both the term and modern meaning) originated in 17th century Arabia in the form of Wahabbi Islam.
Wahabbi Islam is based on the teachings of Abdul Al Wahab, who was the grand Mufti of Mecca in that century.
Wahabbi Islam is an extreme puritanical idea of Islam which advocates purging all innovations in that religion followed by reintepretation to restore its pristine nature.
It is exclusively based on the concept of ‘jihad’, this is something that Robert Spencer had argued in his books.
This does prove that Islamism is India’s nightmare.
Islamism in India
In India Islamism dates back to the days of Shah Walliullah Dehlavi, a student of Abdul Wahab of Arabia.
It was Dehlavi who brought and extensively preached Wahabism in India.
Other notable names in spreading Islamism is Syed Ahmad Barelvi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi etc. Islamism is outrighly iconoclastic, it rejects the composite outlook of Sufism.
Islamism perceives India to be a fertile zone for establishing a ‘Ghazwa-E-Hind’.
It argues that there is no way Hindus and Muslims can be similar and argue that purifying the faith by discarding Hindu and other polytheistic practices is a necessity.
J Sai Deepak in India, Bharat & Pakistan-The Constitutional Journey of a Sandwiched Civilization argues rather egregiously that our first education minister Abul Kalam Azad was a Wahabbi and an Islamist.
The Tablighi Jamaat, Deobandi, Aligarh schools are all prominent streams of Islamist thought in India.
Why they are A Nightmare?
If somebody wants hates you to the point of your very own existence, what do you do?
You defend yourself, even in the most dire of circumstances, right?
So, this is something that Islamism exactly wants.
In an debate with Ben Affleck on the Bill Maher show, Dr Sam Harris stated brilliantly that unlike the Islamic terrorists, the Islamists will still preach radical Islam but without blowing themselves up.
This is something that the People’s Front of India (PFI) and SDPI were doing till they came under the scanner of the Union Government.
Let’s be very clear about one thing-Islamism doesn’t care about the so called Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb.
They only and only want to establish Islamic rule in India and impose the Shariat.
They do not believe in peaceful co-existence, they simply want Islamic rule.
So, can we allow that to happen? No, Never.
Conclusion
That is the reason why Hindutva is the right medicine for the Islamists and Islamist.
Reviving the ‘Kshatra spirit’ among us is of the utmost necessity.