Adda

I’d like to assure Adda’s readers that I absolutely have no personal or political agenda in Adda. I feel ethically obligated to express my thoughts and ideas independently and objectively when most of the Islamic and nationalistic ideas in Bangladesh are basically bankrupt, distorted and politically biased. Jamati Islami, as a fundamentalist and extremist Islamic party in Bangladesh, needs to look at their misdeeds and misrepresentation of Islamic thoughts that really hurt them and absolutely undermine the Muslim world.

Jamatis inherited their Islamic ideologies from Moududi, a Pakistani literary scholar who has never had any in-depeth Islamic knowledge and background even he appears to be as an Islamic scholar to Jamatis and its followers. Basically, Jamatis read his “Tafhims” (explanation of Holy Quran) as text books and frequently use them as references. Tafhim was considered controversial about different statments on prophethood and sunnah. Any literate person can browse books in this regard that highlighted distortion in Moududi's thoughts. Moududi, like Jamati leader Golam Azam, lacks any academic background and expertise in Islamic teaching. Yet, their books and booklets are text books for Jamatis that simply ignite their Jihadi political spirits based on narrow and misleading explanations of Islamic tenets. Philosophically, Jamatis follow the Taiymiah explanation and thoughts that have narrowly followed basic Islamic beliefs and drastically lacked the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions' teaching.

In Saudi Arabia and some other Middle Eastern countries, they have followed Taiymiah’s strict teaching of Islam that Jamatis and their leader Moududi have always allied with. Saudi assistance and influence have generously benefited Jamatis and their followers to establish financial and academic institutions in Bangladesh. Islamic scholars in the mainstream Muslim world have always rejected Wahabi and Moududi’s fundamentalist thoughts as false and misguided. Islam in its belief and practice has never endorsed any political party system and putting a party in this effect, indeed, can be considered as a misguided innovation.

Jamatis perceive political islam as their mainstream ideology where extremism reins their thoughts and practice. For example, few blind people were asked to depict an elephant by touching. Each blind person explained an elephant based on the body part or limb he touched as an Elephant. Jamatis are like those blinds who firmly believe in and fight only for the fundamentalist form of political Islam that simply lacks the complete and fair expression and practice of Islamic tenets. Islam teaches peace, compassion and leaves no place for violence in its practice.

In Bangladesh, politically active and conscious people who rejected Jamatis have never been adequately equipped to refute Jamati view points in larger context other than their disgraceful collaboration with Pakistanis in mass killing of innocent Bangladeshis. On the other hand, Islamic scholars in Bangladesh who fundamentally exposed the bankruptcy in Jamati and Moududi thoughts have mostly failed to articulate and present their writings to the larger audience of conscious people. In reality, Jamatis have found ways to reappear as Epiphytes in our political system. History has shown us independence loving Bangladeshis' hearts and souls have never been deceived for a long period. People will wake up to put Jamatis in the dustbin of history.