Deobandi Islam

BBC Radio 4 - The Deobandis

"'This place is associated with a sort of back to basics kind of Islam. What is the Islam that you're teaching here?'

'Our Prophet had a beard and he ordered us to keep a beard. As we follow each and every thing done by our Prophet, so we feel it necessary t keep a beard. Television is banned here because our religion says that you can't have images of human beings. You can take images of trees but not people because it's banned in Islam. These are things which are proven in the Koran and what we've been taught by our elders'...

'The department of rejection of Christianity... they have couple of... 2 or 3 departments. Rejection of Shi'ism, rejection of Barelvi ideology, which basically underscores that other sects have strayed and do not represent pure Islam as opposed to Deobandi ideology'

'People here just think: we're right. Everybody else is wrong'

'Yes. More or less'...

'[On asserting that Mohammed was the final prophet and Ahmedis being infidels] This is important because it keeps Muslims within their faith. This makes them continue to believe in the finality of the Prophethood of Mohammad in such a way that there is no question that there are any more prophets after him. It's obvious that if anyone makes claims against these beliefs, they'll harm the religion'...

'[On persecuting Ahmedis] This death sentence, described by the Kardyanis (sp?), it can't be regarded as persecution against them. This is in reaction to the oppression of Muslims by the Ahmedis. Oppression against Muslims and Islam. If there's some infection in a wound, then you have to carry out surgery to cure it...

'Whatever happens, they should be answerable to Pakistani law. So it's not really for me to answer. But the probably go to the extreme with their made-up beliefs. And that's why people react against them in this way'...

'There is a danger from Christianity. Wherever they've gone, they've converted people and they've been robbing people of their religion. Even here. So we'll be telling our children what sort of dangers they're facing and how to safeguard against it'

'How would you feel though if you went to a Christian seminary. A monastery, and saw a department for the rejection of your faith. You wouldn't like that, would you?'

'No. Everyone is free to do that. But they won't find much to say against Islam. But we have material against them. We've not changed. There's purity in our religion and and in our faith whereas on the other side there are changes in the religion.'

'It's the kind of attitude that if expressed by Christians about Deobandis would be angrily denounced as Islamophobic'...

'[On Deobandis abjuring violence] You might think that the Deobandi leaders in India would try to stop their Deobandi brethren in the Taliban killing women and children. But they don't. So perhaps the policy is really: say the right things, keep your head down and let the groups in Pakistan kill whoever they want'...

'They won't really feel too much worried about it. They think it's their problem, not ours. When you talk to Deobandi scholars, they say that most important according to them, it's local social, political conditions mold a particular kind of version of Islam. They understand the situation in Pakistan completely different as a Muslim majority country. It should be governed by Islamic laws. And therefore madrasahs there have a much more active role than in India. Therefore it's possible to have more hardline version of same ideology'


BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, The Deobandis: Part 2

"[On an Ahmedi place of worship] 'We can't call it a mosque... I can't call it a mosque. It's always referred to as 'my place of worship'... because then they say that I'm imposing myself to be a Muslim'

'Even though the Ahmedis consider themselves Muslims, it's actually against Pakistani law for them to describe themselves in that way. Or to call their religious buildings mosques. Today, they're among the most persecuted communities in the country, and have regularly been targeted by Deobandi sectarian groups'...

'I am a specialist civil engineer... but there are areas where my loyalty to the state is in doubt and therefore I will never be cleared to work in those areas and those are areas where business can be good

Is this Islamophobia?