Grand Imam of Ka'ba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia to visit India

[Veeru]

Grand Imam of Ka'ba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia to visit India

NEW DELHI: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (Arshad Madani faction) requested Parliament's security officers on Friday not to frisk Sheikh Abdul Rehman Sudais, grand imam of Masjid-al-Haram in Mecca, during his visit to the House. Jamiat says Sudais, who is regarded as the highest religious leader of Muslims, should be spared the ordeal since it would be "unbecoming of his stature".

Sudais will be the first ever Imam-e-Haram to visit India, which begins on March 24.

His engagements are largely restricted to the capital. He will visit the Parliament annexe on March 25 for a dinner that is being hosted in his honour.

On March 26, he will address students at Darul Uloom in Deoband before the prayers. He will also lead the Friday prayers during his whirlwind trip to Darul, one of the largest Islamic seminaries in the world.

Sudais courted controversy in 2002 for his reported statements against the Jews, but has since urged Muslim youth to distinguish between "legitimate jihad" and "terrorizing peaceful people".

"We had a meeting in Parliament today to discuss the security aspects of the dinner in Imam-e-Haram's honour. We urged officers that he should not be frisked keeping his stature in mind," said a Jamiat working committee member. "The details have been satisfactorily worked out," he added.

Jamiat president Maulana Arshad Madani said, "This is a purely religious visit. We are honoured that he is coming to India. We are keen to showcase the way Islam is flourishing in this country.

In a lot of ways, our situation is better than in the Arab countries.

Other imams of Kabah have been to India in the past, but their visits were limited to the western states. Nobody this senior has ever come."

According to Maulana Madani, the grand imam's visit will lay emphasis on the universal concept of fraternity and brotherhood among religions. "Imam-Haram's message is of co-existence of religions and triumph of humanity," he added.

'Spare Mecca cleric from frisking during House visit' - The Times of India

 

[KS]

Let his visit be a purely religious one. And not a political one.

 

[Evil Flare]

i am sure he will visit there at Deoband ....

 

[Veeru]

i am sure he will visit there at Deoband ....

1.) His engagements are largely restricted to the New Delhi. He will visit the Parliament annexe on March 25 for a dinner that is being hosted in his honour.

2.) On March 26, he will address students at Darul Uloom in Deoband before the prayers. He will also lead the Friday prayers.

3.) Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Deoband clerics will show him:

a. Showcase the way Islam is flourishing in India.

b. In a lot of ways, situation of Muslims is better than in the Arab countries.

 

[muse]

I hope his trip is exceptionally successful -- and I would be delighted to hear make the case that "in a lot of ways, situation of Muslims is better than in Arab countries" - because I think and hope, this will important consequences in Pakistan and in Arab countries

 

[President Camacho]

I hope his trip is exceptionally successful -- and I would be delighted to hear make the case that "in a lot of ways, situation of Muslims is better than in Arab countries" - because I think and hope, this will important consequences in Pakistan and in Arab countries

lol You don't need the grand cleric to tell you that. With first hand experience, I can tell you on an average, Arabians in Arabia live a far better life than Indians in India.

 

[T-Faz]

The Deobandis and the Saudi clergy has a long history of collaboration with each other so it would be expected of him to visit Deoband.

You might recall that Maulana Maududi was saved from the death penalty in 1953 after the Saudi King personally intervened in the case.

This displeased Gen. Azam, the one who gave the sentence and many other elements within Pakistan who saw this interference as a worrying sign.

Its not really worrying anymore as we have been deeply effected by this alliance of convenience.

 

[EjazR]

T-faz,

Maududi was not a Deobandi, you are confusing Jamaat Islami who follow a political religious ideology and Deobandi which is a school of thought. Infact, it is the JI that has a long history of collaboration with the Saudis and the JI also was used the by the army to help in carrying out covert wars and act as recruiters to Jihad.

The Deobandis in Pakistan may have been radicalised by the same policies of political Islam, but in India its not yet the case. Political Islam is and has been a fringe ideology and even Jamaat-Islami-Hind (Indian chapter of JI) has changed its constitution to move towards a more social welfare rather than political Islamic outlook.

At the theological level however, there have been some great scholars who are graduates from Deoband like Syed Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi (RA) who was higly respected and his books are used as reference materials by Islamic universities in Saudi Arabia even today.

 

[EjazR]

lol You don't need the grand cleric to tell you that. With first hand experience, I can tell you on an average, Arabians in Arabia live a far better life than Indians in India.

I think the qualifier is in "Some Arab" countries not all. And I don't even think he meant economically but in terms of practicing his religion. Most Arab countries atleast till early this year were ruled by autocratic secular dictators which completely supressed the practice of religion including small things like keeping a beard or wearing a Hijab. These include countries like Tunisia, Syria, Egypt and Iraq under Saddam and even Turkey for example although it has started to improve their recently.

So in terms of having the freedom to practice their religion and being devout, India is better than some Arab countries as well.

 

[muse]

So in terms of having the freedom to practice their religion and being devout, India is better than some Arab countries as well....
like keeping a beard or wearing a Hijab.

Really interesting, if religiosity is composed of fashion sense, then not just India but South Asia is the place to be.

Lets just agree that this Madani fellow is an exuberant sort, it will be interesting to see, especially for Pakistani Islamican types, whether this Imam will have any "advice" for those in captive Kashmir and those in Pakistan -- Will Pakistani islamicans want to hear that Muslims in India should be a part of moves to improve relations between nuclear armed rivals

 

[T-Faz]

T-faz,
Maududi was not a Deobandi, you are confusing Jamaat Islami who follow a political religious ideology and Deobandi which is a school of thought. Infact, it is the JI that has a long history of collaboration with the Saudis and the JI also was used the by the army to help in carrying out covert wars and act as recruiters to Jihad.

Jamaat-i-Islami is under MMA which is dominated by Jamaat-e-Ulema-Islam whose leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman is an ardent Deobandi. So your statement about Maududi not being a deobandi might be correct on the surface but the reality is that he enjoys immense support within this school of thought and its followers. It wasn't just JI that was used to fight jihad but also the JUI and other related factions in Pakistan.

The Deobandis in Pakistan may have been radicalised by the same policies of political Islam, but in India its not yet the case. Political Islam is and has been a fringe ideology and even Jamaat-Islami-Hind (Indian chapter of JI) has changed its constitution to move towards a more social welfare rather than political Islamic outlook

Yes, I am aware of the work done by Jamaat-Islami-Hind which is admirable but the reality is that had India remained united, they would certainly be like the Deobandis of Pakistan. Its only that they lost the likes of Mufti Mehmood who were interested in political Islam and with out a doubt would have used Islam to enter politics.

 

[Spring Onion]

R-- Will Pakistani islamicans want to hear that Muslims in India should be a part of moves to improve relations between nuclear armed rivals

surely but for that first they must be accepted by India itself as loyal Indians which unfortunately is not the case (Shahrukh or one of two MPs not at all represent the majority)

 

[EjazR]

Really interesting, if religiosity is composed of fashion sense, then not just India but South Asia is the place to be.

Lets just agree that this Madani fellow is an exuberant sort, it will be interesting to see, especially for Pakistani Islamican types, whether this Imam will have any "advice" for those in captive Kashmir and those in Pakistan -- Will Pakistani islamicans want to hear that Muslims in India should be a part of moves to improve relations between nuclear armed rivals

Muse, the beard and hijab were just examples but I hope you do get the gist of what I meant. Another examples are the Central Asian republics which are again autocratic secular states. If someone even goes to a mosque regularly he has intelligence agents on his tail. Its about being free to practice your faith as you want. But when you have dictators, anyone who is slighly different is considered a potential subverter and targeted.

And I don't need to mention the torture cells and dissaperances of citizens that keeps happening in Arab countries without impunity and with no possibility of raising a voice against it.

 

[muse]

If someone even goes to a mosque regularly he has intelligence agents on his tail. Its about being free to practice your faith as you want. But when you have dictators, anyone who is slighly different is considered a potential subverter and targeted.

Sounds like what I hear from Muslims in the US --- the lot in captive Kashmir may take exception to your broad brush - but lets move on .

 

[Veeru]

surely but for that first they must be accepted by India itself as loyal Indians which unfortunately is not the case (Shahrukh or one of two MPs not at all represent the majority)

Indian Muslims don't need any certificate from anybody including you.

There are 34 Muslim MPs and Shahrukh+Salman+Aamir+Saif+Imran+Arshad+Katrina+Zarine etc etc.