Police in Indian-occupied Kashmir have seized more than 600 books by or about Syed Abul Ala Maududi, a noted twentieth-century Islamic scholar and founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the largest religious organisations in the Indian subcontinent.
In a statement on X, police said: “Based on credible intelligence regarding the clandestine sale and distribution of literature promoting the ideology of a banned organisation, police conducted a search in Srinagar, leading to the seizure of 668 books.”
The police said that “legal action has been initiated under Section 126” of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which allows a magistrate to intervene when authorities fear breach of peace.
Anadolu Agency reported that a few major bookstores were raided in Srinagar, and books written by Maududi or other scholars associated with the Jamaat were seized.
Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir was declared an “unlawful association” on Feb 28, 2019, by the Indian government, months before the region’s autonomy was scrapped in Aug 2019 and dozens of its leaders and activists were arrested. In February last year, the ban was extended for five more years.
Even though several members of the organisation fought the recent assembly elections in Kashmir, something it had been advocating against in the past, the authorities have shown no leniency towards its cadres.
The organisation was at the forefront of the raging anti-India insurgency when it began in the late 80s. In the early 2000s, however, it announced that it would continue to call for a negotiated settlement of the Kashmir dispute under UN resolutions.
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Syed Abul A’la Maududi, was a prominent Islamic scholar, philosopher, jurist, and political thinker from India (later Pakistan).
Born in 1903 in Aurangabad, British India (now in Maharashtra, India), he was largely self-taught in Islamic sciences but was also influenced by various scholars and his own extensive reading.
In 1941, he founded Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamic political party in British India, which aimed to establish an Islamic state governed by Shari’ah law. After the partition of India in 1947, the party continued its activities in Pakistan.
He was known for his efforts to revive and reform Islam, advocating for a return to the Quran and Sunnah as the basis for all aspects of life, including politics and governance.
Maududi wrote extensively on Islamic theology, jurisprudence, history, and politics. His most famous works include “The Meaning of the Qur’an” (Tafhim al-Qur’an), which is an exegesis of the Quran, and various books on Islamic law and society.
He was deeply involved in political activism, particularly against the secular policies of the government of Pakistan. He also opposed the Ahmadi community’s claim to be Muslim.
Maududi was imprisoned several times for his political activism and opposition to the government policies, notably during the rule of General Ayub Khan.
He continued his scholarly and political work until his death on September 22, 1979, in Buffalo, New York, where he had gone for medical treatment.
Maududi’s ideas have had a profound impact on contemporary Islamic thought, especially in the realm of political Islam. His writings continue to influence Islamic movements around the world.
