Mahmood Madani | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
In office 3 April 2006 –2 April2012 | |
Succeeded by | Rasheed Masood |
Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (M) | |
Assumed office 27 May 2021 | |
Preceded by | Usman Mansoorpuri |
1st General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (M) | |
In office 5 April 2008 –27 March 2021 | |
Preceded by | Office Established |
Succeeded by | Hakeemuddin Qasmi |
11th General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind | |
In office 2001 –5 March 2008 | |
Preceded by | Abdul Aleem Farooqi |
Succeeded by | Office Bifurcated
|
Personal details | |
Born | Deoband,Uttar Pradesh,India | 3 March 1964
Political party | Rashtriya Lok Dal |
Parent |
|
Profession | Islamic scholar, Politician |
Awards | Man of the Year 2023 The 500 Most Influential Muslims |
Source: |
Mahmood Asad Madani (born 3 March 1964) is an Indian Islamic scholar, activist, politician, and president of the Mahmood faction of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind religious organisation. He formerly served as the general secretary of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JUH), and as member of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) party in the Rajya Sabha (the Indian upper house) in the state of Uttar Pradesh from 2006 to 2012. [1] [2] He is ranked 27th on the list of The 500 Most Influential Muslims.
Madani was born on 3 March 1964 in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, the son of the Islamic scholar and politician Asad Madni. He attended the Darul Uloom Deoband Islamic seminary, where he graduated in 1992. [1]
Madani joined the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) religious organisation, [1] [2] where he served as the organising secretary in 2001. He was appointed as the general secretary of the organisation later that year, a position which he held until 2008, whereupon he served as the general secretary of the organisation's Mahmood faction until 27 March 2021. [3]
He was later appointed as the interim president of Mahmood faction of the JUH on 27 May 2021 following the death of his predecessor Usman Mansoorpuri. [1] [4] He was elevated to the position of president on 18 September 2021. [5] He is ranked 27th on the list of The 500 Most Influential Muslims, which is published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. [6]
Madani led JUH relief and advocacy efforts in the aftermath of the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake and the subsequent period of ethno-religious violence in 2002. [2] [7] [8] He co-founded the Save India Front with the All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations in April 2002, which organised a multi-religious rally in Delhi that demonstrated against the ethno-religious conflict in Gujarat in May 2002. This rally was jointly led by Madani. [9] He later led a march of over 10,000 protestors to the Prime Minister's Residence in Delhi on 15 October 2002 to protest against ethno-religious violence inflicted upon the Muslim community. [10] [11] A JUH delegation was later received by then-prime minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. [11] Madani also organised protests through the JUH against the visit of then-American President George W. Bush in 2006. [12] [13]
Madani was active in the leadership of the Ganaunnayan Janadhikar Sangram Committee (an alliance of 22 local and national organisations) during the period of civil unrest in Nandigram in 2007. [14] He also launched an anti-terrorism campaign through the JUH in 2008, which involved the issuing of a Fatwa by his alma mater Darul Uloom Deoband in May 2008, which condemned terrorist activity as anti-Islamic. This Fatwa was later ratified by multiple other Islamic organisations in India, including the Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. [15] Madani also conducted several other anti-terrorism conferences and rallies in various Indian cities. [2]
In the wake of the 2010 period of violence in Kashmir, Madani, through the JUH, organised multiple conferences in Deoband and Delhi, on 4 October 2010 and 31 October 2010, respectively, which were attended by clerics, legal experts, and activists. An eleven-point resolution of demands was passed by both conferences, which reiterated the place of Kashmir within India but also demanded the demilitarisation of Kashmir and the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Public Safety Act. [16] [17] [18] Madani also sponsored the release of commemorative postal stamps on the Silk Letter Movement and Hussain Ahmed Madani. [19] [20]
Madani responded to the 2013 period of ethno-religious violence in Muzaffarnagar and Rajasthan by directing criticism towards the governments of these states, comparing the scale of violence with that of Gujarat. Madani also wrote to then-prime minister Manmohan Singh, demanding the dismissal of then-Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav. [21] [22] [23] [24] In December 2013, Madani organised conferences in Deoband and Delhi as part of the Silk Letter Movement Centenary Celebrations. The conferences were attended by approximately 200 Islamic scholars and religious leaders from multiple countries, including the Maldives, Britain, Pakistan and Myanmar, and advocated for peaceful, dialogue-based solutions to conflicts, as well as the reiteration of the anti-terrorism Fatwa issued by Darul Uloom Deoband in 2008. [25] [26] [27] Madani also organised protests against ISIL in November 2015 through the JUH. These protests were held in 75 cities across India. [28]
Madani organised protests through the JUH against the visit of then-Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in November 2016, the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel in December 2017, and the visit of then-prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2018. [29] [30] [31] [32] The protests in December 2017 were estimated to have been attended by approximately 10 million people, and were held nationwide. [30] The protests in January 2018 against Netanyahu's visit were met with opposition from the authorities in Ahmedabad. Members of the local JUH organisation were denied position to protest and were later harassed and detained by local authorities. [33] [34]
Madani protested against the August 2017 Supreme Court ruling on triple talaq, a form of Islamic divorce, which led to the introduction of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 that criminalised triple talaq. [35] [36] He criticised the ruling and subsequent legislation, stating that it would cause injustice against Muslim women. [37] Madani also led protests in Pune in August 2017 against ethno-religious violence in India, as part of a wider nationwide peace movement that was launched by the JUH in approximately 800 cities in India. [38] [39] Madani also led demonstrations in support of the Rohingya refugees at the Jantar Mantar observatory in Delhi on 21 September 2017, where he condemned deportations of refugees and demanded that the Indian government handle the refugee crisis on a humanitarian basis. [40] [41]
In May 2018, he established a Civil Services Examination coaching centre with the Zakat Foundation of India for approximately 500 candidates. [42] In July 2018, Madani established the Jamiat Youth Club (affiliated with the JUH), which was modelled after the Bharat Scouts and Guides organisation. Madani expressed his intentions to expand the Jamiat Youth Club gradually through expanding membership by 1.25 million each year, with a target membership of 12.5 million across 100 districts by 2028. [43]
Following the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August 2019 and the subsequent period of civil unrest in Kashmir, Madani convened a meeting of leading Muslim organisations and religious leaders in India through the JUH, where he co-sponsored a unanimous resolution that questioned the way of abrogating Article 370, called for the restoration of normalcy and the protection of human rights in Kashmir, while also supporting the integrity and stability of India. [44] [45] The central organising council of the JUH passed a similar resolution on 12 September 2019, which was also presented by Madani. [46] This resolution was later presented to the Indian Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, by a JUH delegation. [47] However, Madani's strong support for national integrity, which he expressed on a variety of media platforms, including the Geneva Press Club, [48] [49] was met with opposition from the Indian Islamic community, who viewed it as an expression of support for the Indian government. [50]
On 6 October 2019, Madani criticised Amit Shah for his role in the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). [51] Madani also called for nationwide protests against the CAA, which were held nationwide at over 1000 locations in December 2019. [52] Madani would later continue to lead protests against the CAA. [53] The JUH, under Madani's leadership, also called for a complete boycott of the NRC process. [54] Madani also led relief and advocacy efforts for the victims of the 2020 Delhi Riots. [55] [56]
During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, Madani offered the use of 10,000 isolation centres in a letter to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. [57] In February 2021, Madani launched the Jamiat Open School through the JUH in order to provide secondary and higher secondary education to Madrassa students. [58]
The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of law. It formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and several others, after the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58. They consider themselves the continuation of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat. The main purpose of this movement was to reject the traditional Sunni practices such as visiting shrines, celebrating “urs” and other orthodox sunni-sufi practices, which they consider as Shirk and Bidah. Heavily influenced by Salafism and Wahhabism; they opposed influence of non-Muslim cultures on the Muslim of South Asia. The movement pioneered education in religious sciences through the Dars-i-Nizami associated with the Lucknow-based ulema of Firangi Mahal with the goal of preserving traditional Islamic teachings from the influx of modernist, secular ideas during British colonial rule. The Deobandi movement's Indian clerical wing, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, was founded in 1919 and played a major role in the Indian independence movement through its participation in the Pan-Islamist Khalifat movement and propagation of the doctrine of composite nationalism.
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary in India at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. Uttar Pradesh-based Darul Uloom is one of the most important Islamic seminaries in India and the largest in the world. It is located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The seminary was established by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Fazlur Rahman Usmani, Sayyid Muhammad Abid and others in 1866. Mahmud Deobandi was the first teacher and Mahmud Hasan Deobandi was the first student.
From a historical perspective, Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed of the University of Stockholm and Professor Shamsul Islam of the University of Delhi classified the Muslims of the subcontinent into two categories during the era of the Indian independence movement: Indian nationalist Muslims and Indian Muslim nationalists. The All India Azad Muslim Conference represented Indian nationalist Muslims, while the All-India Muslim League represented the Indian Muslim nationalists. One such popular debate was the Madani–Iqbal debate.
Hussain Ahmad Madani was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954.
Mahmud Hasan Deobandi was an Indian Muslim scholar and an activist of the Indian independence movement, who co-founded the Jamia Millia Islamia university and launched the Silk Letter Movement for the freedom of India. He was the first student to study at the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary. His teachers included Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi and Mahmud Deobandi, and he was authorized in Sufism by Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.
Mohammad Asrarul Haque was an Indian Muslim scholar and politician, who served as the eighth general secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He was a member of the Indian Parliament, and represented Kishanganj seat. He was also the state president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.
As’ad Madani was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar and a politician, who served as the sixth general secretary and the seventh President of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. He was a member of the executive body of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha, upper house of the Parliament of India representing Uttar Pradesh for three terms as a member of the Indian National Congress.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari Firangi Mahali, Kifayatullah Dehlawi, Muhammad Ibrahim Mir Sialkoti and Sanaullah Amritsari.
Arshad Madani is an Indian Muslim scholar and the current Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He succeeded Asad Madni as the eighth president of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. The organization split around 2008, and Madani continues to serve as the president of its Arshad faction.
All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat is a federation of various Muslim organisations in India. Majlis-e-Mushawarat was formally launched at a two-day meeting in 1964 at the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow. Several leading Muslim scholars and clerics, including Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi, attended the meet while freedom fighter and a member in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet Syed Mahmud was elected its first president. It was established as an advocacy group in the wake of communal riots in the early 1960s.
Nizāmuddīn Asīr Adrawi was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, biographer, historian and author in the Urdu language. He established Madrassa Darus Salam in Adari and served as Officer In Charge of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind in Lucknow from 1974 to 1978.
Muhammad Miyan Deobandi was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar, academic, historian, freedom struggle activist, who served as the fifth general secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He wrote books such as Aseeraan-e-Malta, Ulama-e-Hind Ka Shaandar Maazi and Ulama-e-Haqq Aur Unke Mujahidana Karname.
Rahmatullah Mir Qasmi is a Kashmiri Islamic scholar, founder and rector of Darul Uloom Raheemiyyah, one of the largest Islamic seminaries in Kashmir. He is a senior member of the managing committee of Darul Uloom Deoband, founding member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and a member of the working body of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind.
Maulana Marghoobur Rahman, also written as Maulana Marghoobur Rehman and as Marghubur Rahman Bijnori, was an Indian Muslim scholar and Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband.
Atīqur Rahmān Usmānī was an Indian Muslim scholar and an activist of Indian independence movement who co-founded Nadwatul Musannifeen and the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.
Muḥammad Usmān Mansoorpuri was an Indian Muslim scholar who served as the first National President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind's Mahmood faction. He taught hadith at the Darul Uloom Deoband and served the seminary as a working rector.
Syed Ahmad Hashmi was an Indian Muslim scholar and politician who served as the seventh general secretary of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and the chairman of Passenger Amenities Committee. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha, upper house of the Parliament of India representing Uttar Pradesh for two terms.
Abdul Aleem Farooqui is an Indian Islamic scholar who served as the general secretary of the United Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind for seven years and as the general secretary of the Jamiat's Arshad Faction for 13 years. Currently, he is the Vice President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (A).
Muhammad Jabir Qasmi, also written as Muhammad Jabir Qasmi Binjharpuri and Maulana Muhammad Jabir, was an Indian Islamic scholar, Sufi sheikh, and Muslim leader. He was the first president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Odisha (M) and a member of the working committee of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (M).