Maulana Daryabadi calls agencies’ scrutiny of Tablighi Jamaat targeted Islamophobia
text_fields
Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, Islamic scholar and founder member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, has criticised the repeated targeting of the Tablighi Jamaat by central and state intelligence agencies, describing the scrutiny as a manifestation of deliberate Islamophobia, and warning that such actions risk portraying India as unfairly hostile towards its Muslim minority, according to Free Press Journal.
He argued that while isolated incidents may occur, branding an entire religious movement as suspicious undermines principles of fairness and transparency, and he stressed that allegations of visa violations or unlawful gatherings must be handled impartially rather than becoming tools of prejudice.
His remarks came in the wake of heightened alerts issued by intelligence and immigration desks in Maharashtra, where officials have raised concerns over the participation of foreign nationals in Tablighi Jamaat activities. These agencies maintain that foreign visitors on tourist visas have been engaging in proselytising work, despite explicit restrictions under Indian visa regulations, and they have described such involvement as a clear breach of norms.
District authorities have been instructed to intensify surveillance at sensitive locations, monitor ijtemas, and verify the movement of foreigners, particularly during the ongoing Ganpati festival when religious sensitivities are high and public footfall is significant.
The tension between security monitoring and community perception has grown sharper since 2020, when the Nizamuddin Markaz controversy placed the Jamaat under unprecedented scrutiny. At that time, thousands of foreigners who attended the Delhi gathering were blacklisted and barred from re-entry, while immigration authorities tightened enforcement and directed mosques, hotels, and lodgings to report foreign stays.
Though the Bombay High Court later quashed cases against foreign nationals and the Delhi High Court did the same for Indians accused of providing shelter, the visa restrictions remain strict, and agencies insist they are essential for maintaining public order and compliance with the law.
In Maharashtra, the State Intelligence Department recently flagged the presence of Moroccan nationals in Latur district who had allegedly joined a local ijtema while holding tourist visas, a development that led to fresh advisories for greater vigilance.
Officials claim that since 2020, Tablighi members from abroad have shifted their strategies, avoiding mosques and markaz to minimise detection and instead relying on hotels, private lodges, or local residences arranged by facilitators who provide transport and logistical support. This smaller and more discreet mode of operation, they say, allows missionary activity to continue while making surveillance more difficult.
