Why Has Saudi Arabia Banned Tablighi Jamaat?

Saudi Arabia has taken a drastic and controversial step banning the Tablighi Jamaat.

The ban on the Jamaat has been imposed for  allegedly `promoting terrorism’, calling it “one of the gates of terrorism”.

The ban on the Sunni Islamic movement also mentions them as a danger to society.

The Saudi Ministry of Islamic affairs said in a tweet that the preachers in the mosque have been directed to allocate the next Friday sermon to warn people about the Tablighi Jamaat.

“Declaration of the misguidance, deviation and danger of this group, and that it is one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim otherwise; Mention their most prominent mistakes,” it said.

“Mention their danger to society; Statement that affiliation with partisan groups, including (the Tablighi and Da’wah Group) is prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministry added.

Originated in India in 1926, Tablighi Jamaat (Society for Spreading Faith) is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement that urges Muslims to return to a pure form of Sunni Islam and be religiously observant, especially with respect to dressing, personal behaviour, and rituals.

It is estimated to have somewhere between 350 to 400 million members across the globe. They collectively claim that their focus is only on religion and strictly avoid political activities and debates.

United States Institute of Peace has described Tablighi Jamaat as an “Islamic revivalist organization” noting that the group “has appeared on the fringes of several terrorism investigations, leading some to speculate that its apolitical stance simply masks ‘fertile ground for breeding terrorism’ in nations such as UK, France and America.