Al-Qaeda/ISIS is to Wahhabism as the Taliban is to Deoband. But, whereas everyone now knows about Wahhabism, few know about Deoband.

A thread. 1/
The Deobandi movement started with the establishment of a madrassa in the northern Indian town of Deoband in 1866. This was during the British Raj. (FYI, Saudi/Wahhabism also grew under the protection of...you guessed it, the British). 2/
The early founders were concerned about Western encroachment & sought to create an independent space in which to operate. This was, of course, a feature of secular modernity, as previously the ʿUlamāʾ had been ensconced in the state. 3/
Deobandis established a string of madrassas across India (& eventually in many parts of the globe). They trained muftis & found a way to adjudicate religious law without the state. This was the birth of fatwa culture: believers would seek answers in mullahs, not the state. 4/
Their madrassas borrowed administrative aspects of the Western university system & were thus "modern"; yet, their outlook was decidedly anti-modernist. Indeed, in addition to the rival traditionalist movements they competed against (Barelvis & Ahl-e-Hadīth)... 5/
Deobandis have had an ongoing battle with the Islamic modernists, who were very prominent in South Asian history (until they waned in the 1970s/80s). The Deobandis clinged to tradition ("bite down on it with your molars"), understood as regressively as possible. 6/
Deobandis are Sunnīs & follow a strain of Ḥanafī thought, but they established their own subtradition. To their credit, Deobandi madrassas have established hundreds of seminaries & they not only pump out graduates but many of them are highly learned in the tradition. 7/
In this way, the Deobandi traditionalists actually outcompeted the modernists, the latter who relied on a handful of intellectuals (with at times spotty training). The modernists failed to establish seminaries or institutions in which they could spread & develop their thought. 8/
Deoband, meanwhile, established itself into the "Al-Azhar" of South Asia. In some ways, I think, their influence is far greater: there are literally hundreds & hundreds of Deobandi madrassas across the globe, constantly pumping out millions of mullahs. 9/
Also, to their credit, their growth has been less "petro-dollar based" as Wahhabism & grew as a grass-roots movement based on local donors. It is a highly effective model of spreading the movement's ideology. This we must admire. 10/
Unfortunately, Deobandism is ultra-conservative in religious orientation--just as regressive as Wahhabism. The two movements bicker amongst each other as religious zealots tend to do but they are both as terrible when it comes to women's & minority rights, etc. 11/
The word "Taliban" means "students"; they were students trained in Deobandi madrassas. Their teachers were ʿUlamāʾ, mostly in neighboring Pakistan. (This is the gift that Pakistan gave Afghanistan... the gift that keeps on giving.) 12/
Deoband was initially established at a time in which British power was seen as insurmountable, so the goal at that time had been to reform Muslims on an individual religious & social basis, with the thought that they would then be able to establish a true Islamic society. 13/
In India & the West, Deoband takes this quietest approach... But, with the establishment of Pakistan, the mullahs could not resist the urge to become the regulators of society & to seize the levers of power using street power & demagoguery as their means. 14/
However, the religious parties could never win in Pakistan. It was only in Afghanistan that the Taliban were able to establish a Deobandi state. This was thanks to the chaos created by Soviet & US military interventionism in the region (& UK/Saudi/Pak meddling of course). 15/
The ultraconservative views of the Taliban are in line with the wider Deoband movement. Although we cannot discount a range of views, the things that rile us up are all bread & butter issues for *most* Deobandis, even if they have to compromise when they are not in power. 16/
For example, it is absolutely mainstream for the Deobandis to push purda (extreme segregation), with women confined to the house & wearing a burqa to go out--absolute head-to-toe (including face) cover for women. 17/
The opposition to girls' education is also not a fringe belief of the Taliban. The greatest Deobandi scholar, Ashraf ʿAlī Thānvī (d.1943), absolutely forbade girls from going to school. They should stay in their prison (home) & receive rudimentary religious training. 18/
Thānvī issued such gems as: "Girls are a soft and weak wood..." Therefore, "modern education is not at all appropriate for women." And: "It is only ignorance that is appropriate for women… Their safety lies in it… "
(all quotes cited in Moj, Deoband Madrassah Movement)
19/
"True perfection of a woman lies in the fact that she should be ignorant of the whole world except for her husband & home...Therefore, teach religion to women,but don’t teach geography, philosophy,[etc.]..As regards newspapers and novels, these are a killer poison for women." 20/
According to Thānvī, even learning to write could be dangerous & should be forbidden to "bold girls": "As for a girl who shows boldness and independence… [then] she should not be taught how to write… she should neither be taught nor allowed to write." 21/
Also according to Thānvī, "Women can never gain equality with men [because]: they are inferior intellectually… their physique & organs are weak… A woman possesses less intelligence... Therefore, it is safer to place her under someone who is more intelligent [i.e. a man]." 22/
In lieu of secular education, Thānvī wrote a book to gift young girls with, Bahishti Zewar, which Deobandi families are to teach their daughters. There are many disturbing things in this book, which I might create another thread for. 23/
This is the GREATEST scholar of Deoband, not Mullah Omar or some random Taliban figure. So, you can see now why the Taliban have the views that they have... & the connection to @Malala (& why they shot her in the head: she was just too "bold"). 24/
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Deobandi clerics celebrated & gave moral, religious, & apologetic cover for their actions. At worst, the Taliban were overzealous students who had erred here or there, but their project was just & to be supported by the teachers. 25/
Quite simply, the Taliban state is what Deobandis do when they & they alone are in power... when no compromises are needed to be made. The public stonings & all the public acts of brutality are absolutely accepted by Deoband & a sign of Taliban sincerity. 26/
Deoband is also guilty of spreading the most rancid sectarianism. Their mullahs preach anti-Shīʿa rhetoric & Deobandis have many terrorist outfits... There are too many to name: Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harkat-ul-JIhad-e-Islami, Jaish-e-Mohammad, & TTP. 27/
We often ask why it is that all these terrorist groups are offspring of Wahhabi ideology... But, for some reason, Deoband gets a free pass. What is it about Deobandi ideology that allows it to mutate into such terrorist & extremist outfits? 28/
Deoband cannot be defeated by US bombs. It is a movement that has spread its ideology far & wide (& is now even trying to enter the Western academy). It can only be countered with a counter-ideology/theology. 29/
This cannot be secular irreligion/atheism. The rise of the secularized elite has resulted, in fact, in the ceding of the religion to the mullah class. The only solution is to revive & reinvigorate the religious intelligentsia, the Islamic modernists, liberals, & reformists. 30/
Pakistan was actually founded by Islamic modernists, who believed in constitutional liberalism, equality, justice, minority rights, & liberty. But, Jinnah had to rally the masses using religion & so a deal was struck with the devil (i.e. the mullahs). 31/
The mullahs quickly took over in Pakistan, if not overtly like we are seeing in Afghanistan today,but through other means... If Pakistan tried to establish "strategic depth" & control Afghanistan, it fell victim to its own folly & was controlled by the very menace it created. 32/
madrassa* = madrasa (silly typo)
Let's post this for the Hindutva fascists who have joined us:

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Dr. Javad T Hashmi

Dr. Javad T Hashmi Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @DrJavadTHashmi

30 Aug
Remember how I said that Farid would join ISIS if he were living in Iraq? It was purposely hyperbolic but it spoke to an underlying truth: Farid is an anti-Shīʿa bigot, extremist, & sectarian fanatic. Worst yet, his sloppy analysis reveals why he can never be a scholar. 1/
It is a complete fantasy to imagine that this guy, no more than meme master @Haqiqatjou, represents "mainstream Islam." These guys are basement dwellers who spend all day putting out YouTube pages & PDF refutations. Farid is an absolute loser, who has a pathetic life... 2/
& so he tries to compensate by pouring out the failures of his life into bigotry for Shīʿas. It is a tale as old as time. Do you think @Haqiqatjou is any different? These are all losers. For almost two decades now, Farid has wasted the precious time of his life "refuting"... 3/
Read 27 tweets
29 Aug
Dear @Haqiqatjou, It's really quite sad how much you've devolved recently. I actually followed you back before you had accumulated this internet notoriety you have now. At that time, I actually thought you were bringing forth some challenging ideas from a different perspective.1/
Even though I found your ideas to be extreme & dangerous, I at least respected you as a potential thinker with some serious ideas. But, then, it seems that you got obsessed with obtaining followers, which caused you to resort to clickbait, memes, & other antics... 2/
anything to get more likes, subscribers, & donations. You even recently described yourself as a "content creator," & this is really what you have become. It's quite sad. 3/
Read 24 tweets
28 Aug
The justified critiques of secularism & liberalism -- which traditionalists opportunistically & selectively borrow from Western thinkers, weaponize, & seek to deploy for regressive purposes -- do not, in any way, mean that the other solution is a so-called "Sharīʿa state"... 1/
... a utopic & ephemeral state that has either never or fleetingly ever existed -- or sometimes, depending on the argument, has always existed before the onslaught of modernity. This highly idealized utopic state is then compared to the worst features of secular liberalism. 2/
Whereas as a liberal communitarian I consider myself a critic of Western secular liberalism as it unfolded, it does not at all hold that many of these problems or other even worse problems have not existed in the historical Sharīʿa construct(s). 3/
Read 8 tweets
28 Aug
I am pleased to announce that a venue has been selected for the debate between Robert Spencer (@jihadwatchRS) & me. A prestigious European university has offered to host the debate this calendar year. Robert & I have shaken on it. 1/
I wanted the debate to be held in person, but due to Robert's security concerns, the debate will be virtual & live-casted by the university. Because it's the weekend, we will need to wait for the coming week to agree on a date. 2/
The debate thesis will be, "Islam is exceptionally violent compared to other religions, Christianity in particular." It is inspired by the title of one of Robert's books: "Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't." This may even go as the title of the debate. 3/
Read 8 tweets
27 Aug
Throughout your work, you are a proponent of what we academics call the exceptionality thesis. This is the idea that Islam is exceptionally violent compared to other religious traditions. 1/
That this is your recurrent thesis, sometimes explicit & often implied, is patently obvious by the title of your book, "Religion of Peace? Why Christianity is & Islam isn't." There are numerous other statements I can show of yours where you push this narrative. 2/
It is, in fact, a necessary thesis for you. If Islam was just as violent as other religions, then this would not be an amazing claim. It would be the most mundane statement ever, like saying, "one religion is violent like others." 3/
Read 9 tweets
27 Aug
You just exacerbate your problem even more, haha. Let's say that the Prophet is just a fictional character. Then, if that's the case, it follows from this that such a fictional character would have different constructions by various believers. 1/
This is necessarily the case when the sources are conflicting & require agency to decide which characterization to accept & which to reject. Again, at most, all you have is a criticism of the particular portrayal of conservative orthodoxy. 2/
If the Prophet is truly just imaginary/fictional, then in that case the construction of him by woke leftist Muslims would be just as "real" as that of conservative orthodoxy. Think of the many different Jesus's that exist (including Marxist Jesus). 3/
Read 8 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(