Emergence of the Islamic State and Its Impact on the Muslim Organisation in India

Kamran Ansari

The declaration of the caliphate by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on June 29, 2014, caught the attention of the entire globe. Although earlier there had been the rise of the Taliban and the Islamic Republic of Iran which became topics of discussion across the world, the ripples which the emergence of the Islamic State created surpassed all similar precedents. One of the significant differences between the Islamic State and others is that the former has challenged the very idea of sovereignty and refused to accept national boundaries as sacrosanct. Further, the Islamic State tried to gain the support of all Muslims by the use of the term khilafah (caliphate), which, until its abolishment in 1924, was considered as the insignia of Islam by most Muslims

. The undivided India (home to a significant population of Muslims), enamoured of the caliphate, witnessed the emergence of the khilafat Movement to bolster the crumbling caliphate in Turkey. Now, with the Islamic State claiming the caliphate and demanding the pledge of allegiance from all Muslims, irrespective of their location, it is important to assess its impact on the Muslims in India as they had been in the forefront in the earlier part of the 20th century to save the caliphate

. This work analyses the impact of the rise of the Islamic State on the Darul Uloom, Deoband, Jamiat-e-Ulema, Tablighi Jamaat and Jamaat-e-Islami, and how this is going to affect the Muslims of India. The work further traces the brief trajectory of Political Islam since 1924 till now, and makes some predictions about the future.

Kamran Ansari Kamran Shahid Ansari holds an M. Phil. degree from the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), and is an alumnus of the prestigious Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, JMI. He has been associated with the Delhi-based think-tanks - Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) as a Research Associate, and the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) as an Intern. He served as an Editorial Researcher in Taylor and Francis India Pvt. Ltd. and his commentaries and articles have appeared in various think-tank websites, Eurasia Review, etc. His areas of interest include Political Islam, Islamic Movements, the Caliphate and Islamic History, Militant Organisations, and West Asian Politics. He can be contacted at kam21suave@gmail.com

. Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. The Emergence of the Islamic State (IS)
2. The Trajectory of Political Islam
3. Reasons for Resonance of IS Among Some Sections of Muslims
4. Impact of the IS on Muslim Organisations in India
5. Conclusion
Bibliography