Deobandi jihadism

Deobandi Jihadism is a jihadist understanding of Islam, which is built based on the teachings of the Deobandi movement that came from the Indian subcontinent in the nineteenth century.

The Deobandi movement carried three waves of armed jihad.

In the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a few years before the founding of Darul Uloom Deoband, senior people of the movement were involved in making an Islamic region centered on Thana Bhawan, and Imdadullah Muhajir Makki was the Amir al-Mu'minin of that Islamic land.

After the Battle of Shamil, when the British Empire defeated the Deobandi forces, this region fell.

After the founding of Darul Uloom Deoband, Mahmud Hasan Deobandi led the teaching of the second wave. Through different actions, including forming secret training plans, he built armed resistance against the British. When the British were able to uncover the Silk Letter Movement, they arrested him and kept him imprisoned in Malta. After his release, he and his students entered mainstream politics and actively took part in the democratic process.

In late 1979, the Pakistan–Afghanistan border became the center of the third wave of Deobandi jihadism, which was connected to the Soviet–Afghan War. With the support of Pakistan President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Darul Uloom Haqqania and Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia were established, and through them many madrasas spread. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) gave political support to this movement. Fighters trained from the Pak-Afghan border took part in the Afghan jihad. Later, they formed different groups including the Taliban. The most organized and most successful example of Deobandi jihadism is the Taliban, who established Islamic rule (Sharia) in Afghanistan. The head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S), Sami-ul-Haq, is called the “Father of the Taliban.”

 References