New Delhi: Calling a ban on Tablighi Jamaat, Saudi Arabia directed the mosques to warn people against associating with them during the Friday sermon. The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced the measure on its social media platform terming the Sunni Islamic organisation as "one of the gates of terrorism" and that Tablighi Jamaat poses "a danger to society".
What did the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs declare?
In a tweet, the ministry wrote: "His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif Al_Alsheikh The preachers of mosques and mosques in which Friday prayers are temporarily held, by dedicating the next Friday sermon 6/5/1443 AH to warn against (the Tablighi and Da’wah group), which is called (the Beloved)."
In another tweet, it added:
"Further, the ministry directed that the sermon include topics like:
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.
Mention that they are a danger to society.
A statement that affiliation with partisan groups, including (the Tablighi and Dawah Group) is prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".
What Is Tablighi Jamaat?
Tablighi Jamaat, literally means a society for spreading the faith. It is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement aimed to reach out to ordinary Muslims and revive their faith, especially in matters regarding ritual, dress, and personal behaviour. Founded in 1926 in India, the group gained the spotlight during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, when its members were accused of holding an illegal gathering in Delhi.
The Centre at the time blamed the group for the spike in cases, after its members were found to have travelled across the country.