A Muslim Missionary Group Draws New Scrutiny in US

Tablighi Jamaat, a conservative Muslim congregation of traveling proselytizers, is facing increasing scrutiny of its members and activities by the FBI in the United States. Founded 75 years ago in colonial India, the Tablighi Jamaat is a nonpolitical congregation of Muslim preachers, who – much like Christian missionaries – travel throughout the world to proselytize. The Tablighi Jamaat has a substantial presence in North America, Europe and Asia. The Tablighi Jamaat emphasizes that it preaches peace and that terrorism is anathema to its ideology. However, because the Jamaat propagates a purist and conservative vision of Islam, it is susceptible to exploitation by terrorist networks. According to the FBI, several individuals implicated in terrorist activities used the Jamaat as the official cover for their activities, even though they did not participate in the Jamaat's peaceful proselytizing activities. Yet, the susceptibility of conservative Muslims, especially new converts to Islam, to become involved in militancy, is clear. John Walker Lindh, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a US federal prison, is a case in point. Lindh, initially involved with the Tablighi Jamaat in the US, traveled to Pakistan to enroll in a madrasa to receive religious education. Once in Pakistan, his religious zeal found expression in the fundamentalist Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Lindh left the Jamaat and traveled to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban. Lindh's experience is particularly interesting because it shows how militant Islam can mobilize a commitment to Islam to subversive ends. – YaleGlobal