Syed Sadatullah Husaini, an eminent Islamic scholar and thinker and Director of the Study and Research Department of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, is now Ameer (National President) of the Jamaat. He has been on the Central Representatives Council and Central Advisory Council of JIH for the last few terms. Author of several books, Syed Sadatullah Husaini was Naib Ameer of JIH in the last four-year term and President of Students Islamic Organisation of India for two consecutive terms in the late ’90s. In an interview with Sikandar Azam, the Jamaat leader talks on the various organisational as well as national and international issues.
In the present scenario, how bright do you see the future of the Islamic Movement in India?
Future of Islam is very bright in India, In-sha-Allah. Our movement is associated neither with any community nor with any caste nor any geographical group. Its message is for every human being and we work for the betterment and good of every citizen of India. People are increasingly getting disappointed with the dominant ideologies and systems. The current regime had taken over the reign with a lot of hopes and expectations but after five years they have created huge disappointment and frustration. Soon it will create huge ideological vacuum and a big question mark. It is high time, Islam’s teachings are presented as an alternative. The rising materialism is creating giant spiritual void. This is also an opportunity for Islam.
What priorities of organisational activities do you envision for the current four-year term?
Priorities and policies will be decided in central shura and we are now engaged in wide consultations. I would welcome the constructive suggestions and critique from our cadres, well-wishers, patrons and the readers of Radiance. In sha Allah, their suggestions will be seriously considered while deciding our priorities.
I feel, at external front our prime most and most important work has been the work of outreach and dawah and it is much more relevant now. Healthy engagement with different communities in India has become a desperate need now. If we fail to communicate the real teachings of Islam and fail to present the true picture of Islam, the hatred being spread will become uncontrollable.
To present the true picture of Islam, we need to build a powerful discourse that is relevant to our times and problems. That also demands our special attention.
This discourse should be accompanied by practical demonstration of the fruits of Islam’s teachings. Muslim Society should reflect what Islam stands for, through its culture, the lifestyle, the traditions, the way of their engagement with other communities and through their institutions.
We need special focus on youth. Very few Muslim organisations are giving due attention to youth. Youth of today have enormous potentials and without their active participation, no movement can succeed in influencing the society.
Similarly, we witnessed huge mobilisation among women in last few years. Our women cadres are working with great zeal and enthusiasm and this is also a great opportunity. We will have to focus and use this potential to the fullest.
What strategies do you suggest for the deep penetration of our message in the society?
The most important thing is already mentioned. That is building up a powerful and relevant discourse.
This discourse should be translated at different levels for different groups. While intellectuals need serious intellectual stuff, masses need catchy slogans and cultural contents and the youth need active social media mobilisation. For the effective communication of any message to any society, we need to have proper strategies for all these levels.
With rising significance of technology driven communication, we need to have proper infrastructure and human resource to channelize the great potential of mass media.
How will you address geographical imbalance in organisational activities at some places?
I agree that the spread of our activities and influence lacks proper geographical balance. Many areas are still untouched or poorly touched. In many other areas, although we have good presence and great history but our influence there doesn’t match the scope and potentials these areas offer. I feel, overcoming this imbalance should be our important priority now.
We will definitely formulate proper strategies to address this concern.
Where do you like to see Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in March 2023 when your term will come to a close?
This will depend on the Policy and Programme that we will finalise in next few weeks, in sha Allah. Nonetheless through my earlier replies I have already conveyed two important things.
One, a more youthful movement with more active participation of young men and women; and two a more balanced geographical spread of the movement with more focus on Hindi heartland, in sha Allah.
Through these, we would also like to ensure more influence and penetration of Jamaat in society and masses, but exact details of such influence and penetration will be clear through our four-year Policy and Programme. In sha Allah.
You have written many books; one on the distribution of Zakat. Please tell us in brief what is the proper utilisation of Zakat?
In that booklet, my emphasis is on organised and institutionalised system of Zakat. Zakat is a powerful poverty alleviation tool and if utilised effectively, it has the potential to completely eliminate the poverty within years. The experimentation can start from village level or colony level collective institutions and we can gradually move towards comprehensive state level institutions. If such institutions are materialised, they can utilise the zakat funds for employment generating trainings, microfinance and other forms of productive lending, establishing a supporting small scale and cottage industries and other such employment generating ventures. Such institutions can work under the supervision of trained professionals.
The bottom line is, current practice of individual zakat payment is causing distribution of zakat funds into very small ineffective units. Such small units can only provide small temporary support to the poor and cannot play any role in long term poverty alleviation.
On the one hand there are slogans of ‘women’s lib’ and gender equality, while on the other, women in Muslim society are generally not enjoying their due rights. What Muslim leaders should do to effect change for the better?
I do agree with you on this and same point I have emphasised in several of my writings. The fiqhi positions on different women related issues notwithstanding, I believe even those points which are established by clear rulings of the Quran and Sunnah and with the consensus of Islamic jurists; our practices seem to be in contradiction with even these points. For example, the right of women in inheritance is consensually established but even today very few families practise it. Prohibition of dowry and compulsion of proper mehar and nufqa can be another such example.
In the matter of women, we must be more critical and vocal to such un-Islamic practices and should create awareness among Muslim masses. Violation of shariah by our own society should attract our equal attention, enthusiasm and energy as the violation from external factors like government or courts do attract.
Fake news is ruling the roost; media organisations, save and except few, are speaking their ‘master’s voice’; even some Constitutional institutions seem to have turned ‘caged parrots’. What should peace- and justice-loving people do to right this wrong?
This demands proactive role of all peace-loving, truth-loving and justice-loving citizens. We need to be more vigilant and more proactive. The most significant sign of a decaying civilisation is that the initiative and activism of society’s rogue elements surpasses that of society’s upright elements. I feel, most important priority today is to change this situation and make the just and conscientious elements more active. Despite of a visible downfall in several institutions of democracy, we can still make use of the institutions like Judiciary, Press Council, etc. to check this. Social Media has now emerged not only as a powerful alterative to the mainstream media but also as an effective antidote to the misadventures of mainstream media. We must make effective use of its potentials.
Hate mill is grinding the society. Social observers have been saying for quite some time that the greatest threat today is to the Constitution. What do you think people should do to avert this disquieting situation?
Our efforts so far have been mainly focused on the political front. I believe, whatever is happening at the political front has its social roots. The menace of communalism and hatred is to be mainly countered at the level of society. We need a sustained social struggle to build the bridges between communities, alleviate the polarisation and remove the misunderstandings through healthy dialogues and inter-community communication.
Politics today is shorn of values. What do you suggest to political leaders to restore political morality?
It requires a major drive. Social organisations should come forward. Voters should be educated and a new culture of voting on the basis of values should be promoted. Morally upright people should be encouraged and supported to take up the political challenge and even if they are weak and not winnable as of now, they must be backed with long term objectives in mind. Public opinion should be mobilised so that the legislatures bring effective reforms.
Youth of today are more matured and of late they are coming out of the narrow confines of caste and community and learning the art of issue-based politics. If a strong movement of clean politics is initiated by social movements, I am confident that there exists strong scope for such reform. Jamaat will, as always, be happy to offer all kind of support for such movements, in sha Allah.
Palestine issue is very thorny. But there must be some solution to every issue. What solution is there for the peaceful resolution of this issue?
The world should realise that this is the issue of forceful occupation. The main problem lies in the way the big powers have been supporting the illegal, inhuman, imperialist and atrocious misadventures of Israel; the latest being accepting Jerusalem as Israeli capital and trying to legalise Israel’s occupation of Golan Heights, by some countries. This reflects the hypocrisy and double standards of these powers that are always ready to violate all ethical principles to maintain the supremacy and interests of themselves and people of their choice.
It is the matter of satisfaction that the humanity at large, has never approved such hypocrisy. These double standards should be brought to the notice of people around the world. There must be broad consensus against the atrocious imperialist policies of Israel and its supporters, and healthy dialogue should be encouraged between the parties with an aim to reach at an amicable solution.
What is your message to the readers of Radiance Viewsweekly?
We are living in very challenging times. The clutches of crony corporate capitalism have become strongest ever. The world was never as in-equal, wealth was never as concentrated and the poor were never as exploited as they are today. Similarly, after many centuries, the era of rosy slogans of human rights, human freedom, human dignity and equality, seems to be blacking out now. Blunt racism, Islamophobia and naked imperialism is taking over those modern and civilised societies who claimed to have defeated these menaces long before. It is very clear now that these societies were lacking the strong ideological and ethical foundations for such values to be sustained and permanent.
I believe, this is the golden opportunity for Islam’s message and dawah. People will of late, realise that great human values cannot be promoted and established in space without proper foundation. They need the foundation of a strong faith. This turmoil would ultimately result in the realisation of importance of these human values and also the needs of strong faith foundation for the sustenance of these values. So these conditions also create the opportunity for Islam and we must make the best use of it.