Discourse on Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami
and Its Founder Abu al-Ala al-Mawdudi
Uncovering the Philosophy and Nuance
of America's Adversary in Pakistan
by Commander Youssef Aboul-Enein,
MSC, USN
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Discourse on Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami...
Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has expended extensive efforts in imposing their
vision of Sharia on Pakistan's public life since the founding of the state in 1947.
They stand opposed to any secular ideas introduced into Pakistan and are intolerant
of other Muslim belief systems that do not espouse their views. JI, like other Islamist
groups, confuse secularism as a modern form of religion versus as a mechanism to
manage Pakistan's diverse ethnic and religious (Muslim and non-Muslim) groups.
In order to interact effectively with Pakistan, America's leaders must gain an understanding
of the core struggle between two of Pakistan's founders: the secular vision
of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948), and the Islamist vision of Abu al Ala al-Mawdudi
(1903-1979). This essay is a distillation of a dozen books written by Mawdudi
and published in Arabic, and attempts to get into the mind of an important ideologue
of modern radical Islamist movements. Mawdudi's books are referenced in this
essay. Commentary and analysis of Mawdudi's work, as well as comparisons are
listed at the end of this work.
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Discourse on Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami...
Commander Youssef Aboul-Enein is author of
Militant Islamist Ideology: Understanding the Global Threat recently published
by Naval Institute Press. He is currently studying at the Industrial College
of the Armed Forces in Washington DC. Commander Aboul-Enein wishes to thank
Dr. Christina Lafferty for her edits and comments that enhanced this work.
In addition, he wishes to thank the Bolling AFB Library and the National Defense
University Library both in Washington DC for their assistance and for providing
a place to write this piece. The views represented are that of the author,
and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government.