What is Jamaat-e-Islami that has been banned in Jammu and Kashmir
Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir is a socio-political and religious organisation that was founded in 1945 as a chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind during the Independence movement.
The Centre on Thursday banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir for a period of five years citing reasons that the outfit was in "close touch" with militant outfits. The Jamaat-e-Islami was banned under anti-terror laws with the Centre aiming at preventing any "escalation of secessionist movement" in the state.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the banning order a few days after the Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested around 100 people, including the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, and claimed that the outfit was involved in activities intended at disrupting India's integrity.
Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir is a socio-political and religious organisation that was founded in 1945 as a chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind during the Independence movement.
Jamaat-e-Islami was separated from its parent organisation in 1953 over differences in political ideology.
The party, with pro-Pakistan leaning during the Plebiscite Front days and also during the eruption of militancy, pitches itself as socio-religious organisation working mainly in the field of education and awareness about Islam.
The Jamaat-e-Islami was an influential founder member of the undivided Hurriyat Conference from its inception in 1993 till 2003, when the amalgam suffered a vertical split led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani over alleged proxy participation in 2002 Assembly polls by some leaders of the People's Conference led by Sajad Gani Lone.
The Jamaat withdrew from the Hurriyat and decided to focus on its social work while maintaining its separatist stand on Kashmir issue.
The cadre-based party has a powerful Majlis-e-Shoora (advisory council) which takes decisions on important issues through consensus.
The second tier of the organisation consists of Rukn-e-Jamaat (pillar of Jamaat), who in turn elect the Majlis-e-Shoora. The number of Rukn-e-Jamaat can vary from 100 to 300 but for getting into this elite group, one has to fulfill certain criteria which can take more than a decade at least.