Abstract

This innovative book analyses the growth of Deobandi Islam, a religious sect whose followers include extremist groups, through the frame of a counterculture in conflict with mainstream Muslim society. Due to its relationship with the Taliban, close links to al-Qaeda, and worldwide reach through the ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ (Proselytization Group), the Deoband Madrassah Movement has come to acquire global significance. In Pakistan, Deobandi schools have increasingly been associated with the rise of an intolerant and militant strain of Islam linked with terrorist activities.

Muhammad Moj is a research fellow at the University of Western Australia. He has served as a civil servant for the government of Pakistan for more than 15 years.

 ‘In this time of strained relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as growing polarization among Muslims, reliable information on Islam and the Muslim world becomes of crucial importance. Mohammad Moj’s study of the Deobandis responds to this acute need. His concise but comprehensive book framing the Deobandi Madrassah network as an oppositional discourse and counterculture not only addresses the history and political significance of one of the most influential strands of modern Islamic thinking in South Asia, but also the impact of this movement on media and on the daily lives of Muslims.’—Carool Kersten, King’s College London

‘In this time of strained relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as growing polarization among Muslims, reliable information on Islam and the Muslim world becomes of crucial importance. Mohammad Moj’s study of the Deobandis responds to this acute need. His concise but comprehensive book framing the Deobandi Madrassah network as an oppositional discourse and counterculture not only addresses the history and political significance of one of the most influential strands of modern Islamic thinking in South Asia, but also the impact of this movement on media and on the daily lives of Muslims.’— Carool Kersten, King’s College London

In this important study, Muhammad Moj explores the Deobandi sect within Islam and its relationship to Pakistani society in an innovative way. The Deoband Madrassah Movement (DMM) has largely been studied as a political and religious reform movement, but this book interprets it rather as a counterculture, drawing on the counterculture theory of Milton Yinger.

Using analyses of Deobandi journals and interviews with madrassahs and college students, this book comprehends the DMM from a broader perspective to discover the reasons behind its clash with the mainstream society in which it operates.

‘This is an excellent study of how the Deoband madrassah movement has emerged as a countercultural movement in Pakistan. It addresses DMM’s evolution and opposition to the mainstream cultural, educational and political systems of the country. It is a must read.’ — Birol Yesilada, Portland State University

‘This is an excellent study of how the Deoband madrassah movement has emerged as a countercultural movement in Pakistan. It addresses DMM’s evolution and opposition to the mainstream cultural, educational and political systems of the country. It is a must read.’ —Birol Yesilada, Portland State University