On December 6, a tweet from the Twitter handle of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of Saudi Arabia once again brought the Tablighi Jamaat in India into discussion. Quoting this tweet, almost all the small and big media organizations of India ran the news that Saudi Arabia has banned Tablighi Jamaat, calling it the gate of terrorism.
The news spread so quickly that a press statement was issued to Darul Uloom in Deoband, urging the Saudi Arabian government to reconsider the decision.
But the question is, has the Saudi government really banned Tablighi Jamaat? All media organizations in Hindi and English have broadcast the same news that the Saudi government has banned the Tablighi Jamaat. These institutions cited a tweet by the Saudi government’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs as confirmation of their news.
Fact Check
His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs in the Government of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdullatif Al Alsheikh instructed the Imams of Mosques and Mosques to warn people from Juma prayer Tablighi Jamaat and Dawa (Feast) (both of Mushtarka name ‘Al Ahbab)’. Minister Dr. Abdul Latif said that Imam should tell them along with their mistakes and bidaat that they should say something but this is the first door to spread terrorism. Four instructions have been given by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, which are as follows-
His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr.#Abdullatif Al_Alsheikh directed the mosques' preachers and the mosques that held Friday prayer temporary to allocate the next Friday sermon 5/6/1443 H to warn against (the Tablighi and Da’wah group) which is called (Al Ahbab)
— Ministry of Islamic Affairs 🇸🇦 (@Saudi_MoiaEN) December 6, 2021
1- Declaration of the misguidedness, deviance and danger of this group, and that it is one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim something.
2- Mention their most prominent mistakes.
3- Mention their danger to the society.
4- Statement that affiliation with partisan groups (including Tablighi and Dawa groups) is prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Nowhere in these instructions is it written that the Saudi Arabian government has banned the Tablighi Jamaat. Therefore to say that the Saudi government has banned the Tablighi Jamaat, this claim is misleading and concocted.
It is noteworthy that the government of Saudi Arabia does not allow any other sect to conduct its activities other than the Salafi ideology.