Islamism and Democracy in India

Irfan Ahmad is an anthropologist and assistant professor of politics in the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University in Australia, where he helps lead the Centre for Islam and the Modern World.

• List of Illustrations and Tables ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Notes to the Reader xvii Abbreviations xix Introduction 1 Part I. Fieldwork and Historical Context Chapter 1: Doing Fieldwork in Times of War 31 Chapter 2: Contextualizing the Formation and Ideology of Islamism 49 Part II. Zigzags to Allah's Kingdom Chapter 3: Educating the Children 83 Chapter 4: Mobilizing the Young 111 Chapter 5: Defining Islam: Conflict and Democratization 137 Part III. Opposition and Negotiation Chapter 6: Invoking Jihad 163 Chapter 7: Negotiating the Idol: Secularism, Democracy, and Allah's Kingdom 188 Conclusion 217 Appendixes 241 Notes 245 Glossary of Urdu-Hindi Terms 263 Bibliography 265 Index 295

Shortlisted for the 2011 ICAS Book Prize for Best Study in the Field of Social Sciences, International Convention of Asian Scholars "Islamist politics, argues Ahmad, are shaped by the dynamics of modern politics and cannot be explained simply by analyzing sacred religions texts. In this well-documented study, Ahmad supports this thesis by providing a historical account of the transformation of the Jamaat-e-Islami in India, one of the most important Islamist movements in the Muslim world, from its founding in 1941 to the present... [T]his well-crafted study will be of great interest to scholars, students of Islam, and policymakers."--Choice "The book is rich in detail, interviews, and scholarly overviews of both historical and contemporary events that have shaped the Jamaate-Islami... Ahmad has enriched Islamism and Democracy in India with an incredible amount of scholarship in his analysis of the incontrovertible distinction between Jamaat-e-Islami's moderation and SIMI's radicalization."--Edward M. Proctor, Digest of Middle East Studies "While a constellation of volumes exist on the nature of Islamism and the contemporary world, Irfan Ahmad's examination is a successful addition by way of its intellectual precision, innovative analysis, and diplomatic disposition."--Scott Nicholas Romaniuk, Central European Journal of International & Security Studies "Ahmad's book is an impressive analytical achievement, a convincing argument for differentiation, and a well-written and accessible read."--Raphael Susewind, Contemporary South Asia