Daily Times

Maulana Tariq Jamil, a renowned Islamic evangelist from the Deobandi school of thought and an active member of the Tableeghi Jamaat is not only known for his connections with movie stars, singers and politicians; he is also known for his emotional speeches, his message of peace and tolerance and for his insistence on high moral character among Muslims. Never have I heard the Maulana promoting sectarianism or religious extremism in his talks; rather, I have found him to be the flag bearer of unity, asking people to leave behind their petty differences, recommending them to follow universal Islamic principles of humanity, compassion and clemency.

A middle-aged man with deep-seated eyes and a long beard without a mustache (the hallmark beard of Tableeghi Jamaat), Maulana Tariq Jamil left a career in medicine during his medical school days to devote his life to the learning and preaching of Islam. Without a blemish on his personal life, he has earned a clean reputation over the years, which explains why the number of his followers is growing and the size of the crowd in his lectures is soaring. To his credit, his pupils include not only those who do not adhere to any denomination but also those who carry a different set of beliefs altogether and would not otherwise follow anyone belonging to his school of thought. Looking at his success and his celebrity status from a mundane standpoint, the Maulana indeed made the right career move at the right time and for all the right reasons!

I am not sure why but during his addresses the Maulana almost always breaks down into tears while narrating stories about Islam, the Prophet (PBUH) and early Muslims. The first few times I watched him cry I have to admit I was impressed by his passion and sincerity. Then, I watched a few more videos. Giving him the benefit of the doubt I still thought it was a coincidence but, afterwards, it seems to be a pattern, a well-rehearsed part of his speech, a deliberate action to gain attention and appreciation. I have never seen an inspirational speaker who weeps as often in front of the camera as the most popular preacher of the Tableeghi Jamaat does. May be it is not Islamic history or depth of the character or the tireless efforts of the family of the Prophet (PBUH) that tightens his chest; it is the camera and the flash lights instead that bring hoarseness to his voice and a lump in his throat. Hard to say, I must add.

Till a few years ago, I had not heard of the Maulana at all. I thought most urban, right leaning, middle class Pakistanis still followed Dr Zakir Naik, a scholar known for citing partial quotes from the Quran and Bible so fast that his audience got both dizzy and disillusioned by the fund of his knowledge. After 2001, Dr Naik, being a ‘specialist’ in comparative religion, who rose to prominence after the attack on the twin towers, reassured Muslims that their faith holds higher moral grounds than Christianity and stands taller on logical grounds than any other world religion. However, after the Indian cleric made some provocative and insensitive statements, the tide of his popularity abruptly plunged into obscurity. His failure, though, emerged as an opportunity for Maulana Tariq Jamil to stand above the ethnic and sectarian divide and spread his message of nonviolence and compassion, an opening that the Maulana could not miss.

So, one day, I found the rising star from Pakistan sitting next to the star of Qiamat se Qiamat Tak in a picture taken during the pilgrimage. No, do not get me wrong, I do not follow Bollywood news closely but the combination of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ grabbed my attention. It was like watching David and Goliath stressing the importance of teamwork. I could not figure out whether the Maulana was a secret fan of Mr Perfect or it was the other way around. I still have not solved that mystery; nevertheless, what I have discovered is that the Maulana, now, in between his emotional outpourings, has a few lighter moments as well. In some of these precious moments, he does not mind pontificating about his relationship with the Daljeet ‘DJ’ of Rang De Basanti and when his sense of humour stands at its peak. He also discloses the nature of his texting with the star, which includes a prayer for the box office success of Dhoom 3!

The story does not end here. I realised that the Maluana’s popularity in the dubious world of fame and fortune spans across the whole industry. He is found sitting next to Junaid Jamshed in one of the videos and then there is one with Shahid Afridi. Politicians too step up to get his blessing; a photo shot with Imran Khan cannot be missed. Then there is one with Nawaz Sharif too. And, of course, everyone knows about the Maulana’s sincere prayers for Veena Malik just before she was accused of blasphemy. In this case, his prayers may have backfired. Anyway, I was impressed with his credentials. Unlike other clerics, I thought the Maualana, instead of picking on the stars, was trying to bring the two worlds together, the world of darkness in which there exists no place for religion and the other of proselytism and Islamic evangelism in which seeking mundane pleasures can be frowned upon.

After the Junaid Jamshed incident, what has surprised me is that the Maulana never came out with eyes full of tears to offer sympathy to Veena Malik, nor did he extend his support to Dr Lodhi, the host of a morning show, like he did for his Tableeghi brother. More disturbing than that is his complete silence on the wrongfully accused non-Muslim victims of blasphemy. I am not alone in asking this question. Social media is full of such queries. Nonetheless, my real concern is why people like him, who have such a tender and sensitive heart, grow numb and indifferent when it comes to feeling the pain and suffering of non-Muslims.

The writer is a US-based freelance columnist. He tweets at @KaamranHashmi and can be reached at skamranhashmi@gmail.com