Tablighi Jama'at and the 'Remaking' of the Muslim
Keywords:
Re-making, self-purification, revivalism, modernity, identityAbstract
The ‘remaking’ of the Muslim as an integral part of a global attempt at reviving Islam has emerged in the last three decades on the backs of movements of Islamic revivalism such as the Tablighi Jama‘at (Conveying the message of Islam Group) as an important sociological phenomenon. Generally speaking it is a response to the failures of modernity and involves protecting Muslims from threats to their faith and identity. This paper draws on Troeltsch’s Church-Sect theory to explore the remaking of the Muslim in the context of the Tablighi Jama‘at. It argues that the Tablighi Jama‘at is a sect which is underpinned by the process of the remaking of the Muslim. This involves inward struggle and self-purification of Tablighis through greater observance of Islamic practices and rituals.
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