Deendar Anjuman

Deendar Anjuman (English: The Religious Association) is an Islamic religious organisation based in Hyderabad, India. The faith and beliefs of this organisation is more bent towards Sunni Sufi school of thought. The organisation has a unique way of preaching Islam by devoting complete life and delivering message through the grass-root level. The preachers of Deendar are very much known for their devotion and sacrifice of life, wealth, time and materialistic urge. The organisation claims to have been following the footsteps of Abu Bakar as a benchmark for sacrifice. And the organisation proclaims to carry forward the mission of Imam Hussain to fulfill his last wish of delivering the message of Islam in every nook and corner of India.

The followers of Deendar are often confused with the Ahmedi sect. But it has been confirmed from the reliable sources within the Ahmedi community that Siddiq Deendar's faith and ideology does not align with the Ahmedis. Instead he had worked very hard against the Ahmedis for several years and instructed his followers to strive hard for the reformation of Ahmedi beliefs. The organisation has a deep-rooted history since the beginning of 20th century during the era of Asif Jahi dynasty in Deccan Hyderabad. Maulana Siddiq Deendar along with Bahadur-Yaar-Jung played a key role in the establishment of a non-political platform named as Bainul-Ittehaad-ul-Muslimeen. Later, the organisation took its political shape after Hyderabad was acquired through police action and is today known by the name Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM).

History

The Deendar Anjuman was founded in 1924 by Moulana Syed Siddique Hussain in the Gadak district of Karnataka. Syed Siddique Hussain was a very charismatic, vibrant, pan-Islamic, visionary and progressive personality. His urge for education and knowledge can be seen with multiple professions he acquired by graduating from Madras university and later practiced Ophthalmology. He retired from his professions at a very young age and started acquiring knowledge to serve humanity and Islam. He set himself the task of delivering the message of Islam to the Lingayath community among Hindus who were the followers of the Hindu Avatar Chanbasweshwar. As his emphasis was initially the followers of Chanbasweshwar, he gained popularity by the name Siddiq Deendar or Deendar Chanbasweshwar. His following could be seen across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The preachers of Deendar Anjuman are known for their knowledge of comparative studies of religions and unlike other scholars they are very well fluent with the Holy Quran, Bhagwad Gita, New Testament, and Old Testament. In 1924 Hazrath Syed Siddique Hussain proclaimed that he got a revelation from God that "All India will embrace Islam" and India would be the capital for the next Islamic Caliphate. He later also proclaimed he has been appointed by God as a reformer for Qadiyani cult and has instructed his followers to work hard for reforming the faith and opinion of Qadiyanis.

Congregations

The organisation has a long history of organising religious congregations. The first International Religious Conference was organised by this organisation in late 1940s and the followers of Deendar Anjuman still continue the tradition of organising this event at their headquarters(Hyderabad) every year on the occasion of the death anniversary of their founder Siddiq Deendar. Religious scholars from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian communities are invited for dialogue and are allowed to express their opinion for establishment of universal peace and brotherhood.

The five fundamental principles for peace often known as Panch Shanti Marg was proposed by Syed Siddiq Hussain:

• Eko Jagdishwar (Oneness of God)
• Eko Jagadguru (One World Teacher)
• Sarv Dharm Granth Sathya (Respect and belief in all sacred religious scriptures)
• Sarv Avtaar Sathya (Respect and belief in all prophets and messengers of God)
• Samatha Sammelana Prarthana (Collective form of prayer)

The organisation was banned after some explosions occurred in South India and the needle of suspicion pointed to some of its followers. According to the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation, the prime accused in the bomb blast case was Syed Zia-ul-Hasan who was the son of Syed Siddique Hussain. Zia-ul-Hassan was a Pakistani citizen and used to visit Hyderabad once in a decade, but recently died in Mardan, Pakistan(Sep 2009). The case is still pending in the Supreme Court of India.

Irrelivent Charges

It was first banned in 2001 and thereafter the ban was extended periodically. In its notification in the Gazette of India on Aug 29, 2007, the home ministry declared Deendar Anjuman "an unlawful association" as its activities could "create tension among the Christians and other communities with a view to disrupting the social fabric and tarnish the secular fabric credential of the country". The organisation even after a decade of charges denies the responsibility of the bomb blasts. It has officially accepted the role of handful of its followers among the youth involved in the bomb blasts but denied any role of the organisation in bomb blasts. On Dec 19, 2012 Karnataka High Court acquitted the death sentence for four persons and life imprisonment for 17 persons due to lack of evidence.

References

• Deendar youth acquitted due to lack of evidence
• Deendar Anjuman declared unlawful - Times of India
• Deendar Anjuman banned - The Hindu
• Press release - Ministry of Home Affairs India