At last - a book about Tablighi Jamaat in the UK that is well researched, accessible, informative and to the point. I've wanted to read up on this group for a while now, especially because of all the stories about them wanting to build a mega-mosque in London and that they are linked to terrorist activities...
The book gives a fascinating insight into the ideologies behind this group, painting them as scripuralist and spiritual, weary of the wider community seeing the west as sinful, but at the same time having to engage with this in order to get their work done. The book also takes a look at their mega-mosque construction project, their links to terrorism and why some Muslims and non Muslims in the wider community oppose them. Importantly, the book makes the point that Islamist movements like Tablighi Jamaat are not stagnent in time, but are rather able to adapt to their local circumstances - we have seen this with Islamist movements all over the world in the past years! Pieri's point is not one to be under estimated - Tablighi Jamaat is learning to play the game and as he puts it, to negotiate the British context, and that engagement could have a transformative effect on the group. Seeing recent newspaper reports that the Tablighis mosque plans have been rejected because they were still not compliant with what the council wanted, I wonder how much they have really changed in their beliefs, but at least its clear that they have changed their strategies. Definitely watch out for this group - its something every one should know more about, and this is an excellent place to start. I look forward to more from the Lapido series.
