In the intricate mosaic of India’s religious landscape, Muslim organisations play a significant role in shaping identities, beliefs, and communal behaviour. Among them, Jamaat-e-Islami and Tablighi Jamaat have historically positioned themselves as Islamic revivalist movements. While they publicly disavow violence, concerns are growing over how their ideological frameworks and influence networks may be radicalising segments of Muslim youth in India.

This article aims to unpack the mechanisms, narratives, and patterns through which these groups operate and how their doctrines can tilt toward exclusivism, isolationism, and even extremism.

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), founded in 1941 by Abul A’la Maududi, is not merely a religious movement. It is based on a political interpretation of Islam, aiming to establish an Islamic state governed by Sharia. While banned in Jammu & Kashmir, JeI continues to operate across India, student organisations, and civil society under various names and fronts.

Tablighi Jamaat, on the other hand, is ostensibly apolitical and inward-looking, focusing on personal piety and Islamic evangelism (dawah). But its brand of Islam, rigid, Deobandi-based, and anti-modernist, discourages pluralism and instils a worldview where religious identity trumps national identity. It is often accused of building echo chambers that........

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