Maulana Mahmood Madani is the President of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH), one of the oldest and largest socio-religious organisations of Indian Muslims. He is a strong advocate for justice, communal harmony, and the constitutional rights of minorities. Known for his frank condemnations of terrorism, as well as his unyielding defence of Indian Muslims in the face of rising Islamophobia, Madani represents the continuation of a long legacy of religious scholarship and social activism.
Lineage: Maulana Mahmood’s grandfather, Maulana Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani, was a great scholar of Islamic theology, teaching hadith in Madinah, and Deoband. He was the president of the JUH until his death in 1957 and was then succeeded by his son Asad Madani (Maulana Mahmood’s father), who was president until his death in 2006.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH): JUH was established in 1919 by leading Deoband scholars who argued for the concept of composite nationalism, believing that a nation should not be formed on the basis of one factor only (e. g. religion, ethnicity etc), but rather should be based on many factors. Maulana Mahmood has strived to keep this concept alive amid all the turmoil of nationalistic politics in India. After graduating from Deoband in 1992, he became actively involved in the JUH, organising conferences and meetings across the country which saw a rapid rise in membership. He became the General Secretary of JUH in 2001 and continued to invigorate the organisation. When his father passed away in 2006, a dispute arose between him and his uncle around the leadership of the organisation leading to a bifurcation.
Activism: He has advocated for Muslim rights in India and has been outspoken in his opposition to the misuse of the term “jihad” as a tool of terrorism in India. Following fatal bomb blasts in 2008, he mobilised Darul Uloom Deoband institutions to host events condemning terrorism as inherently un-Islamic. This had a major impact on the community. In addition to ideological work, Madani has been deeply involved in humanitarian relief, spearheading aid during natural disasters such as the Gujarat and Kashmir earthquakes. Under his leadership, JUH has expanded health, education, and social development projects, particularly in underprivileged Muslim communities.
Legal battles: Maulana Madani leads numerous legal battles in various courts of the country fighting to secure the rights of Indian Muslims in cases covering Right to Citizenship, Right to Practise Religious Duties, as well as defending those Muslims who have been falsely implicated in terror cases. Madani has also consistently urged Muslims to remain engaged with the democratic process, encouraging youth participation in education, politics, and civic life. His speeches emphasise dignity, non-violence, and strategic unity in the face of communal challenges.
Combating Islamophobia: With RSS ideology growing ever menacingly, Maulana Mahmood Madani has supported a number of initiatives to counter the impact of hatred and religious-based crime against Indian Muslims. The JEIM (Justice and Empowerment Initiative for Indian Muslims) records cases of Islamophobia in a systematic manner and provides advocacy and other forms of assistance to the victims. This is the first such attempt by Indian Muslims to record such cases and present them to human rights organisations.
The Gaza Genocide: He has voiced support for Palestine and consistently criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza, framing them as violations of human rights and international law.
