SUMMARY
Al-Umma (al-Ummah; al Ummah) was an Islamist extremist group primarily active in India’s Tamil Nadu state. Syed Ahmad Basha, Ahmed Pasha, and M.H. Jawahirulla founded al-Umma in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, at some point during the early 1980s. However, it was not consolidated as a robust and influential group until the demolition of the Babri Masjid mosque (located in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh state) in 1992. The demolition caused outrage among India’s Muslims, and bolstered a burgeoning Islamic fundamentalism, something that had been relatively uncommon in Tamil Nadu before. The main ideological motivations of the group were to promote a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah, protect Muslim interests, and punish those who spoke against Islam.
The group increased its popularity considerably in 1993, when it attacked an office building belonging to the Hindu fundamentalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organization. The group branded itself as a counter to Hindu nationalism. It also bolstered its popular support by carrying out various forms of social work, and it set up courts that operated outside of the state’s legal system in some parts of Tamil Nadu. Some argue that fundamentalist and extremist Islamist organizations could proliferate in Tamil Nadu because the Muslim population there did not have a unified popular front to represent them.
Basha was the leader of al-Umma; he was a self-proclaimed Islamist ideologue who had previously made a living as a timber merchant and by offering protection to Muslim businessmen in southern India. Basha spent a few years in prison at some point between 1993 and 1996. Following a series of bomb blasts carried out by the group in 1998, many al-Umma leaders opposed to the violent radicalization of the organization left, while Indian authorities arrested many others.
The group had an elaborate organizational structure, and was divided into 11 member groups led by an Amir (commander). Many of the young Muslims in Tamil Nadu that joined Islamist organizations, like al-Umma, were poor, uneducated, and unemployed. It was believed that al-Umma would attract new members by offering them money, and then radicalize them during secret meetings with religious leaders. It has not been possible to establish the group’s total cadre strength.
Al-Umma utilized extortion and “taxation” of local populations in its areas of operation to raise funds. The group also received considerable external funding for its activities, particularly from the Gulf States; al-Umma was known to circulate videos of Muslims killed in communal clashes to attract more funding and support. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), may have provided groups like al-Umma with funding and support. However, allegations of ISI-involvement with Indian militant groups should always be considered carefully, given the contentious relationship between India and Pakistan.
It was believed that al-Umma had ties to the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and it may have received support from this organization. During the 1980s, al-Umma also organized members of the Islamic Youth Association to attack and harass Hindus. It is possible that remaining fragments of al-Umma joined the Indian Mujahideen during the 2000s or 2010s.
