Let me begin by saying I am a fervent believer in the Deoband School of thought, however I am a Muslim first and foremost without regard to sect.
My question to all of you is that why are deobandis so denigrated and persecuted in some quarters? I was doing some research and I have 2 quotes:
**"Fatwa of three hundred Ulama against Deobandis
``The Deobandis, because of their contempt and insult, in their acts of worship, towards all saints, prophets, and even the Holy Prophet Muhammad and the very Person of God Himself, are definitely murtadd and kafir. Their apostasy and heresy is of the worst kind, so that anyone who doubts their apostasy and heresy even slightly is himself a murtadd and kafir. Muslims should be very cautious of them, and stay away from them. Let alone praying behind them, one should not let them pray behind one, or allow them into mosques, or eat the animal slaughtered by them, or join them on happy or sad occasions, or let them come near one, or visit them in illness, or attend their funerals, or give them space in Muslim grave-yards. To sum up, one must stay away from them completely.‘’
(See the Unanimous Fatwa of Three Hundred Ulama, published by Muhammad Ibrahim of Bhagalpur) **
and
**Deobandis should be declared non-Muslim minority
In March 1953, a poster was put up on walls in Karachi titled:
``Demands: Deoband sect should be declared a separate minority’'.
Among other things it said:
``Just as Sikhs originated from Hinduism, but are not Hindus, and Protestants came from Roman Catholicism, but are not Catholics, similarly, the Deobandi sect originated in the Sunni community, but are not Sunnis. The representatives of this minority sect are Mufti Muhammad Shafi, Sayyid Sulaiman Nadawi, Ihtasham-ul-Haqq, and Abul Ala Maudoodi, etc.‘’
After this it was demanded that this sect be declared a non-Muslim minority. It was signed by 28 persons
(see Tulu`-i-Islam, May 1953, p. 64).
**
I would like to hear your views on Deobandis. I am curious to read your thoughts.